Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Belgium
Belgium: Over-qualification rates by citizenship was 19.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
19.8%
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
29th
of 45 countries
All-time high
23.2%
in 2002
All-time low
19.3%
in 2015
Years of data
31
1995–2025
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Belgium, 1995–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
The most recent figure for over-qualification rates by citizenship in Belgium is 19.8%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Belgium peaked at 23.2% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 19.3%, in 2015.
Belgium ranks 29th of 45 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 21.8% | — |
| 1996 | 22.0% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 21.4% | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 21.5% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 20.6% | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 21.9% | +6.3% |
| 2001 | 20.7% | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 23.2% | +12.1% |
| 2003 | 22.7% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 21.6% | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 21.9% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 22.1% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 21.9% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 22.8% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 22.6% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 22.3% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 22.0% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 21.4% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 20.8% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 19.8% | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 19.3% | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 19.6% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 20.3% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 20.5% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 20.0% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 20.1% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 21.7% | +8.0% |
| 2022 | 22.6% | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 22.2% | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 20.1% | -9.5% |
| 2025 | 19.8% | -1.5% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 19.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 20.1%, 98% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 19.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 20.0%, 99% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.5% | 20.6% | 22.0% | 5 |
| 2000s | 22.1% | 20.7% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.6% | 19.3% | 22.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.1% | 19.8% | 22.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More reference data data for Belgium
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1382 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7526 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is over-qualification rates by citizenship in Belgium?
- Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Belgium was 19.8% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 23.2% in 2002.
- What is the lowest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.3% in 2015.
- How does Belgium rank for over-qualification rates by citizenship?
- Belgium ranks 29th out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
- Is over-qualification rates by citizenship rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Over-qualification rates by citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).