Education at a glance 2024: OECD indicators

This country note provides an overview of key characteristics of the education systems in Belgium based on Education at a Glance 2024. In line with the thematic focus of Education at a Glance 2024, it highlights issues of equity in education. Data in this note are provided for the latest available year as indicated in Education at a Glance 2024.

The output of educational institutions and the impact of learning

• Adults without upper secondary qualification are at considerable risk of poor social …

This country note provides an overview of key characteristics of the education systems in Belgium based on Education at a Glance 2024. In line with the thematic focus of Education at a Glance 2024, it highlights issues of equity in education. Data in this note are provided for the latest available year as indicated in Education at a Glance 2024.

The output of educational institutions and the impact of learning

• Adults without upper secondary qualification are at considerable risk of poor social and labourmarket outcomes throughout their lives. Reducing the share of young adults without an upper secondary qualification has been a priority in many countries and their share has decreased between 2016 and 2023 in 28 out of 35 OECD member countries. This is also the case in Belgium. Their share of 25-34 year-olds without upper secondary educational attainment decreased by 4 percentage points between 2016 and 2023. At 14%, it is the same as the OECD average in 2023
  (Figure 1).
• The difficult labour-market situation faced by workers without an upper secondary qualification is reflected in employment rates among 25-34 year-olds. In Belgium, 52% of 25-34 year-olds without an upper secondary qualification are employed, compared to 78% of those with an upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary qualification. The corresponding OECD averages are 61% and 79%, respectively. Moreover, workers without an upper secondary qualification are at risk of earning very low wages in most OECD countries. In Belgium, 25% of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary educational attainment earn at or below half the median income compared to 15% of workers with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary educational attainment and 7% of workers with a tertiary qualification. Across the OECD, the respective shares are 28%, 17%
  and 10%.
• Strong labour markets and increasing participation in education have led to a decline in the share of 18-24 year-olds who are neither in employment nor in education or training (NEET) in most OECD member countries. Across the OECD, the average NEET rate decreased from 15.8% to 13.8% between 2016 and 2023. In Belgium, the share of NEETs decreased from 12.4% to 9.4%.
• By almost all available measures, girls and women have better educational outcomes than boys and men, and in many cases the gap is widening. This is reflected in gender gaps in educational attainment. In all OECD member countries, women aged 25-34 are as likely or more likely than their male peers to have a tertiary qualification (54% compared to 41% on average across OECD countries). With a tertiary educational attainment rate of 57% for women and 43% for men, the gap is similar to the OECD average in Belgium.