Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium
Belgium: Proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers was 58.6% 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 58.6% for proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in 2023.
That represents a change of down 5.6% on the previous year and up 57.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers in Belgium peaked at 62.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 2005.
Belgium ranks 32nd of 60 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 | 9.4% | — |
| 2006 | 11.3% | +20.2% |
| 2007 | 13.2% | +16.8% |
| 2008 | 16.2% | +22.7% |
| 2009 | 28.0% | +72.8% |
| 2010 | 32.9% | +17.5% |
| 2011 | 30.3% | -7.9% |
| 2012 | 37.3% | +23.1% |
| 2014 | 48.1% | +29.0% |
| 2015 | 48.0% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 56.1% | +16.9% |
| 2020 | 62.0% | +10.5% |
| 2021 | 59.1% | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 62.1% | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 58.6% | -5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.6% | 9.4% | 28.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 42.1% | 30.3% | 56.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 60.5% | 58.6% | 62.1% | 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 58.6% 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 62.1% in 2022.
- What is the lowest proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 2005.
- How does Belgium rank for proportion of youth and adults that read or downloaded newspapers?
- Belgium ranks 32nd 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 57.1%. 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, female (%). 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