Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Belgium

Belgium: Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and was 26,454 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
26,454
Change on year
up 17.1%
World rank
110th
of 178 countries
All-time high
30,090
in 2016
All-time low
2,246
in 2003
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Belgium, 2001–2023

010.0k20.0k30.0k2001201220232001: 6.2k2002: 4.7k2003: 2.2k2004: 5.6k2005: 7.4k2006: 6.7k2007: 10.4k2008: 12.4k2009: 13.6k2010: 14.1k2011: 24.8k2012: 20.7k2013: 22.7k2014: 26.7k2015: 29.1k2016: 30.1k2017: 18.1k2018: 17.8k2019: 19.6k2020: 17.7k2021: 20.2k2022: 22.6k2023: 26.5k

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2023, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Belgium stood at 26,454.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.1% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Belgium peaked at 30,090 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2,246, in 2003.

That places Belgium 110th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number) in Belgium, 2001 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2001 6,241
2002 4,673 -25.1%
2003 2,246 -51.9%
2004 5,626 +150.5%
2005 7,443 +32.3%
2006 6,742 -9.4%
2007 10,418 +54.5%
2008 12,415 +19.2%
2009 13,562 +9.2%
2010 14,129 +4.2%
2011 24,809 +75.6%
2012 20,749 -16.4%
2013 22,686 +9.3%
2014 26,676 +17.6%
2015 29,134 +9.2%
2016 30,090 +3.3%
2017 18,093 -39.9%
2018 17,774 -1.8%
2019 19,600 +10.3%
2020 17,669 -9.9%
2021 20,177 +14.2%
2022 22,599 +12.0%
2023 26,454 +17.1%

Belgium compared with similar countries

  • Belgium's 26,454 is above the median for high income countries, which is 17,025, 1.6× the median. (68 countries reporting)
  • Belgium's 26,454 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 24,477, 1.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2004 +150.5% 2,246 5,626

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7,707 2,246 13,562 9
2010s 22,374 14,129 30,090 10
2020s 21,725 17,669 26,454 4

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 107 New Zealand 28,899 compare
  2. 108 Namibia 28,510 compare
  3. 109 Qatar 26,703 compare
  4. 111 Eswatini 25,572 compare
  5. 112 Denmark 24,477 compare
  6. 113 Norway 22,946 compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More education data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Belgium?
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Belgium was 26,454 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 30,090 in 2016.
What is the lowest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 2,246 in 2003.
How does Belgium rank for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and?
Belgium ranks 110th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. 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 Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-and-secondary-school-age-both-2/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
178 places, 2,946 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release