Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Belgium
Belgium: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 41.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Belgium, 2004–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 41.6% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Belgium peaked at 45.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 38.1%, in 2017.
Belgium ranks 132nd of 155 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 44.6% | — |
| 2005 | 45.0% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 44.6% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 44.2% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 43.5% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 43.0% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 43.5% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 43.1% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 42.7% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 42.4% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 42.9% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 43.4% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 43.0% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 38.1% | -11.4% |
| 2018 | 42.6% | +11.9% |
| 2019 | 42.4% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 42.4% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 41.6% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 41.7% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 41.6% | -0.2% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 41.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 80.5%, 52% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 41.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 82.7%, 50% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 44.1% | 43.0% | 45.0% | 6 |
| 2010s | 42.4% | 38.1% | 43.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.8% | 41.6% | 42.4% | 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Belgium?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Belgium was 41.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 45.0% in 2005.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.1% in 2017.
- How does Belgium rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Belgium ranks 132nd out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release