Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Netherlands
Netherlands: Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education was 65.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Netherlands, 2000–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 65.4% for share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Netherlands peaked at 90.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 65.4%, in 2022.
That places Netherlands 37th out of 59 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 90.5% | — |
| 2003 | 88.5% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 84.9% | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 85.7% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 86.0% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 81.9% | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 75.9% | -7.4% |
| 2022 | 65.4% | -13.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 87.4% | 84.9% | 90.5% | 4 |
| 2010s | 81.3% | 75.9% | 86.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 65.4% | 65.4% | 65.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More education data for Netherlands
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.61 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.2323 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 98,851 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate -1.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 803,955 (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.5279 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 806,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.9783 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 487,792 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.62 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Netherlands?
- Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Netherlands was 65.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 90.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.4% in 2022.
- How does Netherlands rank for share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education?
- Netherlands ranks 37th out of 59 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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 students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of students who achieve minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. This data includes only students enrolled in school.