Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Belgium
Belgium: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 1.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Belgium, 2002–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 1.7% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 32.4% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Belgium peaked at 2.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2002.
That places Belgium 129th out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0.2% | — |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +110.4% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | +50.3% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +19.6% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +21.5% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | +16.2% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | +8.6% |
| 2011 | 2.1% | +58.5% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | -9.5% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | -32.3% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +18.6% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -11.6% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | +32.4% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.2%, 75% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.6%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.2% | 1.2% | 7 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.3% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 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 rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Belgium?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Belgium was 1.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 2011.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2002.
- How does Belgium rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Belgium ranks 129th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. 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 rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release