Average years of schooling in Belgium
Belgium: Average years of schooling was 12.14 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling in Belgium, 1870–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for average years of schooling in Belgium is 12.14 years, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling in Belgium peaked at 12.14 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.27 years, in 1870.
That places Belgium 37th out of 162 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Average years of schooling in Belgium, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 4.27 years | — |
| 1880 | 4.79 years | +12.2% |
| 1890 | 5.17 years | +7.9% |
| 1900 | 5.17 years | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 5.33 years | +3.1% |
| 1925 | 5.78 years | +8.5% |
| 1929 | 5.89 years | +1.8% |
| 1933 | 5.92 years | +0.5% |
| 1938 | 6.16 years | +4.1% |
| 1950 | 6.56 years | +6.5% |
| 1955 | 6.96 years | +6.1% |
| 1960 | 7.26 years | +4.3% |
| 1965 | 7.58 years | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 7.91 years | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 8.34 years | +5.5% |
| 1980 | 8.98 years | +7.6% |
| 1985 | 9.41 years | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 9.94 years | +5.7% |
| 1995 | 10.39 years | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 10.73 years | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 11.12 years | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 11.29 years | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 11.38 years | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 12.14 years | +6.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 4.27 years | 4.27 years | 4.27 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 4.79 years | 4.79 years | 4.79 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 5.17 years | 5.17 years | 5.17 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 5.17 years | 5.17 years | 5.17 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 5.33 years | 5.33 years | 5.33 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 5.84 years | 5.78 years | 5.89 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 6.04 years | 5.92 years | 6.16 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 6.76 years | 6.56 years | 6.96 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 7.42 years | 7.26 years | 7.58 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 8.13 years | 7.91 years | 8.34 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 9.19 years | 8.98 years | 9.41 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 10.16 years | 9.94 years | 10.39 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.92 years | 10.73 years | 11.12 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 11.34 years | 11.29 years | 11.38 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.14 years | 12.14 years | 12.14 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 34 Hong Kong, China 12.23 years compare
- 35 Malta 12.21 years compare
- 36 Croatia 12.19 years compare
- 38 Taiwan, China 12 years compare
- 39 Singapore 11.92 years compare
- 40 Uzbekistan 11.9 years compare
More education data for Belgium
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0691 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling in Belgium?
- Average years of schooling in Belgium was 12.14 years in 2020, according to Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 12.14 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.27 years in 1870.
- How does Belgium rank for average years of schooling?
- Belgium ranks 37th out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is average years of schooling rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years of total schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for the population aged 15 and over.