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 18.0% 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 18.0%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.6% on the previous year and up 119.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium peaked at 18.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1991.
That places Belgium 14th out of 103 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 | 1.9% | — |
| 1991 | 1.8% | -5.8% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | +20.6% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | +15.9% |
| 1994 | 2.6% | +6.8% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | +9.5% |
| 1996 | 3.0% | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 3.2% | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 4.6% | +44.9% |
| 2000 | 7.0% | +50.8% |
| 2001 | 8.1% | +15.8% |
| 2002 | 7.3% | -9.8% |
| 2003 | 10.1% | +39.0% |
| 2004 | 10.9% | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 9.7% | -11.3% |
| 2006 | 9.1% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 8.6% | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 8.7% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 8.7% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 8.7% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 8.9% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 8.2% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 9.1% | +11.1% |
| 2015 | 8.4% | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 8.6% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 9.5% | +10.6% |
| 2018 | 8.9% | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 9.7% | +8.9% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | -27.3% |
| 2022 | 15.1% | +114.9% |
| 2023 | 18.0% | +18.6% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 18.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.5%, 1.9× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 18.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.4%, 2.1× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +114.9% | 7.0% | 15.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.7% | 1.8% | 4.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.8% | 7.0% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.8% | 8.2% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.4% | 7.0% | 18.0% | 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 18.0% 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 18.0% 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 1.8% in 1991.
- How does Belgium rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Belgium ranks 14th out of 103 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 119.8%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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