Education in Arnhem, Netherlands: official figures
37.9% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Arnhem held a higher professional (hbo) or university degree in 2024, above the national figure of 33.3%; that is 12th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up from 34.3% in 2019.
What is the education level in Arnhem?
25.5% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Arnhem had no qualification above vmbo or mbo level 1 in 2024, 14th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (below the national figure of 25.9%).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students live in Arnhem?
Arnhem was home to 50.1 higher-education students (hbo and university) per 1,000 residents in 2025, 13th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 43.0).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many vocational students are there in Arnhem?
There were 26.2 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of Arnhem in 2025, above the national figure of 25.9.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many secondary school pupils are there in Arnhem?
Secondary-school pupils living in Arnhem numbered 51.6 per 1,000 residents in 2025, against 51.0 nationally.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow far is the nearest primary school in Arnhem?
The average resident of the municipality of Arnhem lived 0.7 km by road from the nearest primary school in 2025, below the national figure of 0.8 km.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow far is the nearest secondary school in Arnhem?
The nearest havo or vwo school was an average 1.6 km away for people in the municipality of Arnhem in 2024, below the national figure of 3.4 km; that is 7th shortest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many young children are in childcare in Arnhem?
100% of children under 5 were in day care or school in 2019 (1,004 per 1,000).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many students are there in Arnhem?
9,120 students were enrolled in higher education in Arnhem in 2024, 50 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Arnhem have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Arnhem in 2024, 44% had a degree-level education, 36% an upper secondary education and 20% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Arnhem compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)
Arnhem ranks 12 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Breda | 41.3% |
| 10 | s-Hertogenbosch | 40.7% |
| 11 | Zwolle | 40.6% |
| 12 | Arnhem | 37.9% |
| 13 | s-Gravenhage | 37.1% |
| 14 | Maastricht | 35.9% |
| 15 | Deventer | 34.7% |
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)
Arnhem ranks 14 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Apeldoorn | 26.6% |
| 12 | Zoetermeer | 26.0% |
| 13 | Ede | 25.8% |
| 14 | Arnhem | 25.5% |
| 15 | Deventer | 25.0% |
| 16 | Alphen aan den | 24.9% |
| 17 | Haarlemmermeer | 24.8% |
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Arnhem ranks 13 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Amsterdam | 64.5 |
| 11 | Rotterdam | 55.8 |
| 12 | Breda | 54.9 |
| 13 | Arnhem | 50.1 |
| 14 | s-Gravenhage | 50.0 |
| 15 | Zwolle | 44.6 |
| 16 | Haarlemmermeer | 37.6 |
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)
Arnhem ranks 25 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Amersfoort | 1.7 km |
| 23 | Rotterdam | 1.6 km |
| 24 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 1.6 km |
| 25 | Arnhem | 1.6 km |
| 26 | s-Gravenhage | 1.5 km |
| 27 | Utrecht | 1.5 km |
| 28 | Nijmegen | 1.5 km |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)
Arnhem ranks 14 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Eindhoven | 67 |
| 12 | s-Gravenhage | 65 |
| 13 | Breda | 59 |
| 14 | Arnhem | 50 |
| 15 | Zwolle | 48 |
| 16 | Rotterdam | 47 |
| 17 | Haarlemmermeer | 38 |
Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 (2019)
Arnhem ranks 10 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | City | Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Almere | 1,154 |
| 8 | Apeldoorn | 1,135 |
| 9 | Utrecht | 1,095 |
| 10 | Arnhem | 1,004 |
| 11 | Venlo | 993 |
| 12 | Zaanstad | 987 |
| 13 | Maastricht | 960 |
More on Arnhem: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · all cities in the Netherlands
Sources
- Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS): Regionale kerncijfers Nederland (table 70072ned): provinces, COROP areas and selected municipalities, 2014-2026, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d2b63aac3a26…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ceduc: Urban Audit: education (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 af187c7040a4…)
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