School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Belgium

Belgium: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes was 279,994 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
279,994
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
117th
of 220 countries
All-time high
279,994
in 2024
All-time low
241,574
in 2008
Years of data
24
2001–2024

School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Belgium, 2001–2024

0100.0k200.0k300.0k2001201220242001: 244.5k2002: 249.1k2003: 253.7k2004: 258.5k2005: 258.8k2006: 253.8k2007: 245.9k2008: 241.6k2009: 242.8k2010: 245.1k2011: 246.2k2012: 244.6k2013: 246.3k2014: 246.8k2015: 243.6k2016: 243.9k2017: 249.0k2018: 254.8k2019: 261.0k2020: 266.5k2021: 271.4k2022: 275.1k2023: 279.5k2024: 280.0k

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Belgium is 279,994, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 13.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Belgium peaked at 279,994 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 241,574, in 2008.

Belgium ranks 117th of 220 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in Belgium, 2001 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2001 244,509
2002 249,144 +1.9%
2003 253,692 +1.8%
2004 258,518 +1.9%
2005 258,758 +0.1%
2006 253,780 -1.9%
2007 245,865 -3.1%
2008 241,574 -1.7%
2009 242,815 +0.5%
2010 245,117 +0.9%
2011 246,174 +0.4%
2012 244,601 -0.6%
2013 246,304 +0.7%
2014 246,767 +0.2%
2015 243,610 -1.3%
2016 243,899 +0.1%
2017 249,003 +2.1%
2018 254,789 +2.3%
2019 260,960 +2.4%
2020 266,523 +2.1%
2021 271,360 +1.8%
2022 275,052 +1.4%
2023 279,469 +1.6%
2024 279,994 +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 249,851 241,574 258,758 9
2010s 248,122 243,610 260,960 10
2020s 274,480 266,523 279,994 5

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 114 Mongolia 303,009 compare
  2. 115 Slovakia 290,824 compare
  3. 116 New Zealand 281,170 compare
  4. 118 Switzerland 271,788 compare
  5. 119 Eritrea 265,392 compare
  6. 120 Serbia 261,984 compare

See the full ranking of 441 places →

More education data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Belgium?
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Belgium was 279,994 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 279,994 in 2024.
What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 241,574 in 2008.
How does Belgium rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
Belgium ranks 117th out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. 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 School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-lower-secondary-education-both-sexes-number-2/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
441 places, 20,444 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release