Average years of schooling among adults in Belgium
Belgium: Average years of schooling among adults was 12.69 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in Belgium, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 12.69 years for average years of schooling among adults in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Belgium peaked at 12.69 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.4 years, in 1990.
That places Belgium 27th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.98 years | 9.4 years | 10.45 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.94 years | 10.54 years | 11.32 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.84 years | 11.42 years | 12.38 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.65 years | 12.53 years | 12.69 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 24 Sweden 12.74 years compare
- 25 South Korea 12.72 years compare
- 26 Georgia 12.7 years compare
- 28 Japan 12.68 years compare
- 29 Netherlands 12.67 years compare
- 30 Luxembourg 12.59 years compare
More education data for Belgium
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.7% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.1% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 80,763 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.38 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 102.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling among adults in Belgium?
- Average years of schooling among adults in Belgium was 12.69 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 12.69 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4 years in 1990.
- How does Belgium rank for average years of schooling among adults?
- Belgium ranks 27th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.