School-age population (lower secondary level) in Belgium
Belgium: School-age population (lower secondary level) was 279,994 in 2024. ▲ Rising
School-age population in Belgium, 2000–2024
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school-age population in Belgium is 279,994, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 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 in Belgium peaked at 279,994 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 241,322, in 2000.
Belgium ranks 42nd of 72 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
School-age population (lower secondary level) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 241,322 | — |
| 2001 | 244,509 | +1.3% |
| 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% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 279,994 is above the median for high income countries, which is 265,780, 1.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 279,994 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 275,891, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 248,998 | 241,322 | 258,758 | 10 |
| 2010s | 248,122 | 243,610 | 260,960 | 10 |
| 2020s | 274,480 | 266,523 | 279,994 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More education data for Belgium
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.32 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.34 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school-age population in Belgium?
- School-age population in Belgium was 279,994 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 279,994 in 2024.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 241,322 in 2000.
- How does Belgium rank for school-age population?
- Belgium ranks 42nd out of 72 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school-age population 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 UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (lower secondary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).