Belgium
Belgium
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Country reports and publications 
Belgium
Overview of the education system (EAG 2025)
| Education at a Glance 2025 | Country note | Annexes from Education at a Glance 2025 | 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 |
Select first some countries to compare, choose the charts you wish to display and customise them.
The following list displays indicators for which your selected country shows the highest and lowest values among countries.
The list can be sorted by level of education or by age group. All rankings are calculated including available data from OECD
and partner countries.
Find out more about the methodology here.
Show indicators for which your country ranks among the top or bottom:
Sort by:
Attainment by gender
Belgium has one of the smallest shares of 25-64 year-old men whose highest education level is a short-cycle tertiary education degree. (0.4 %, rank 27/31 , 2024) Download Indicator
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 (0.4 %, rank 22/25 , 2024) Download Indicator
Attainment by field of education
The percentage of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of information and communication technologies is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (4 %, rank 24/28 , 2024) Download Indicator
The percentage of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (22.2 %, rank 24/28 , 2024) 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 38/41 , 2023) 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. (19.3 Years, rank 39/40 , 2023) Download Indicator
The average age of new entrants in tertiary education in Belgium is comparatively young. (19.5 Years, rank 32/34 , 2023) 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. (23.4 Years, rank 40/40 , 2023) Download Indicator
Entrance by field of education and gender
In STEM fields, the share of female new entrants to tertiary education ranked Belgium among the smallest internationally. (25.7 %, rank 34/36 , 2023) 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. (68.7 %, rank 33/37 , 2023) 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. (42.4 %, rank 36/37 , 2023) 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. (15.2 %, rank 32/36 , 2023) 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. (38.6 %, rank 38/39 , 2023) 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. (24.9 %, rank 34/38 , 2023) 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. (26.1 %, rank 36/38 , 2023) 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. (11.8 %, rank 37/37 , 2023) 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. (46.7 %, rank 34/38 , 2023) 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. (30.6 %, rank 35/37 , 2023) 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. (43.3 %, rank 22/23 , 2023) 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. (4.6 %, rank 31/32 , 2023) 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. (8.2 %, rank 32/32 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of female in short-cycle tertiary programmes in the field of services is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (24.4 %, rank 26/27 , 2023) Download Indicator
Participation in education
The enrolment rate among 15-19 year-olds in Belgium is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (92.6 %, rank 4/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of students in government-dependent private tertiary educational institutions is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (58.3 %, rank 4/24 , 2023) Download Indicator
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 33/36 , 2023) Download Indicator
Enrolment in pre-primary education (ISCED 02) among 3- to 5-year-olds in Belgium was among the highest internationally. (97.7 %, rank 3/46 , 2023) Download Indicator
The enrolment rate of children under age 3 in pre-primary education (ISCED 02) placed Belgium among the highest across countries. (17.9 %, rank 2/45 , 2023) Download Indicator
The enrolment rate of 15–19-year-olds in post-secondary non-tertiary general programmes was among the lowest across participating countries. (0 %, rank 8/10 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of female students in post-secondary non-tertiary general programmes ranked among the largest across participating countries. (67.5 %, rank 3/10 , 2023) 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. (24.3 %, rank 39/39 , 2023) 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. (16.1 %, rank 19/21 , 2023) Download Indicator
Belgium has one of the largest shares of lower secondary students enrolled in vocational programmes. (16.7 %, rank 3/22 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of upper secondary students enrolled in programmes giving partial completion or insufficient for completion is relatively high compared to the other countries. (33.6 %, rank 4/17 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of upper secondary students enrolled in programmes giving full level completion without access to tertiary education in Belgium is relatively high compared to the other countries. (42.1 %, rank 5/28 , 2023) 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. (3.2 %, rank 14/15 , 2023) Download Indicator
Students enrolled in programmes providing full completion and access to tertiary education among all students enrolled in post-secondary non-tertiary vocational programmes are proportionally less in Belgium than in the other countries. (44.3 %, rank 18/22 , 2023) Download Indicator
The average age of short-cycle tertiary students enrolled in vocational programmes is comparativele high. (3 %, rank 3/36 , 2022) 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 , 2023) Download Indicator
The average age of bachelor's or equivalent graduates in Belgium is among the youngest. (23.5 Years, rank 28/31 , 2023) 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 %, rank 40/42 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of health and welfare is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (26.1 %, rank 1/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of doctoral graduates in the field of education in Belgium is relatively small. (1.2 %, rank 41/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of doctoral graduates in the field of information and communication technologies in Belgium is relatively small. (1 %, rank 39/43 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of short-cycle tertiary vocational graduates in the field of health and welfare is relatively high compared to other OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (5 %, rank 1/37 , 2022) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the proportion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent graduates in the field of health and welfare is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (3 %, rank 1/45 , 2022) Download Indicator
Graduation by field of education and gender
The proportion of female tertiary graduates in health and welfare is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries. (32.7 %, rank 1/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of female tertiary graduates in the field of sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (9.3 %, rank 41/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of male tertiary graduates in the field of health and welfare is relatively high in Belgium. (16.3 %, rank 1/44 , 2023) 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 24/27 , 2023) 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. (39.6 %, rank 25/27 , 2023) 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. (49.9 %, rank 35/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the proportion of female graduates from upper secondary vocational programmes in the field health and welfare is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries. (88.4 %, rank 5/34 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of social sciences, journalism and information is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (73.6 %, rank 5/43 , 2023) 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. (44.5 %, rank 41/43 , 2023) 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. (15.3 %, rank 39/41 , 2023) Download Indicator
Fields of education
The share of new entrants to tertiary education in STEM fields ranked among the smallest across countries with available data. (20.8 %, rank 34/35 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of new entrants in short-cycle tertiary programmes in the field of arts and humanities is relatively small. (0 %, rank 31/34 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of services is comparatively small. (1.3 %, rank 34/37 , 2023) 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. (3.9 %, rank 35/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of new entrants in Information and communication tecnologies master's programmes is one of the lowest, compared to other countries with available data. (1.3 %, rank 36/37 , 2023) 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. (19.8 %, rank 36/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
Student mobility
In Belgium, the proportion of international graduates among first-time doctorate graduates is relatively high. (50.7 %, rank 4/30 , 2023) 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. (20.2 %, rank 33/37 , 2023) Download Indicator
Expenditure in education and national wealth
In Belgium, expenditure on secondary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is comparatively high. (2.5 %, rank 1/39 , 2022) Download Indicator
In Belgium, international expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (0 %, rank 4/32 , 2022) Download Indicator
In Belgium, public 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 4/44 , 2022) Download Indicator
The public expenditure as a percentage of GDP from initial source of funds at primary to tertiary education is relatively high in Belgium. (5.2 %, rank 2/30 , 2022) Download Indicator
In Belgium, international expenditure as a percentage of GDP from initial source of funds on tertiary education is relatively large. (0.1 %, rank 5/35 , 2022) Download Indicator
From 2012 to 2018, the average annual growth in total expenditure per full-time equivalent student on primary to tertiary education in Belgium is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.3 %, rank 5/29 , 2022) 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. (3.4 %, rank 34/35 , 2022) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of current expenditure on all levels below tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (96.6 %, rank 2/35 , 2022) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of capital expenditure on primary through tertiary is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (3.9 %, rank 35/35 , 2022) 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. (96.1 %, rank 1/35 , 2022) 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. (2.6 %, rank 32/33 , 2022) Download Indicator
Who the teachers are
In Belgium, the share of female teachers younger than 30 in tertiary education is relatively large. (61 %, rank 2/36 , 2023) 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 %, rank 20/24 , 2023) Download Indicator
The share of teachers under 30 in upper secondary vocational education is especially high in Belgium. (11.2 %, rank 4/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
Ratio of student to teaching staff
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the upper secondary level is especially low. (8.9 Ratio, rank 38/41 , 2023) 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 Ratio, rank 34/38 , 2023) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the vocational upper secondary level is especially low in Belgium. (7.8 Ratio, rank 28/30 , 2023) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the lower secondary level in government-dependent private institutions is especially low in Belgium. (9.1 Ratio, rank 17/21 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the number of students per teacher in public upper secondary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (8.9 Ratio, rank 38/42 , 2023) 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 Ratio, rank 20/22 , 2023) 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 20/20 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the number of students per teacher in public institutions tertiary education is one of the highest among countries with available data. (28.5 Ratio, rank 4/39 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the number of students per teacher in independent private institutions tertiary education is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (5.9 Ratio, rank 24/24 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the number of students per teacher in public institutions short-cycle tertiary education is one of the highest among countries with available data. (32.8 Ratio, rank 3/20 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the number of students per teacher in government-dependent private short-cycle tertiary education is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (13.6 Ratio, rank 8/11 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the number of students per teacher in public bachelor's, master's, doctoral or equivalent programmes is one of the highest among countries with available data. (28.3 Ratio, rank 3/34 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the number of students per teacher in independent private bachelor's, master's, doctoral or equivalent programmes is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (5.9 Ratio, rank 20/21 , 2023) Download Indicator
Employment and educational attainment
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. (69 %, rank 33/37 , 2024) 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. (80.7 %, rank 30/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 45-54 year-olds without upper secondary education is comparatively low. (56.3 %, rank 35/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
Employment by gender and educational attainment
The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds without upper secondary education is comparatively low. (48.8 %, rank 35/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
The employment rate among 25-64 year-old men without upper secondary education is comparatively low. (57.7 %, rank 36/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the share of employed 25-64 year-old men with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (76 %, rank 33/36 , 2024) 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 compared to other countries with available data. (56.5 %, rank 31/35 , 2024) Download Indicator
Employment by field of education
The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (92.9 %, rank 4/28 , 2024) Download Indicator
Unemployment and educational attainment
The unemployment rate among 25-64 year-olds with a doctoral or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the lowest of all OECD countries and partner economies for which data are available. (1.4 %, rank 12/14 , 2024) Download Indicator
Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64 with below upper secondary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for at least 12 months is one of the largest in Belgium, compared to other OECD countries. (60.7 %, rank 4/33 , 2024) Download Indicator
The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-olds with a general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the highest of all OECD countries and partner economies for which data are available. (13 %, rank 4/33 , 2024) Download Indicator
Unemployment by gender and educational attainment
Compared to other countries with available data, the unemployment rate of 25-34 year-old women with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high in Belgium. (18.9 %, rank 4/33 , 2024) Download Indicator
Inactivity and educational attainment
In Belgium, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary education is one of the highest among countries with available data. (45.6 %, rank 4/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-olds with a doctoral or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the highest among countries with available data. (12.5 %, rank 3/9 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-olds with a doctoral or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the highest among countries with available data. (7.5 %, rank 4/23 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-olds with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high. (25.8 %, rank 4/37 , 2024) Download Indicator
Inactivity by gender and educational attainment
In Belgium, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men without an upper secondary education is relatively high compared to other countries with available data. (34.8 %, rank 3/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high. (19.2 %, rank 3/36 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high. (15.5 %, rank 4/35 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high. (16.5 %, rank 5/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
Earnings and educational attainment
In Belgium, the share of worker earning more than twice the median among those with a tertiary education degree is comparatively . (12 Index, rank 26/30 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the distribution of worker earning more than 1.5 times the median but at or below twice the median among those with below upper secondary education is comparatively low . (2 Index, rank 23/27 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Belgium, the distribution of worker earning more than 1.5 times the median but at or below twice the median among those with with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (6 Index, rank 27/29 , 2023) Download Indicator
Neither in education nor employed
The share of women with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in Belgium is relatively high (35.3 %, rank 5/25 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of men who are unemployed NEET (15-29 year-olds) in Belgium is relatively high. (9.3 %, rank 3/37 , 2024) Download Indicator
Among 25-29 year-old men in Belgium, a large share of them are neither employed nor in education or training. (16.7 %, rank 5/37 , 2024) Download Indicator
The data table will display up to six selected countries.
General findings
- Tertiary attainment among young adults has reached 48% on average across the OECD, the highest level ever, but progress has slowed since 2021. Attainment remains unequal, with women generally outpacing men, and older generations showing lower rates.
- Employment outcomes for tertiary-educated adults remain strong overall: 87% of them are employed compared to 60% of those without upper seconday. Tertiary education offers good protection against unemployment, but women and disadvantaged groups still face labour market gaps, and inactivity persists among some adults. Moreover, adults with tertiary education earn on average 54% more than those with only upper secondary education.
- Gender pay gaps remain significant. Despite higher attainment, women with tertiary education consistently earn less than men, even when working full-time, and this gap persists across age groups (73% on average for women aged 25 to 64).
- Fields of study strongly influence labour market outcomes. Graduates in engineering and in health and welfare fare particularly well, while women’s participation in STEM remains below parity (14% of graduates at tertiary level) despite being 58% of all tertiary graduates.
- Internationalisation continues to expand in tertiary education. The share of international students has grown steadily, and OECD countries host a large proportion of the world’s mobile students, reinforcing their global role in higher education.
- Sustaining tertiary education requires adequate investment. Spending per student is already at 21 021 USD and rising, and tertiary expenditure represents a notable share of GDP (1.4% on average in OECD), making efficiency and equity crucial for long-term sustainability.
| Education policies: Attainment | Education policies: Access and Participation | Education policies: Finance and Funding | Education policies: Labour market outcomes |
Visualisations
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- Although many countries have near universal upper secondary attainment among 25–34 year-olds, on average across the OECD 13% of younger adults still lack an upper secondary qualification.
- NEET shares are now below pre-pandemic levels in about half of OECD and partner countries with trend data; in 8 of these 16 countries the decline exceeds 1 percentage point, while 17 countries exceed pre-pandemic benchmarks and 6 saw increases of more than 2 percentage points.
- Employment rates rise steadily with higher tertiary attainment: short-cycle 83%, bachelor’s 86%, master’s 90%, and doctoral or equivalent 93% among 25–64 year-olds.
- Earnings premiums also increase with qualification level: on average across the OECD, short-cycle graduates earn 17% more than those with upper secondary; the advantage is 39% for bachelor’s and 83% for master’s/doctoral graduates.
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- Most children aged 3 to 5 are enrolled in early childhood education, with an average participation rate of 85% across the OECD. By contrast, only 29% of children under the age of 3 are enrolled.
- Participation in early childhood education has grown over the past decade, with enrolment for children under age 3 increasing by 9 percentage points to 29%, and enrolment for ages 3 and above rising by 5 points to 85%.
- The majority of students in vocational upper secondary education follow programmes that grant full access to tertiary education, with 76% of students enrolled in such programmes on average across the OECD.
- Completion rates for bachelor’s programmes increase after the theoretical duration of programmes: on average, 44% of students graduate on time, compared to 69% three years after.
- Students from Asia form the largest regional group of internationally mobile students in tertiary education, representing 58% of all foreign or international students across the OECD in 2023.
- Only 43% of students complete a bachelor’s degree within the expected duration, though this rises to 59% with one additional year and 70% with three additional years on average across the OECD.
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- Governments spend on average USD 12 438 per student in primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education, and USD 15 102 per student in tertiary education including R&D.
- Expenditure per student has risen in absolute terms since 2015, but its share in public budgets has declined, with government spending on education at almost 15% of total government expenditure on average in 2022.
- Annual spending per student at primary and secondary levels varies widely across OECD countries, from under USD 3 000 in some systems to over USD 25 000 in the most highly funded ones.
- 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.
- Spending per student differs markedly between public and private institutions, with expenditure in public tertiary institutions exceeding USD 33 000 in some countries, compared to less than USD 10 000 in others.
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- Students in OECD countries receive an average of 7 604 hours of compulsory instruction during primary and lower secondary education, with total hours ranging widely across education systems.
- Compulsory instruction time averages 804 hours per year for primary students and 909 hours for lower secondary students, a difference of about 105 hours annually.
- The ratio of children to teachers in pre-primary education has fallen across most OECD countries, decreasing from an average of 15 children per teacher in 2013 to 13 in 2023.
- Teachers’ statutory salaries increase with the level of education taught. On average, teachers with 15 years of experience earn USD 55 725 at pre-primary level and USD 63 925 at upper secondary level.
- Teachers’ actual salaries are 83–91% of the earnings of similarly educated tertiary-educated workers, while school heads usually earn more than tertiary-educated workers on average across OECD countries.
- The ratio of students to academic staff is lower in public than in private institutions, averaging about 14 students per staff member in public tertiary institutions compared to 18 in private ones.
- Nearly half of OECD and partner countries operate non-selective admission systems for first degrees, providing broad access to tertiary education, while entrance exams and centralised systems are also common.
- The salaries of academic staff in tertiary education vary by seniority. On average, junior staff earn about 62 000 USD, while senior staff earn about 108 000 USD.
| Education policies: Teachers | Education policies: Teachers | OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) |
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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. 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.
*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 Annex 3 of EAG 2024 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. 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.
*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 Annex 3 of EAG 2024 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.