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 8.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium, 1993–2023
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 8.0%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.8% on the previous year and up 94.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium peaked at 8.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1993.
That places Belgium 12th out of 43 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 0.5% | — |
| 2001 | 1.8% | +243.5% |
| 2003 | 3.7% | +106.2% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | +9.7% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 3.7% | -10.6% |
| 2007 | 3.7% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 3.9% | +18.7% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +16.2% |
| 2014 | 3.7% | -11.1% |
| 2015 | 4.0% | +7.7% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | -14.8% |
| 2017 | 4.2% | +24.6% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | -21.1% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | +18.7% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | -31.5% |
| 2022 | 7.4% | +174.0% |
| 2023 | 8.0% | +8.8% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 8.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.6%, 1.1× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 8.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.0%, 1.6× the median. (32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +243.5% | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| 2022 | +174.0% | 2.7% | 7.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 1.8% | 4.1% | 8 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.0% | 2.7% | 8.0% | 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 8.0% 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 8.0% 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 0.5% in 1993.
- How does Belgium rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Belgium ranks 12th out of 43 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 94.0%. 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, 55-64 years old, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release