Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) in Belgium
Belgium: Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) was 5 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Belgium, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in Belgium is 5, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of down 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Belgium peaked at 6 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 5, in 2021.
That places Belgium 59th out of 73 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 | — |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 2022 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 | +0.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 5 is below the median for high income countries, which is 6, 83% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 5 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6, 83% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.17 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More education data for Belgium
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.32 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.34 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Belgium?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Belgium was 5 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 in 2021.
- How does Belgium rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Belgium ranks 59th out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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