Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in Belgium
Belgium: Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) was 5 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
129th
of 205 countries
All-time high
6
in 1998
All-time low
5
in 2021
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Belgium, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to compulsory education in Belgium stood at 5. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is 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.
Belgium ranks 129th of 205 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) 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. (77 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 5 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6, 83% of the median. (53 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
- 129 Angola 5 compare
- 129 Anguilla 5 compare
- 129 Antigua and Barbuda 5 compare
- 129 Austria 5 compare
- 129 Bahamas 5 compare
- 129 Barbados 5 compare
- 129 Belize 5 compare
- 129 Bermuda 5 compare
- 129 British Virgin Islands 5 compare
- 129 Colombia 5 compare
- 129 Cook Islands 5 compare
- 129 Cyprus 5 compare
- 129 Czechia 5 compare
- 129 Dominica 5 compare
- 129 Greece 5 compare
- 129 Grenada 5 compare
- 129 Honduras 5 compare
- 129 Latvia 5 compare
- 129 Macao 5 compare
- 129 Malta 5 compare
- 129 Marshall Islands 5 compare
- 129 Mauritius 5 compare
- 129 Montserrat 5 compare
- 129 Myanmar 5 compare
- 129 Netherlands 5 compare
- 129 Nicaragua 5 compare
- 129 Niue 5 compare
- 129 Pakistan 5 compare
- 129 Paraguay 5 compare
- 129 Philippines 5 compare
- 129 Puerto Rico 5 compare
- 129 Saint Kitts and Nevis 5 compare
- 129 Saint Lucia 5 compare
- 129 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5 compare
- 129 Samoa 5 compare
- 129 Slovakia 5 compare
- 129 Sri Lanka 5 compare
- 129 Tokelau 5 compare
- 129 Trinidad and Tobago 5 compare
- 129 United Kingdom 5 compare
- 129 Vietnam 5 compare
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 Our World in Data.
- 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 129th out of 205 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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