Share of children who have completed primary school in Belgium

Belgium: Share of children who have completed primary school was 98.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
98.9%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
60th
of 165 countries
All-time high
98.9%
in 2025
All-time low
96.0%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025

Share of children who have completed primary school in Belgium, 1981–2025

0204060801001981200320251981: 96 %1982: 96.1 %1983: 96.2 %1984: 96.2 %1985: 96.3 %1986: 96.4 %1987: 96.5 %1988: 96.6 %1989: 96.6 %1990: 96.6 %1991: 96.7 %1992: 96.8 %1993: 96.8 %1994: 96.9 %1995: 96.9 %1996: 97 %1997: 97 %1998: 97.1 %1999: 97.2 %2000: 97.3 %2001: 97.3 %2002: 97.5 %2003: 97.5 %2004: 97.7 %2005: 97.8 %2006: 97.8 %2007: 98 %2008: 98 %2009: 98.1 %2010: 98.2 %2011: 98.2 %2012: 98.3 %2013: 98.4 %2014: 98.5 %2015: 98.5 %2016: 98.6 %2017: 98.6 %2018: 98.7 %2019: 98.7 %2020: 98.8 %2021: 98.8 %2022: 98.8 %2023: 98.8 %2024: 98.9 %2025: 98.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of children who have completed primary school in Belgium is 98.9%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Belgium peaked at 98.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 96.0%, in 1981.

That places Belgium 60th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 96.3% 96.0% 96.6% 9
1990s 96.9% 96.6% 97.2% 10
2000s 97.7% 97.3% 98.1% 10
2010s 98.5% 98.2% 98.7% 10
2020s 98.8% 98.8% 98.9% 6

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 57 Botswana 99.0% compare
  2. 57 China 99.0% compare
  3. 59 Cyprus 99.0% compare
  4. 60 Costa Rica 98.9% compare
  5. 62 Fiji 98.9% compare
  6. 63 Indonesia 98.9% compare
  7. 63 Montenegro 98.9% compare

See the full ranking of 165 places →

More education data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who have completed primary school in Belgium?
Share of children who have completed primary school in Belgium was 98.9% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 98.9% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 96.0% in 1981.
How does Belgium rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
Belgium ranks 60th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children who have completed primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
165 places, 7,390 data points, 1981–2025
Last refreshed

The share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.