Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Belgium
Belgium: Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes was 4.8% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Belgium, 1974–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 4.8% for repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.5% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Belgium peaked at 13.7% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2021.
That places Belgium 64th out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 13.6% | — |
| 1975 | 13.7% | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 13.0% | -5.5% |
| 1977 | 13.2% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 12.7% | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 12.4% | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 12.3% | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 11.3% | -7.9% |
| 1982 | 13.0% | +14.5% |
| 1983 | 10.1% | -21.7% |
| 1984 | 9.5% | -6.6% |
| 1985 | 10.3% | +8.6% |
| 1986 | 10.3% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 10.1% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 6.2% | -38.5% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 6.5% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 6.9% | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 6.9% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 6.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 5.6% | -18.5% |
| 2013 | 5.3% | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 5.1% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 4.8% | -6.4% |
| 2016 | 4.7% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 4.8% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 4.9% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 4.7% | -4.0% |
| 2021 | 4.4% | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 4.8% | +9.5% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 4.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%, 5.4× the median. (69 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 4.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5%, 9.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | -38.5% | 10.1% | 6.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.1% | 12.4% | 13.7% | 6 |
| 1980s | 10.9% | 9.5% | 13.0% | 8 |
| 2000s | 6.6% | 6.2% | 6.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 4.7% | 5.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.6% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 61 Lao People's Democratic Republic 4.9% compare
- 62 Mozambique 4.9% compare
- 63 Slovakia 4.8% compare
- 65 Tunisia 4.3% compare
- 66 Hungary 4.3% compare
- 67 Netherlands 4.1% 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 repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Belgium?
- Repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes in Belgium was 4.8% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 13.7% in 1975.
- What is the lowest repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2021.
- How does Belgium rank for repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes?
- Belgium ranks 64th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release