Underachievement in reading (i29)
- 31/10/2025
- objective
- assessment assessment
In 2022, in Belgium 25.3% of the students aged 15 had insufficient reading skills. To achieve the sustainable development goal by 2030, this figure must be reduced to 15%. This objective will not be reached by continuing the trend since 2000 (data available in November 2024). The students aged 15 that had insufficient reading skills is therefore developing unfavourably.
Underachievement in reading - Belgium - trend assessment
percentage of 15-year-old students
| 2000 | 2012 | 2015 | 2018 | 2022 | 2025 | 2030 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| observations | 19.0 | 16.1 | 19.5 | 21.3 | 25.3 | -- | -- |
| trend and extrapolation (November 2025) | 18.8 | 17.9 | 19.1 | 21.2 | 24.9 | 27.4 | 30.6 |
| objective 2030 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
Note: break in time series: 2009 and 2018
Source: OECD; Eurostat (2025), Underachieving 15-year-old students by sex and field - PISA survey, educ_outc_pisa; https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat, last update of data on 14/12/2023 11:00 (consulted on 25/09/2025)
Underachievement in reading - Belgium and international comparison
percentage of 15-year-old students
| 2000 | 2003 | 2006 | 2009 | 2012 | 2015 | 2018 | 2022 | 2022//2000 | 2022//2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 19.0 | 17.9 | 19.4 | 17.7 | 16.1 | 19.5 | 21.3 | 25.3 | 1.3 | 4.4 |
| EU27 | -- | -- | 23.7 | 19.7 | 18.0 | 20.0 | 22.5 | 26.2 | -- | 3.9 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Note: break in time series: 2009 and 2018
Source: OECD; Eurostat (2025), Underachieving 15-year-old students by sex and field - PISA survey, educ_outc_pisa; https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat, last update of data on 14/12/2023 11:00 (consulted on 25/09/2025).
Underachievement in reading by sex - Belgium
percentage of 15-year-old students
| 2000 | 2003 | 2006 | 2009 | 2012 | 2015 | 2018 | 2022 | 2022//2000 | 2022//2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| females | 14.1 | 13.0 | 13.4 | 13.8 | 11.8 | 17.0 | 17.8 | 20.6 | 1.7 | 3.7 |
| males | 22.8 | 22.4 | 24.9 | 21.5 | 20.4 | 22.0 | 24.7 | 30.1 | 1.3 | 5.1 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Note: break in time series: 2009 and 2018
Source: OECD; Eurostat (2025), Underachieving 15-year-old students by sex and field - PISA survey, educ_outc_pisa; https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat, last update of data on 14/12/2023 11:00 (consulted on 25/09/2025).
Definition: the indicator measures the proportion of 15-year-old students who do not reach level 2 (elementary level) of the PISA scale for reading performance. It is one of the three key areas of learning, alongside mathematics and sciences. The data come from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an international survey conducted every three years to assess the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. In Belgium, the tests are carried out by the universities of Ghent and Liege. Since these data are based on surveys, a margin of uncertainty should be taken into account. The confidence intervals can be found on the OECD website, on the PISA data pages.
The following breakdown is available for this indicator: sex.
Goal: the proportion of 15-year-old students with inadequate reading skills must be less than 15% in 2030.
The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015 include target 4.6: "By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy".
In the Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030), the European Council reconfirms the following target: "The share of low-achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science should be less than 15%, by 2030." (Official Journal of the European Union, 26/02/2021, 2021/C 66/01).
UN indicator: the selected indicator corresponds to indicator 4.6.1 - Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills.
Sources
-
OECD website on PISA: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/ (consulted on 02/10/2025).
- Official Journal of the European Union: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html?locale=nen.
At www.indicators.be the Federal Planning Bureau presents sustainable development indicators.
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