Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium
Belgium: Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers was 68.0% 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
Belgium recorded 68.0% for proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 47.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium peaked at 68.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 14.8%, in 2005.
That places Belgium 28th out of 60 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 | 14.8% | — |
| 2006 | 18.4% | +24.3% |
| 2007 | 19.4% | +5.4% |
| 2008 | 23.6% | +21.6% |
| 2009 | 39.1% | +65.7% |
| 2010 | 41.9% | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 43.1% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 46.2% | +7.2% |
| 2014 | 55.4% | +19.9% |
| 2015 | 54.6% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 60.8% | +11.4% |
| 2020 | 68.0% | +11.8% |
| 2021 | 63.3% | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 68.2% | +7.7% |
| 2023 | 68.0% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.1% | 14.8% | 39.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 50.3% | 41.9% | 60.8% | 6 |
| 2020s | 66.9% | 63.3% | 68.2% | 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 68.0% 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 68.2% in 2022.
- What is the lowest proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8% in 2005.
- How does Belgium rank for proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers?
- Belgium ranks 28th out of 60 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 47.2%. 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 Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers, magazines or electronic books in digital format, 25-74 years old, 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