Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Belgium
Belgium: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
1.5%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
17th
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.6%
in 2020
All-time low
0.6%
in 1995
Years of data
31
1975–2022
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Belgium, 1975–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 1.5% for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in 2022.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Belgium peaked at 1.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1995.
Belgium ranks 17th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 0.9% | — |
| 1976 | 0.9% | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 1.0% | +9.0% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 1.0% | -5.6% |
| 1981 | 1.0% | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 1.0% | -4.2% |
| 1986 | 0.9% | -5.0% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 0.9% | +11.2% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | +18.4% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | -44.6% |
| 1996 | 0.7% | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | +92.2% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +7.3% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | +6.9% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 5 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 6 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 14 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 1.6% compare
- 15 Netherlands 1.6% compare
- 16 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 1.6% compare
- 18 Saudi Arabia 1.5% compare
- 19 Norway 1.5% compare
- 20 Burkina Faso 1.5% compare
More education data for Belgium
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 137,795 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 17,384 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 221,494 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 210,503 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.18 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 814,388 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1356 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0691 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Belgium?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Belgium was 1.5% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1995.
- How does Belgium rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Belgium ranks 17th out of 173 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release