Share of the population with lower secondary education in Belgium
Belgium: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 88.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Belgium, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with lower secondary education in Belgium is 88.9%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in Belgium peaked at 88.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 33.9%, in 1970.
That places Belgium 45th out of 135 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 33.9% | — |
| 2006 | 76.8% | +126.7% |
| 2007 | 77.8% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 78.3% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 79.4% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 79.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 80.1% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 80.3% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 81.6% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 82.3% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 84.4% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 84.8% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 86.5% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 87.3% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 88.4% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 88.2% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 88.6% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 88.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 88.9% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 33.9% | 33.9% | 33.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 78.1% | 76.8% | 79.4% | 4 |
| 2010s | 83.5% | 79.6% | 88.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.6% | 88.2% | 88.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 42 Luxembourg 90.7% compare
- 43 Netherlands 90.3% compare
- 44 Republic of Korea 90.0% compare
- 46 Puerto Rico 88.8% compare
- 47 Brunei Darussalam 88.7% compare
- 48 Poland 88.2% compare
More education data for Belgium
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.18 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.61 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 80,763 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 613,964 (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 3.08 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 568,692 (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.11 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 431,997 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.0553 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with lower secondary education in Belgium?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in Belgium was 88.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 88.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.9% in 1970.
- How does Belgium rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Belgium ranks 45th out of 135 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.