Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium
Belgium: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal was 15.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium, 1990–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium is 15.2%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of up 23.9% on the previous year and up 102.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium peaked at 15.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1990.
Belgium ranks 14th of 104 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.6% | — |
| 1991 | 3.0% | +15.5% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | +16.0% |
| 1993 | 4.0% | +16.0% |
| 1994 | 3.8% | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 4.0% | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 4.1% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 4.1% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 5.9% | +42.9% |
| 2000 | 8.8% | +49.4% |
| 2001 | 9.0% | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 7.6% | -15.9% |
| 2003 | 9.4% | +24.6% |
| 2004 | 11.1% | +17.3% |
| 2005 | 9.2% | -17.1% |
| 2006 | 8.7% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 8.2% | -6.0% |
| 2008 | 7.6% | -7.7% |
| 2009 | 7.5% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 8.2% | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 8.0% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 7.4% | -6.9% |
| 2013 | 7.5% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 7.9% | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 7.3% | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 7.5% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 8.0% | +6.3% |
| 2018 | 7.7% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 8.1% | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 7.2% | -12.0% |
| 2022 | 12.3% | +71.8% |
| 2023 | 15.2% | +23.9% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 15.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.6%, 1.8× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 15.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.2%, 2.4× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.9% | 2.6% | 5.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.7% | 7.5% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.8% | 7.3% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 7.2% | 15.2% | 3 |
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 participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium?
- Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium was 15.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 15.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1990.
- How does Belgium rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Belgium ranks 14th out of 104 countries with data for 2023.
- Is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 102.8%. 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 Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 25-54 years old, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release