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 1.6% 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
In 2023, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Belgium stood at 1.6%.
That represents a change of up 19.9% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Belgium peaked at 1.8% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2002.
That places Belgium 142nd out of 175 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 | 0.2% | — |
| 2002 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2003 | 0.0% | — |
| 2004 | 0.1% | +99.7% |
| 2005 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | — |
| 2007 | 0.2% | +87.7% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | +73.6% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +66.1% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -9.8% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | +183.7% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -8.6% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | -9.5% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | +23.4% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | -19.8% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | -15.5% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | +38.0% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +19.9% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.8%, 41% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.8%, 42% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +183.7% | 0.6% | 1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 0.6% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 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 one year before the official primary in Belgium?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Belgium was 1.6% 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 1.8% 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 2002.
- How does Belgium rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Belgium ranks 142nd out of 175 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 6.5%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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