Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Belgium
Belgium: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary was 1.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Belgium, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Belgium is 1.7%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 24.5% on the previous year and up 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Belgium peaked at 1.9% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2003.
Belgium ranks 151st of 179 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0.1% | — |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +42.1% |
| 2003 | 0.0% | -88.9% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | +2227.0% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -64.7% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | +131.9% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | +47.9% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | +36.2% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +33.6% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | +18.2% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | +120.5% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | -12.3% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | +19.0% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | -24.7% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | -11.5% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | +28.1% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | -12.2% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | +24.5% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 35% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.8%, 59% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary 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 | +2227.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 148 Serbia 1.9% compare
- 149 Switzerland 1.8% compare
- 150 Albania 1.7% compare
- 152 Liechtenstein 1.7% compare
- 153 Netherlands 1.7% compare
- 154 Turks and Caicos Islands 1.6% compare
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 one year before the official primary in Belgium?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Belgium was 1.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 2011.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2003.
- How does Belgium rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Belgium ranks 151st out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release