Belgium
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Belgium
Overview of the education system (EAG 2026)
| Education at a Glance 2026 (EAG 2026): OECD Indicators | Country note | Annexes from Education at a Glance 2026 | OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018 | OECD Education Policy Outlook: Belgium | Vlaams Ministerie van Onderwijs en Vorming (Education in the Flemish Community of Belgium, in Flemish) | Administration Générale de l'Enseignement et de la Recherche Scientifique (Department of Education and Scientific Research, in French) | Das Bildungsportal der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft | National Institute for Statistics (FOD Economie (ADSEI)) | Important note on Belgian education system |
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Attainment
The level of tertiary attainment among 55-64 year-olds is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (39 %, rank 10/41 , 2025) Download Indicator
Belgium has one of the highest percentages of 25-64 year-old adults with less than primary education. (2.3 %, rank 6/30 , 2025) Download Indicator
The level of short-cycle tertiary attainment among 25-34 year-olds is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.1 %, rank 25/30 , 2025) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of 25-34 year-olds who attained a doctoral or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the largest among countries with available data. (0.7 %, rank 10/31 , 2025) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of 25-34 year-olds who attained a master's or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the largest among countries with available data. (24.1 %, rank 6/37 , 2025) Download Indicator
Attainment by gender
In Belgium, the proportion of 25-34 year-old men who have attained a short cycle tertiary degree is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.8 %, rank 26/30 , 2025) Download Indicator
Entrance
In Belgium, the average age of new entrants in doctoral programmes is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (28.1 Years, rank 37/40 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the average age of new entrants in bachelor's programmes is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (19.2 Years, rank 38/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
The average age of new entrants in tertiary education in Belgium is comparatively young. (19.4 Years, rank 30/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the average age of new entrants in master's programmes is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (23.6 Years, rank 39/40 , 2024) Download Indicator
Entrance by field of education and gender
In STEM fields, the share of female new entrants to tertiary education was especially small in Belgium. (26.2 %, rank 22/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female who enter tertiary education in the field of education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (67.8 %, rank 24/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female who enter tertiary education in the field of business, administration and law is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (51.6 %, rank 19/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female who enter tertiary education in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (42.5 %, rank 23/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female who enter tertiary education in the field of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (16.7 %, rank 21/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female who enter tertiary education in the field of health and welfare is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (71.3 %, rank 20/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of women among new entrants in bachelor's programmes in the field of education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (66.7 %, rank 27/29 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of women among new entrants in bachelor's programmes in the field of health and welfare is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (73 %, rank 26/29 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of women among new entrants in bachelor's programmes in the field of information and communication technologies is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (17.3 %, rank 26/29 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of women among new entrants in bachelor's programmes in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (38.7 %, rank 29/29 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of women among new entrants in bachelor's programmes in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (25.4 %, rank 27/29 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female students entering master's or equivalent programmes in engineering, manufacturing and construction in Belgium is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (26.5 %, rank 26/28 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female students entering master's or equivalent programmes in health and welfare in Belgium is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (66.3 %, rank 23/28 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female students entering master's or equivalent programmes in information and communication technologies in Belgium is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (14.3 %, rank 28/28 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female students entering master's or equivalent programmes in natural sciences, mathematics and statistics in Belgium is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (47.2 %, rank 24/28 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female students entering master's or equivalent programmes in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Belgium is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (31.1 %, rank 25/28 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female students entering short cycle tertiary programmes in education in Belgium is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (45.1 %, rank 20/20 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female students entering short cycle tertiary programmes in engineering, manufacturing and construction in Belgium is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (5.9 %, rank 24/25 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female students entering short cycle tertiary programmes in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Belgium is one of the smallest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (11 %, rank 24/25 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female new entrants in short-cycle tertiary programmes in the field of arts and humanities is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (15.9 %, rank 24/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female new entrants in short-cycle tertiary programmes in the field of business, administration and law is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (51.8 %, rank 20/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of female new entrants in short-cycle tertiary programmes in the field of services is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (28.6 %, rank 21/22 , 2024) Download Indicator
Participation in education
The percentage of students in independent private tertiary educational institutions is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.1 %, rank 32/35 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of students enrolled in programmes providing full completion and access to tertiary education among all students enrolled in upper secondary vocational programmes is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (24.4 %, rank 39/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the percentage of students enrolled in private institutions at pre-primary level is comparatively high. (52.8 %, rank 9/42 , 2024) Download Indicator
The average age of lower secondary students enrolled in vocational programmes in Belgium is one of the lowest compared to other countries with available data. (16 %, rank 18/20 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of post-secondary non-tertiary students enrolled in programmes giving full level completion without access to tertiary education is relatively small compared to other OECD or partner contries. (3.3 %, rank 14/15 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of post-secondary non-tertiary vocational students enrolled in programmes providing full completion and access to tertiary education is relatively small compared to other OECD or partner countries. (22.4 %, rank 20/22 , 2024) Download Indicator
The enrolment rate among students aged 15-19 in upper secondary programmes in Belgium is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (66.6 %, rank 8/43 , 2024) Download Indicator
Graduation
In Belgium, the average age of post-secondary non-tertiary graduates from vocational programmes is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data (21.9 Years, rank 24/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the average age of first-time tertiary graduates is relatively low. (23.9 Years, rank 25/30 , 2024) Download Indicator
The average age of first-time graduates from bachelor's or equivalent programmes in Belgium is among the youngest. (23.6 Years, rank 26/30 , 2024) Download Indicator
Graduation by field of education
The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of information and communication technologies is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (3.4 %, rank 34/37 , 2024) Download Indicator
The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of services is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.3 %, rank 34/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of doctoral graduates in the field of education in Belgium is relatively small. (1 %, rank 35/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of tertiary graduates in STEM fields in Belgium was one of the lowest compared to other participating countries. (19.8 %, rank 33/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
Graduation by field of education and gender
In Belgium, the share of female tertiary graduates in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (9.5 %, rank 36/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of female post-secondary non-tertiary graduates in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.7 %, rank 19/21 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of female post-secondary non-tertiary graduates in the field of services is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (40.9 %, rank 19/21 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the proportion of female graduates from upper secondary vocational programmes in the field of business, administration and law is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries. (49.6 %, rank 28/31 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the field of education is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (73.5 %, rank 30/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (44.4 %, rank 33/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (28.4 %, rank 30/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of information and communication technologies is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (14.9 %, rank 32/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
Fields of education
In Belgium, the percentage of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is relatively low. (3.9 %, rank 23/27 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the percentage of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is relatively low. (5.2 %, rank 22/27 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of new entrants to tertiary education in STEM fields was one of the smallest across countries with available data. (21.3 %, rank 27/27 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of new entrants in short-cycle tertiary programmes in the field of arts and humanities is relatively small. (1.1 %, rank 24/28 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of services is comparatively low. (1.4 %, rank 25/27 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the proportion of new entrants in education master's programmes is relatively low, compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (4 %, rank 28/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of new entrants in information and communication tecnologies master's programmes is one of the smallest, compared to other countries with available data. (1.3 %, rank 31/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
The percentage of new entrants in science, technology, engineering and mathematics bachelor's programmes is relatively low in Belgium among countries with available data. (20.7 %, rank 31/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the proportion of new entrants in services bachelor's programmes is especially low, compared to the other countries with other data. (1.5 %, rank 27/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
Student mobility
In Belgium, the proportion of international students among first-time bachelor's graduates is relatively high. (9 %, rank 10/30 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the proportion of international students among first-time doctorate graduates is relatively high. (47.3 %, rank 4/29 , 2024) Download Indicator
Student mobility by field of education
In Belgium, the share of students enrolled in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics among all international or foreign students is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (21.5 %, rank 33/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
Expenditure per student
Annual expenditure per tertiary student is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (26885 USD Equivalent, rank 9/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
Annual expenditure per primary student is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (16818 USD Equivalent, rank 6/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
Annual expenditure per secondary student is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (20739 USD Equivalent, rank 5/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
Annual expenditure per student on research and development in tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (10109 USD Equivalent, rank 9/33 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, government expenditure per full-time equivalent student on public tertiary educationial institutions is relatively largest . (26362 USD Equivalent, rank 8/41 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the total annual expenditure per full-time equivalent student on tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (22842 USD Equivalent, rank 8/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
The total annual expenditure per full-time equivalent student on upper secondary general education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (18441 USD Equivalent, rank 5/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The total annual expenditure per full-time equivalent student on upper secondary vocational education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (21481 USD Equivalent, rank 7/30 , 2023) Download Indicator
Expenditure in education and national wealth
In Belgium, government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP at primary to tertiary levels of education is comparatively high. (5.5 %, rank 3/42 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, expenditure on primary through tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is one of the highest among OECD countries and partner economies. (5.6 %, rank 4/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, expenditure on primary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is comparatively high. (1.6 %, rank 7/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, expenditure on secondary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is comparatively high. (2.5 %, rank 1/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, expenditure on tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is comparatively high. (1.5 %, rank 10/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, government expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary to tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (5.2 %, rank 1/42 , 2023) Download Indicator
Government expenditure as a percentage of GDP from initial source of funds at primary to tertiary education is relatively high in Belgium. (5.2 %, rank 1/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
Government and private expenditure in education
Belgium has one of the smallest shares of private expenditure on primary through tertiary educational institutions among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (6.6 %, rank 30/36 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of government expenditure on educational institutions, for tertiary education is comparatively large in Belgium. (82.2 %, rank 10/36 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of government expenditure on educational institutions, for primary to tertiary education is comparatively large. (91.9 %, rank 7/36 , 2023) Download Indicator
Nature of expenditure
In Belgium, the share of capital expenditure on all levels below tertiary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (4.1 %, rank 32/35 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of capital expenditure on primary through tertiary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (4.4 %, rank 33/35 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of current expenditure on primary through tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (95.6 %, rank 4/36 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of capital expenditure on secondary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (3.4 %, rank 34/35 , 2023) Download Indicator
Who the teachers are
The share of women among teaching staff in tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (50.8 %, rank 10/41 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of short-cycle tertiary teachers older than 50 is relatively low, compared to other countries with data available. (32.9 %, rank 20/25 , 2024) Download Indicator
Ratio of student to teaching staff
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the lower secondary level is especially low. (8.7 Ratio, rank 36/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the upper secondary level is especially low. (9.2 Ratio, rank 39/42 , 2024) Download Indicator
The number of students per teacher in secondary schools is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (9.1 Ratio, rank 35/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff in post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low in Belgium. (6.6 Ratio, rank 20/23 , 2024) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the vocational upper secondary level is especially low in Belgium. (8.5 Ratio, rank 27/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the number of students per teacher in public lower secondary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (8.3 Ratio, rank 37/40 , 2024) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the lower secondary level in government-dependent private institutions is especially low in Belgium. (8.9 Ratio, rank 20/23 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the number of students per teacher in public upper secondary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (9.2 Ratio, rank 40/44 , 2024) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the upper secondary level in government-dependent private institutions is especially low in Belgium. (9.1 Ratio, rank 22/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the secondary level in government-dependent private institutions is especially low in Belgium. (9 Ratio, rank 21/22 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the number of students per teacher in independent private institutions at the tertiary level is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (3.4 Ratio, rank 26/26 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the student-teacher ratio for bachelor's, master's, doctoral or equivalent programmes in independent private institutions is among the lowest across participating countries. (3.4 Ratio, rank 23/23 , 2024) Download Indicator
Employment and educational attainment
The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds without upper secondary education is comparatively low across participating countries. (48.1 %, rank 35/40 , 2025) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low across participating countries. (73.1 %, rank 32/41 , 2025) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (75.3 %, rank 29/33 , 2025) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with a general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (68.5 %, rank 34/37 , 2025) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 25-34 year-olds with below upper secondary education is relatively low in Belgium compared to other participating countries. (48 %, rank 32/39 , 2025) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 55-64 year-olds with below upper secondary education is relatively low in Belgium compared to other participating countries. (37.7 %, rank 35/39 , 2025) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 25-34 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (80.4 %, rank 24/32 , 2025) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 25-34 year-olds with a general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (61.8 %, rank 34/36 , 2025) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 45-54 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (80.4 %, rank 27/32 , 2025) Download Indicator
Employment by gender and educational attainment
The employment rate among 25-64 year-old men without upper secondary education is comparatively low across participating countries. (56.7 %, rank 35/39 , 2025) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 25-64 year-old women without upper secondary education is comparatively low across participating countries. (38.2 %, rank 31/39 , 2025) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 55-64 year-old men with below upper secondary education is relatively low in Belgium compared to other participating countries. (43.5 %, rank 35/39 , 2025) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the employment rate among 25-34 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (83.6 %, rank 28/32 , 2025) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of employed 25-64 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (79.7 %, rank 28/32 , 2025) Download Indicator
Compared to other countries with available data, the employment rate of 25-34 year-old women with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low in Belgium. (53.9 %, rank 32/35 , 2025) Download Indicator
Compared to other countries with available data, the employment rate of 25-34 year-old men with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low in Belgium. (69 %, rank 34/36 , 2025) Download Indicator
Unemployment and educational attainment
The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-olds with below upper secondary education is comparatively high across surveyed countries. (20.5 %, rank 7/38 , 2025) Download Indicator
The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-olds with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively high across surveyed countries. (9.1 %, rank 9/40 , 2025) Download Indicator
Unemployment by gender and educational attainment
The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-old men with below upper secondary education is relatively high in Belgium compared to other participating countries. (18.3 %, rank 7/38 , 2025) Download Indicator
The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-old women with below upper secondary education is relatively high in Belgium compared to other participating countries. (25.3 %, rank 5/35 , 2025) Download Indicator
Inactivity and educational attainment
The inactivity rate of 25-34 years-old adults with below upper secondary education is high in Belgium. (39.7 %, rank 10/39 , 2025) Download Indicator
Earnings and educational attainment
In Belgium, the share of workers earning more than twice the median among those with a master's or doctoral or equivalent education degree is comparatively small. (20.6 %, rank 19/24 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of workers earning more than twice the median among those with a tertiary education degree is comparatively small. (12 Index, rank 25/30 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of 25-64 year-old workers with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education earning more than twice the overall median in Belgium is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (2 Index, rank 27/29 , 2024) Download Indicator
Among workers with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Belgium, the proportion earning between 1.5 and 2 times the median is comparatively low. (6 Index, rank 26/30 , 2024) Download Indicator
Neither in education nor employed
The share of inactive youth neither in formal education nor training among 18-24 year-olds in Belgium is one of the smallest among countries with available data. (5.8 %, rank 31/38 , 2025) Download Indicator
The share of women who are unemployed NEET (18-24 year-olds) in Belgium is relatively low. (2.4 %, rank 34/36 , 2025) Download Indicator
The share of men who are inactive NEET (15-29 year-olds) in Belgium is relatively low. (4.4 %, rank 33/38 , 2025) Download Indicator
The share of men who are inactive NEET (18-24 year-olds) in Belgium is relatively low. (5.2 %, rank 33/38 , 2025) Download Indicator
The proportion of youth neither employed nor in education or training among 15-29 year-olds in Belgium is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (10.5 %, rank 30/39 , 2025) Download Indicator
The percentage of 18-24 year-old women neither employed nor in education or training is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (8.7 %, rank 33/37 , 2025) Download Indicator
Social outcomes
In Belgium, the share of employed adults aged 25-64 with tertiary attainment who sometimes or usually work from home was among the largest across countries with available data. (57.3 %, rank 9/32 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of adults aged 25-64 with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment who kept worrying about work when not working some or most of the time was among the largest across countries with available data. (45.1 %, rank 2/26 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of adults aged 25-64 with tertiary attainment who kept worrying about work when not working some or most of the time was among the largest across countries with available data. (58.9 %, rank 4/26 , 2024) Download Indicator
The data table will display up to six selected countries.
General findings
- Educational attainment remains at an all-time high in 2025 as more people obtain advanced qualifications. Across the OECD, 43% of working-age adults have a tertiary qualification, while the share of adults with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment is slightly lower at 39%.
- On a similar note, the share of young adults without upper secondary attainment continues to decline across the OECD, standing at 12% in 2025. Therefore, while more young adults obtain a tertiary qualification, the share of individuals whose highest qualification is upper secondary with a vocational orientation is decreasing in almost all OECD countries.
- Regarding the share of young people being neither in employment nor in education or training, it stood at 14% as of 2025 across OECD countries. However, cross-country comparisons reveal a wide variety of trends, ranging from large falls in Croatia or Ireland to increases in Germany or Latvia.
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- Most children aged 3 to 5 are enrolled in early childhood education, with an average participation rate of 86% across the OECD in 2024. Participation in early childhood education increases with age and tends to be higher in countries with stronger institutional support for participation.
- 76.2% of students complete upper secondary programmes within the theoretical programme duration. This rises to 84.9% with two additional years on average across the OECD.
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- In 2023, OECD countries allocated an average of 9.8% of total government expenditure to education, equivalent to 4.2% of GDP.
- Total expenditure on education tends to rise with the level of education. In primary education, expenditure per student was USD 13 552 in 2023 on average across the OECD. This amount rises to USD 14 923 in secondary education and to USD 22 402 in tertiary education.
- Tertiary education continues to expand, placing pressure on public budgets. Private sources represent a larger share of total funding at the tertiary level than at any other level of education. However, as a whole most investment in education comes from public sources. On average, across the OECD, government expenditure on primary to tertiary education corresponded to 4% of GDP in 2023, while private expenditure corresponded to 0.6%. Both of these figures are measured as initial source of funds, which implies that we are tracking the original provider.
- Research and development represents around one-third of total expenditure across the OECD on tertiary educational institutions, underlining their dual role in both teaching and research. On average across the OECD, in 2023, USD 8 060 were invested annually into research and development for every student enrolled in tertiary education.
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- Compulsory teaching time averages 770 hours per year for primary students and 710 hours for lower secondary students (general programmes), a difference of about 60 hours annually.
- The ratio of children to teachers in primary education has slightly fallen across most OECD countries, decreasing from an average of 15 children per teacher in 2015 to 14 in 2024.
- Teachers’ statutory salaries increase with the level of education taught. On average, across OECD countries and economies, the salaries of teachers with the most prevalent qualifications with 15 years of experience range from USD 60 437 at pre-primary level to USD 68 928 at upper secondary level.
- Teachers’ actual salaries at primary and general secondary levels of education are 87-95% of the average earnings of tertiary-educated workers across OECD countries. School heads' actual salaries are usually higher than those of tertiary-educated workers.
| Education policies: Teachers | Education policies: Learning environment | OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) |
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- On average across OECD countries, 9.1% of teachers in primary and secondary education are non-fully qualified, with shares exceeding 18% in Chile, Denmark, Estonia and Germany.
- Furthermore, the share of fully qualified teachers leaving the profession in primary and secondary schools stands at 6.4% of the total teaching workforce.
- The ratio of children to teachers in primary education has slightly fallen across most OECD countries, decreasing from an average of 15 children per teacher in 2015 to 14 in 2024.
- Regarding job satisfaction among teachers, participating countries show wide differences. Japan, Spain and Czechia reported that teachers tend to be much more satisfied with their jobs than other employed adults. On the other hand, teachers in Hungary, Chile or Latvia tend to be less satisfied with their jobs than other employed adults.
| Education policies: Teachers | Education policies: Teacher working conditions | Education policies: Teacher employment |
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Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple
most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities,
such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important
areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website
for each publication.
All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/members-partners.html
Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. However, OECD averages from Education at a Glance coming from the OECD database are the averages for the indicator reference year appearing in the Education GPS and may differ from averages in the book where averages can include data from multiple reference years, based on countries' data availability.
To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2026 for school year 2025/2026 in the Northern Hemisphere.
*TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Sources Methodologies and Technical Notes of EAG 2025 for more details about the data collections.
For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.
All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/members-partners.html
Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. However, OECD averages from Education at a Glance coming from the OECD database are the averages for the indicator reference year appearing in the Education GPS and may differ from averages in the book where averages can include data from multiple reference years, based on countries' data availability.
To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2026 for school year 2025/2026 in the Northern Hemisphere.
*TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Sources Methodologies and Technical Notes of EAG 2025 for more details about the data collections.
For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.