Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium
Belgium: Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers was 67.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium, 2005–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium stood at 67.1%.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 43.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium peaked at 68.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15.2%, in 2005.
Belgium ranks 28th of 64 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 15.2% | — |
| 2006 | 19.0% | +25.0% |
| 2007 | 19.8% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 24.3% | +22.7% |
| 2009 | 39.0% | +60.5% |
| 2010 | 42.2% | +8.2% |
| 2011 | 42.8% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 46.8% | +9.3% |
| 2014 | 56.2% | +20.1% |
| 2015 | 55.4% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 61.0% | +10.1% |
| 2020 | 68.1% | +11.6% |
| 2021 | 62.9% | -7.6% |
| 2022 | 66.0% | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 67.1% | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.5% | 15.2% | 39.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 50.7% | 42.2% | 61.0% | 6 |
| 2020s | 66.0% | 62.9% | 68.1% | 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 proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium?
- Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium was 67.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 68.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.2% in 2005.
- How does Belgium rank for proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers?
- Belgium ranks 28th out of 64 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.4%. 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 Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers, magazines or electronic books in digital format, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release