Education in Breda, Netherlands: official figures
41.3% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Breda held a higher professional (hbo) or university degree in 2024, above the national figure of 33.3%; that is 9th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up from 37.5% in 2019.
What is the education level in Breda?
22.1% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Breda had no qualification above vmbo or mbo level 1 in 2024, 9th lowest 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 Breda?
Breda was home to 54.9 higher-education students (hbo and university) per 1,000 residents in 2025, 12th 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 Breda?
There were 23.1 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of the municipality of Breda in 2025, below the national figure of 25.9.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many secondary school pupils are there in Breda?
Secondary-school pupils living in Breda numbered 53.4 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 Breda?
The average resident of Breda 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 Breda?
The nearest havo or vwo school was an average 1.8 km away for people in Breda in 2024, below the national figure of 3.4 km; that is 14th shortest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many young children are in childcare in Breda?
128% of children under 5 were in day care or school in 2019 (1,281 per 1,000).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many students are there in Breda?
11,100 students were enrolled in higher education in Breda in 2024, 59 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Breda have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Breda in 2024, 51% had a degree-level education, 33% an upper secondary education and 16% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Breda compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)
Breda ranks 9 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) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Groningen | 44.8% |
| 7 | Amersfoort | 43.5% |
| 8 | Eindhoven | 42.8% |
| 9 | Breda | 41.3% |
| 10 | s-Hertogenbosch | 40.7% |
| 11 | Zwolle | 40.6% |
| 12 | Arnhem | 37.9% |
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)
Breda ranks 23 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 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Leeuwarden | 23.9% |
| 21 | Maastricht | 23.9% |
| 22 | Eindhoven | 23.7% |
| 23 | Breda | 22.1% |
| 24 | Amersfoort | 22.1% |
| 25 | Haarlem | 21.9% |
| 26 | Zwolle | 21.9% |
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Breda ranks 12 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Leeuwarden | 67.3 |
| 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 |
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)
Breda ranks 18 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Tilburg | 2.0 km |
| 16 | Enschede | 2.0 km |
| 17 | Almere | 1.8 km |
| 18 | Breda | 1.8 km |
| 19 | Zwolle | 1.8 km |
| 20 | Maastricht | 1.8 km |
| 21 | Eindhoven | 1.7 km |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)
Breda ranks 13 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Amsterdam | 68 |
| 11 | Eindhoven | 67 |
| 12 | s-Gravenhage | 65 |
| 13 | Breda | 59 |
| 14 | Arnhem | 50 |
| 15 | Zwolle | 48 |
| 16 | Rotterdam | 47 |
Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 (2019)
Breda ranks 5 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | City | Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Amersfoort | 1,327 |
| 3 | Groningen | 1,310 |
| 4 | Deventer | 1,293 |
| 5 | Breda | 1,281 |
| 6 | Nijmegen | 1,262 |
| 7 | Almere | 1,154 |
| 8 | Apeldoorn | 1,135 |
More on Breda: 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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