Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Belgium
Belgium: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) was 1.75 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.75 million
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
84th
of 197 countries
All-time high
1.75 million
in 2024
All-time low
1.46 million
in 2010
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belgium, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belgium stood at 1.75 million. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belgium peaked at 1.75 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.46 million, in 2010.
That places Belgium 84th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1.47 million | — |
| 2002 | 1.47 million | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 1.47 million | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 1.48 million | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 1.48 million | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.48 million | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.48 million | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.48 million | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 1.47 million | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 1.46 million | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 1.47 million | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 1.48 million | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 1.49 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 1.50 million | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.51 million | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 1.53 million | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 1.54 million | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.55 million | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 1.57 million | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.58 million | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 1.72 million | +8.8% |
| 2022 | 1.73 million | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 1.75 million | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 1.75 million | +0.1% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.75 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 607,680, 2.9× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.75 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 855,763, 2.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.48 million | 1.47 million | 1.48 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.51 million | 1.46 million | 1.57 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.71 million | 1.58 million | 1.75 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 81 Sierra Leone 1.90 million compare
- 82 Tunisia 1.89 million compare
- 83 Turkmenistan 1.78 million compare
- 85 Paraguay 1.67 million compare
- 86 Congo 1.65 million compare
- 87 Central African Republic 1.60 million compare
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 population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belgium?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belgium was 1.75 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 1.75 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.46 million in 2010.
- How does Belgium rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Belgium ranks 84th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.2%. 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 Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release