Education in Haarlem, Netherlands: official figures
In 2024, 45.2% of people aged 15 to 74 in the municipality of Haarlem had completed hbo or university, 5th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up from 41.4% in 2019.
What is the education level in Haarlem?
The share of people aged 15 to 74 in the municipality of Haarlem whose highest education was primary school, vmbo or mbo-1 was 21.9% in 2024, below the national figure of 25.9%.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students live in Haarlem?
Students in hbo and university living in Haarlem numbered 33.5 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2025, below the national figure of 43.0.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many vocational students are there in Haarlem?
There were 18.3 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of Haarlem 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 Haarlem?
Secondary-school pupils living in the municipality of Haarlem numbered 55.8 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 Haarlem?
The average resident of Haarlem lived 0.5 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 Haarlem?
Residents of Haarlem lived on average 1.2 km by road from the nearest havo/vwo (pre-university track) secondary school in 2024, the shortest among the 31 large municipalities covered here and below the national figure of 3.4 km.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many young children are in childcare in Haarlem?
79% of children under 5 were in day care or school in 2019 (787 per 1,000).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many students are there in Haarlem?
9,280 students were enrolled in higher education in Haarlem in 2024, 32 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Haarlem have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Haarlem in 2024, 50% had a degree-level education, 33% an upper secondary education and 16% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Haarlem compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)
Haarlem ranks 5 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) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Leiden | 49.8% |
| 3 | Amsterdam | 49.7% |
| 4 | Nijmegen | 46.8% |
| 5 | Haarlem | 45.2% |
| 6 | Groningen | 44.8% |
| 7 | Amersfoort | 43.5% |
| 8 | Eindhoven | 42.8% |
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)
Haarlem ranks 25 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 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Eindhoven | 23.7% |
| 23 | Breda | 22.1% |
| 24 | Amersfoort | 22.1% |
| 25 | Haarlem | 21.9% |
| 26 | Zwolle | 21.9% |
| 27 | Amsterdam | 21.5% |
| 28 | Nijmegen | 19.4% |
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Haarlem ranks 22 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | s-Hertogenbosch | 35.8 |
| 20 | Ede | 35.5 |
| 21 | Almere | 33.5 |
| 22 | Haarlem | 33.5 |
| 23 | Zoetermeer | 32.3 |
| 24 | Alphen aan den | 30.9 |
| 25 | Zaanstad | 29.8 |
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)
Haarlem ranks 31 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Arnhem | 1.6 km |
| 26 | s-Gravenhage | 1.5 km |
| 27 | Utrecht | 1.5 km |
| 28 | Nijmegen | 1.5 km |
| 29 | Amsterdam | 1.3 km |
| 30 | Leiden | 1.3 km |
| 31 | Haarlem | 1.2 km |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)
Haarlem ranks 22 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Deventer | 37 |
| 20 | s-Hertogenbosch | 37 |
| 21 | Almere | 35 |
| 22 | Haarlem | 32 |
| 23 | Zoetermeer | 32 |
| 24 | Zaanstad | 31 |
| 25 | Alkmaar | 30 |
Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 (2019)
Haarlem ranks 16 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | City | Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Maastricht | 960 |
| 14 | s-Gravenhage | 910 |
| 15 | Amsterdam | 895 |
| 16 | Haarlem | 787 |
| 17 | Ede | 786 |
| 18 | Sittard-Geleen | 782 |
| 19 | Leiden | 492 |
More on Haarlem: 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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