Share of the population with lower secondary education in Netherlands
Netherlands: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 90.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Netherlands, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of the population with lower secondary education in Netherlands stood at 90.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in Netherlands peaked at 91.9% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 53.0%, in 1971.
Netherlands ranks 43rd of 135 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 53.0% | — |
| 2004 | 89.2% | +68.2% |
| 2005 | 89.0% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 89.2% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 90.2% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 89.5% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 89.4% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 89.5% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 89.4% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 89.9% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 89.4% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 89.4% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 89.5% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 89.7% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 91.3% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 90.4% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 91.9% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 91.2% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 91.0% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 91.1% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 90.3% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 53.0% | 53.0% | 53.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 89.4% | 89.0% | 90.2% | 6 |
| 2010s | 90.0% | 89.4% | 91.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.9% | 90.3% | 91.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 40 France 91.6% compare
- 41 Cook Islands 90.9% compare
- 42 Luxembourg 90.7% compare
- 44 Republic of Korea 90.0% compare
- 45 Belgium 88.9% compare
- 46 Puerto Rico 88.8% compare
More education data for Netherlands
- 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)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 985,327 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.35 % change on previous year (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 86,024 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12,827 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 530,206 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.12 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with lower secondary education in Netherlands?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in Netherlands was 90.3% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 91.9% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.0% in 1971.
- How does Netherlands rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Netherlands ranks 43rd out of 135 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 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.