Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Belgium
Belgium: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 8,744 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Belgium, 2002–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Belgium stood at 8,744.
The figure is up 30.7% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Belgium peaked at 9,960 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 160, in 2002.
That places Belgium 103rd out of 170 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 160 | — |
| 2004 | 2,757 | +1623.1% |
| 2005 | 2,483 | -9.9% |
| 2006 | 3,186 | +28.3% |
| 2007 | 4,139 | +29.9% |
| 2008 | 4,901 | +18.4% |
| 2009 | 5,510 | +12.4% |
| 2010 | 6,170 | +12.0% |
| 2011 | 9,960 | +61.4% |
| 2012 | 8,915 | -10.5% |
| 2013 | 8,737 | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 8,646 | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 8,830 | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 9,362 | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 6,489 | -30.7% |
| 2018 | 6,510 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 6,513 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6,189 | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 7,443 | +20.3% |
| 2022 | 6,688 | -10.1% |
| 2023 | 8,744 | +30.7% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 8,744 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,882, 2.3× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 8,744 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4,329, 2.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | +1623.1% | 160 | 2,757 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3,305 | 160 | 5,510 | 7 |
| 2010s | 8,013 | 6,170 | 9,960 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,266 | 6,189 | 8,744 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
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 out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Belgium?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Belgium was 8,744 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 9,960 in 2011.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 160 in 2002.
- How does Belgium rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Belgium ranks 103rd out of 170 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release