Netherlands

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Netherlands
Overview of the education system (EAG 2026)
  • In the Netherlands, the share of adults with tertiary attainment reaches 46.1% (OECD average : 42.7%), while the share of adults with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment stands at 35.5% (OECD average : 39.9%) and 18.4% of 25-64 year-olds reached below upper secondary education (OECD average : 17.9%).
  • Some 88.1% of children aged 3 are enrolled in early childhood education (OECD average : 81.5%), while 93.6% of children aged 3 to 5 are enrolled in early childhood education (OECD average : 86%).
  • Government expenditure on educational institutions, before transfers, on primary to tertiary education equalled 4.3% of GDP in 2023 (OECD average : 4%), while private expenditure equalled 0.7% (OECD average : 0.6%).
  • In 2023, the Netherlands allocated an average of 10.9% of total government expenditure to education from primary to tertiary levels (OECD average : 9.8%), equivalent to 4.8% of GDP (OECD average : 4.2%).
  • Total expenditure on educational institutions per full-time equivalent student equalled 26538 equivalent USD for tertiary education in the Netherlands (OECD average : 22402 equivalent USD), while it added up to 15942 equivalent USD for primary education (OECD average : 13552 equivalent USD).
  • The unemployment rate among tertiary-educated young adults stands at 3.3% in 2025 (OECD average : 5%), while it is equal to 7.1% for 25-34 year-olds without an upper secondary education (OECD average : 13.9%).
  • Some 6.1% of all 18-24 year-olds were not in employment, education or training (NEET) in 2025 (OECD average : 14.1%), while 9% of 25-29 year-olds were NEET (OECD average : 16.3%).
  • On-site work varies with the level of education, while 81.1% of tertiary-educated workers sometimes or usually work from home in the Netherlands (OECD average : 42.5%), 45.5% of workers with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment did so (OECD average : 17.7%).
  • In the Netherlands, annual typical teaching hours were 940 hours in primary education (OECD average : 770 hours) and 720 hours in lower secondary education (OECD average : 710 hours).
  • Women represent 87.8% of pre-primary teaching staff in the Netherlands (OECD average : 95.9%) and 56.5% in lower secondary education (OECD average : 68.2%).
  • In the Netherlands, there are 98% of fully qualified teachers in primary and secondary schools (OECD average : 90.9%). However, 6.9% of fully qualified teachers in primary and secondary education left the profession through retirement or resignation in 2025 (OECD average : 6.4%).
    • | 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: Netherlands | Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science) | Open Onderwijsdata (Open Education Data, in Dutch) |

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    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.

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    Attainment

    The proportion of 25-34 year-olds who have attained a general degree at the upper secondary or post-secondary level is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (7 %, rank 33/37 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, 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. (1.2 %, rank 4/31 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Attainment by gender

    The share of 25-34 year-old women with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Netherlands is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (36.1 %, rank 35/37 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Entrance

    In Netherlands, the average age of new entrants in bachelor's programmes is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (19.6 Years, rank 37/39 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The average age of new entrants in tertiary education in Netherlands is comparatively young. (19.9 Years, rank 28/32 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Participation in education

    The proportion of upper secondary students enrolled in vocational programmes is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (69.6 %, rank 4/41 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of female students in lower secondary general programmes was among the smallest internationally. (48 %, rank 40/43 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the enrolment rate of children under 3 is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 35/36 , 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. (50.6 %, rank 37/39 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the percentage of students enrolled in private institutions at all early childhood education level is comparatively high. (82.4 %, rank 3/34 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the percentage of students enrolled in private institutions at pre-primary level is comparatively high. (82.4 %, rank 3/42 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The average age of lower secondary students enrolled in vocational programmes in Netherlands is one of the lowest compared to other countries with available data. (16.5 %, rank 17/20 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The percentage of two-year-olds in early childhood education in Netherlands is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 35/36 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The share of female students enrolled in post-secondary non-tertiary programmes is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (35.2 %, rank 25/29 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Graduation

    The average age of graduates from general programmes at the upper secondary level in Netherlands is relatively low compared to other participating countries. (17.1 Years, rank 38/41 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the average age of first-time tertiary graduates is relatively low. (23.4 Years, rank 30/30 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The average age of bachelor's or equivalent graduates in Netherlands is among the youngest. (23.2 Years, rank 29/30 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Graduation by gender

    The share of female graduates among post-secondary non-tertiary graduates from vocational programmes in Netherlands is relatively low. (35.7 %, rank 25/27 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Graduation by field of education

    The share of doctoral graduates in the field of education in Netherlands is relatively small. (0.8 %, rank 36/38 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The share of doctoral graduates in the field of arts and humaties in Netherlands is relatively small. (5.4 %, rank 36/38 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The share of doctoral graduates in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction in Netherlands is relatively small. (9.8 %, rank 36/38 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the proportion of upper secondary vocational graduates in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (19.2 %, rank 29/33 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Graduation by field of education and gender

    The share of male tertiary graduates in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is relatively low in Netherlands. (31.8 %, rank 35/38 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, 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. (46.7 %, rank 31/31 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of business, administration and law is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (48.9 %, rank 33/34 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Fields of education

    In Netherlands, the percentage of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of arts and humanities is relatively low. (7.4 %, rank 23/27 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the percentage of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is relatively low. (9.7 %, rank 26/27 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The share of new entrants to tertiary education in STEM fields was one of the smallest across countries with available data. (21.9 %, rank 25/27 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The proportion of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.2 %, rank 23/27 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the percentage of new entrants to doctoral programmes in the field of education is relatively low, compared to other countries with available data. (0.8 %, rank 28/31 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The percentage of new entrants in Science, technology, engineering and mathematics bachelor's programmes is relatively low in Netherlands among countries with available data. (21 %, rank 30/32 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of new entrants in health and welfare master's programmes is relatively low, compared to other countries with available data. (9.6 %, rank 30/32 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Student mobility

    Netherlands has a large share of international students graduate from tertiary programmes compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (16.6 %, rank 5/30 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the proportion of international graduates among bachelor's first-time graduates is relatively high. (17.4 %, rank 5/30 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the proportion of international graduates among first-time master's graduates is relatively high. (33.8 %, rank 5/30 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the proportion of international or foreign students enrolled in bachelor's programmes is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (17.1 %, rank 4/42 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the proportion of international or foreign students enrolled in short-cycle tertiary programmes is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (10.5 %, rank 5/35 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Adult participation in non-formal education

    Among unemployed adults aged 25-64, the share participating in non-formal education or training in Netherlands was among the highest across countries with available data. (44.7 %, rank 5/30 , 2023) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of adults aged 25-64 with below upper secondary attainment who reported never having participated in non-formal education or training was among the smallest across countries with available data. (20.1 %, rank 25/29 , 2023) Download Indicator

    Expenditure per student

    From 2012 to 2018, the average annual growth in total expenditure on primary to tertiary education in Netherlands is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (28080 USD Equivalent, rank 5/41 , 2023) Download Indicator

    Teachers

    The number of hours per year primary teachers spend teaching in public institutions is comparatively high in Netherlands. (940 Hours, rank 4/40 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Who the teachers are

    The share of teachers aged between 40 and 49 in secondary schools is especially small. (23.7 %, rank 36/40 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The share of women among teaching staff in pre-primary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (87.8 %, rank 40/40 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The share of women among teaching staff in lower secondary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (56.5 %, rank 36/40 , 2024) Download Indicator

    The percentage of female teachers aged 50 or more in lower secondary education is especially low in Netherlands. (52.6 %, rank 35/39 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of bachelor's, master's and doctoral level teachers older than 50 is relatively low, compared to other countries with data available. (29 %, rank 34/36 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of tertiary teachers older than 50 is relatively low, compared to other countries with data available. (29.4 %, rank 34/36 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Teachers' salaries

    The ratio of primary teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.86 Ratio, rank 4/18 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The ratio of lower secondary teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.9 Ratio, rank 3/18 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, average actual salaries for pre-primary teachers aged 25-64 rank among the highest per hour of net teaching time across OECD and partner countries with available data. (98899 USD Equivalent, rank 1/30 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, average actual salaries for primary teachers aged 25-64 rank among the highest per hour of net teaching time across OECD and partner countries with available data. (98899 USD Equivalent, rank 2/34 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, average actual salaries for lower secondary teachers aged 25-64 rank among the highest per hour of net teaching time across OECD and partner countries with available data. (107310 USD Equivalent, rank 2/34 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, average actual salaries for upper secondary teachers aged 25-64 rank among the highest per hour of net teaching time across OECD and partner countries with available data. (107310 USD Equivalent, rank 3/34 , 2025) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, a lower secondary teacher with typical qualification can expect to have one of the highest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (115235 USD Equivalent, rank 2/42 , 2025) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, an upper secondary teacher with typical qualification can expect to have one of the highest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (115235 USD Equivalent, rank 3/42 , 2025) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, a pre-primary teacher with typical qualification can expect to have one of the highest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (107269 USD Equivalent, rank 2/35 , 2025) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, a primary teacher with typical qualification can expect to have one of the highest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (107269 USD Equivalent, rank 2/42 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The salaries of 25-34 year-old general lower-secondary teachers relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education are high in Netherlands. (1.01 Ratio, rank 5/26 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Principals' salaries

    In Netherlands, the average actual salaries of 25-64 year-old primary school heads is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries. (138070 USD Equivalent, rank 2/30 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the average actual salaries of 25-64 year-old lower secondary school heads is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries. (155222 USD Equivalent, rank 3/30 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the average actual salaries of 25-64 year-old upper-secondary school heads is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries. (155222 USD Equivalent, rank 4/30 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Teacher shortages

    Between 2015 and 2024, Netherlands reported a decrease in the number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers. (95 Index, rank 36/40 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Ratio of student to teaching staff

    The number of pupils per teacher in pre-primary schools is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (21.1 Ratio, rank 5/38 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the number of students per teacher in government-dependent private short-cycle tertiary education is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (13.3 Ratio, rank 8/11 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, 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. (13 Ratio, rank 19/23 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Organisation of the education system

    Classes are particularly large in primary schools. (23 Students, rank 5/38 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Employment and educational attainment

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds without upper secondary education is comparatively high. (68.1 %, rank 3/40 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively high. (84 %, rank 4/41 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-olds with tertiary education is comparatively high in Netherlands. (92.2 %, rank 3/41 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-olds with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively high in Netherlands. (86.7 %, rank 2/40 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (88.7 %, rank 4/32 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Unemployment and educational attainment

    The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-olds with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (3.5 %, rank 36/40 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 55-64 year-olds with below upper secondary education is comparatively low. (2.1 %, rank 36/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 25-64 year-olds with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (2.6 %, rank 36/40 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 25-64 year-olds with a short-cycle tertiary education degree is one the lowest of all OECD countries and partner economies for which data are available. (2.2 %, rank 26/28 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 25-64 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (2.3 %, rank 30/33 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the lowest of all OECD countries and partner economies for which data are available. (2.8 %, rank 30/32 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, the unemployment rate of 25-34 year-olds with a doctoral or equivalent tertiary education degree is relatively low in Netherlands. (5.2 %, rank 7/10 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, the unemployment rate of 25-34 year-old with a short cycle tertiary education degree is relatively low in Netherlands. (2 %, rank 24/24 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Unemployment by gender and educational attainment

    The unemployment rate among 25-64 year-old men without upper secondary education is comparatively low. (3.5 %, rank 35/39 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 25-64 year-old men with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (2.4 %, rank 37/40 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 25-64 year-old women without upper secondary education is comparatively low. (3.6 %, rank 35/39 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-old men with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low in Netherlands. (3.3 %, rank 36/40 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 55-64 year-old men with below upper secondary education is comparatively low in Netherlands. (2 %, rank 35/37 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 55-64 year-old men with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low in Netherlands. (2.3 %, rank 33/37 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The unemployment rate among 55-64 year-old women with below upper secondary education is comparatively low in Netherlands. (2.1 %, rank 32/35 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or a post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (2.5 %, rank 29/31 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-old women with vocational upper secondary or a post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (3.2 %, rank 29/31 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of unemployed 25-64 year-old women with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (2.6 %, rank 29/32 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of unemployed 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. (2 %, rank 29/31 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Inactivity and educational attainment

    The inactivity rate of 25-34 years-old adults with tertiary education is low in Netherlands. (4.6 %, rank 38/40 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-olds with a doctoral or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (3.2 %, rank 10/12 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-olds with a master's or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (2.9 %, rank 32/34 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-olds with a short cycle tertiary education degree is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (0.9 %, rank 25/25 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-olds with a short cycle tertiary education degree is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (8.4 %, rank 29/31 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-olds with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low. (12.7 %, rank 29/33 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The inactivity rate of 55-64 years-old adults with below upper secondary education is low in Netherlands. (32.8 %, rank 36/39 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The inactivity rate of 55-64 years-old adults with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is low in Netherlands. (19.8 %, rank 36/40 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Inactivity by gender and educational attainment

    In Netherlands, the inactivity rate of 25-64 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is relatively low. (7.7 %, rank 28/32 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the inactivity rate of 25-34 year-old women with tertiary education is relatively low. (5.6 %, rank 37/40 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Earnings and educational attainment

    Earnings of foreign-born aged between 25 and 64 who work full- and part-time with a short cycle tertiary education are comparatively high. (131.6 %, rank 2/24 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Earnings and skill level

    In Netherlands, the share of high earners aged 25-64 with low numeracy, literacy and adaptive problem-solving skills in the Adult Skills Survey was among the smallest across countries with available data. (9.3 %, rank 27/29 , 2023) Download Indicator

    Earnings, gender and educational attainment

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (among 25-64 year-olds without an upper secondary education with income from employment) are one of the highest among countries with available data. (87.2 %, rank 4/29 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (among 25-64 year-olds with upper secondary education or post-secondary non-tertiary education and income from employment) are one of the highest among countries with available data. (85.2 %, rank 4/28 , 2024) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women (as a percentage of men's earnings) among full- and part-time 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary education are one of the lowest among countries with available data. (54.9 %, rank 29/30 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, women's earnings as a percentage of men's earnings among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education (full- and part-time workers) are among the lowest across countries with available data. (67.4 %, rank 27/30 , 2024) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, women's earnings as a percentage of men's earnings among 25-64 year-olds with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education (full- and part-time workers) are among the lowest across countries with available data. (60.1 %, rank 29/30 , 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 Netherlands is one of the smallest among countries with available data. (3.8 %, rank 37/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of unemployed youth neither in formal education nor training among 18-24 year-olds in Netherlands is one of the smallest among countries with available data. (6.1 %, rank 38/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of men with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low (4.3 %, rank 26/30 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-29 year-olds neither in employment nor in education and training with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education in Netherlands is relatively low. (8.2 %, rank 29/31 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of men with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (6.2 %, rank 35/37 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of women with tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (6.1 %, rank 34/36 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of men with tertiary education neither in employment nor in education and training (25-29 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (3.2 %, rank 32/33 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-29 year-olds neither in employment nor in education and training with tertiary education in Netherlands is relatively low. (4.8 %, rank 38/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of women who are inactive NEET (15-29 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (4.8 %, rank 36/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of women who are inactive NEET (18-24 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (3.7 %, rank 36/37 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of women who are unemployed NEET (18-24 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (2.5 %, rank 32/36 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of men who are inactive NEET (15-29 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (3.4 %, rank 36/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of men who are unemployed NEET (15-29 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (2 %, rank 36/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of men who are inactive NEET (18-24 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (4 %, rank 36/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of men who are unemployed NEET (18-24 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (2.1 %, rank 37/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of inactive NEET (15-29 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (4.1 %, rank 37/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of unemployed NEET (15-29 year-olds) in Netherlands is relatively low. (2.2 %, rank 36/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of 18-29 year-olds with literacy proficiency at Level 2 or below in the Adult Skills Survey who were NEET was among the lowest across countries with available data. (10.2 %, rank 28/29 , 2023) Download Indicator

    The share of 18-29 year-olds with literacy proficiency at Level 3 or above in the Adult Skills Survey who were NEET was among the smallest in Netherlands compared with other countries with available data. (5.4 %, rank 27/29 , 2023) Download Indicator

    The proportion of youth neither employed nor in education or training among 20-24 year-olds in Netherlands is relatively small. (6.9 %, rank 36/37 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of youth neither employed nor in education or training among 25-29 year-olds in Netherlands is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (9 %, rank 37/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The proportion of youth neither employed nor in education or training among 15-29 year-olds in Netherlands is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6.3 %, rank 38/39 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of men neither employed nor in education among 15-29 year-olds is relatively low. (5.5 %, rank 37/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of women neither employed nor in education among 15-29 year-olds is relatively low. (7.1 %, rank 37/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Among 20-24 year-old men in Netherlands, a small share of them are neither employed nor in education or training. (6.7 %, rank 35/37 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Among 25-29 year-old men in Netherlands, a small share of them are neither employed nor in education or training. (6.6 %, rank 37/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the percentage of women neither employed nor in education or training among 20-24 year-olds is relatively low. (7.2 %, rank 36/36 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of young women neither employed nor in education or training (25-29 year-olds) in Netherlands is comparatively low . (11.5 %, rank 35/37 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The proportion of 18-24 year-olds who are neither employed nor in education or training is comparatively small in Netherlands. (6.1 %, rank 38/38 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of 18-24 year-old men neither employed nor in education or training is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (6.1 %, rank 37/38 , 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. (6.2 %, rank 36/37 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Social outcomes

    In Netherlands, the share of employed men aged 25-64 with tertiary education reporting high or very high flexibility in their main job was among the highest across countries with available data. (59.6 %, rank 4/30 , 2023) Download Indicator

    Among employed adults aged 25-64 with below upper secondary attainment, the share who sometimes or usually work from home in Netherlands was among the largest across countries with available data. (26.8 %, rank 2/29 , 2023) Download Indicator

    The share of employed adults aged 25-64 with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment who sometimes or usually work from home was among the highest in Netherlands compared with other countries with available data. (45.5 %, rank 1/32 , 2023) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, 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. (81.1 %, rank 1/32 , 2023) Download Indicator

    In Netherlands, the share of adults aged 25-64 with below upper secondary attainment who kept worrying about work when not working some or most of the time was among the smallest across countries with available data. (21.5 %, rank 22/26 , 2024) Download Indicator


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    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.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Attainment | Education policies: Labour market outcomes | 
    
                            
    
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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.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Access and Participation  | 
    
                            
    
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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.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Finance and Funding | 
    
                            
    
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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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				Key
            
    
            Diagram of funding flows - Netherlands
            
    
            
    
        
    


        
		
    
            
    
			Click on the coverpage to see the full OECD iLibrary version
			
    
				Key
            
    
            Country Reviews for Netherlands
            
    
            
    
			
    
        
    
		
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
        
    
            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.