Education in Maastricht, Netherlands: official figures
In 2024, 35.9% of people aged 15 to 74 in the municipality of Maastricht had completed hbo or university, 14th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up from 34.5% in 2019.
What is the education level in Maastricht?
The share of people aged 15 to 74 in the municipality of Maastricht whose highest education was primary school, vmbo or mbo-1 was 23.9% in 2024, below the national figure of 25.9%.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students live in Maastricht?
Students in hbo and university living in Maastricht numbered 125.9 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2025, above the national figure of 43.0.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many vocational students are there in Maastricht?
There were 14.1 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of Maastricht 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 Maastricht?
Secondary-school pupils living in the municipality of Maastricht numbered 36.1 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 Maastricht?
The average resident of Maastricht 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 Maastricht?
Residents of Maastricht lived on average 1.8 km by road from the nearest havo/vwo (pre-university track) secondary school in 2024, 12th 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 Maastricht?
96% of children under 5 were in day care or school in 2019 (960 per 1,000).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many students are there in Maastricht?
18,180 students were enrolled in higher education in Maastricht in 2024, 145 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Maastricht have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Maastricht in 2024, 44% had a degree-level education, 34% an upper secondary education and 22% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Maastricht compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)
Maastricht ranks 14 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) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Zwolle | 40.6% |
| 12 | Arnhem | 37.9% |
| 13 | s-Gravenhage | 37.1% |
| 14 | Maastricht | 35.9% |
| 15 | Deventer | 34.7% |
| 16 | Rotterdam | 33.5% |
| 17 | Tilburg | 33.5% |
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)
Maastricht ranks 21 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 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Alkmaar | 24.5% |
| 19 | s-Hertogenbosch | 24.4% |
| 20 | Leeuwarden | 23.9% |
| 21 | Maastricht | 23.9% |
| 22 | Eindhoven | 23.7% |
| 23 | Breda | 22.1% |
| 24 | Amersfoort | 22.1% |
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Maastricht ranks 3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Groningen | 149.2 |
| 2 | Leiden | 129.7 |
| 3 | Maastricht | 125.9 |
| 4 | Nijmegen | 109.7 |
| 5 | Utrecht | 87.6 |
| 6 | Enschede | 80.3 |
| 7 | Eindhoven | 72.2 |
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)
Maastricht ranks 20 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 22 | Amersfoort | 1.7 km |
| 23 | Rotterdam | 1.6 km |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)
Maastricht ranks 2 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Groningen | 165 |
| 2 | Maastricht | 145 |
| 3 | Nijmegen | 116 |
| 4 | Enschede | 87 |
| 5 | Ede | 83 |
| 6 | Leiden | 83 |
| 7 | Utrecht | 83 |
Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 (2019)
Maastricht ranks 13 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | City | Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Arnhem | 1,004 |
| 11 | Venlo | 993 |
| 12 | Zaanstad | 987 |
| 13 | Maastricht | 960 |
| 14 | s-Gravenhage | 910 |
| 15 | Amsterdam | 895 |
| 16 | Haarlem | 787 |
More on Maastricht: 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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