Share of the population with at least some formal education in Belgium
Belgium: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 97.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
97.0%
World rank
56th
of 111 countries
All-time high
98.8%
in 1965
All-time low
52.8%
in 1875
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Belgium, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with at least some formal education in Belgium stood at 97.0%.
The figure is up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Belgium peaked at 98.8% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 52.8%, in 1875.
Belgium ranks 56th of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 55.8% | — |
| 1875 | 52.8% | -5.4% |
| 1880 | 54.9% | +4.0% |
| 1885 | 56.2% | +2.4% |
| 1890 | 55.0% | -2.1% |
| 1895 | 55.9% | +1.6% |
| 1900 | 57.5% | +2.9% |
| 1905 | 59.9% | +4.2% |
| 1910 | 66.2% | +10.5% |
| 1915 | 68.5% | +3.5% |
| 1920 | 70.5% | +2.9% |
| 1925 | 73.7% | +4.5% |
| 1930 | 78.2% | +6.1% |
| 1935 | 81.9% | +4.7% |
| 1940 | 87.7% | +7.1% |
| 1945 | 93.9% | +7.1% |
| 1950 | 97.3% | +3.6% |
| 1955 | 97.8% | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 98.2% | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 98.8% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 97.5% | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 96.4% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 95.8% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 95.8% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 96.2% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 96.8% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 95.8% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 96.1% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 96.5% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 97.0% | +0.5% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 97.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.0%, 98% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 97.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.0%, 98% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 54.3% | 52.8% | 55.8% | 2 |
| 1880s | 55.5% | 54.9% | 56.2% | 2 |
| 1890s | 55.5% | 55.0% | 55.9% | 2 |
| 1900s | 58.7% | 57.5% | 59.9% | 2 |
| 1910s | 67.3% | 66.2% | 68.5% | 2 |
| 1920s | 72.1% | 70.5% | 73.7% | 2 |
| 1930s | 80.1% | 78.2% | 81.9% | 2 |
| 1940s | 90.8% | 87.7% | 93.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 97.5% | 97.3% | 97.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 98.5% | 98.2% | 98.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 98.2% | 97.5% | 98.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 96.1% | 95.8% | 96.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 96.0% | 95.8% | 96.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 96.3% | 95.8% | 96.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 96.3% | 96.1% | 96.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 97.0% | 97.0% | 97.0% | 1 |
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 share of the population with at least some formal education in Belgium?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Belgium was 97.0% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 98.8% in 1965.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.8% in 1875.
- How does Belgium rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Belgium ranks 56th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.