Education in Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands: official figures
29.5% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Sittard-Geleen held a higher professional (hbo) or university degree in 2024, below the national figure of 33.3%; that is 5th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up from 27.6% in 2019.
What is the education level in Sittard-Geleen?
29.7% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Sittard-Geleen had no qualification above vmbo or mbo level 1 in 2024, 6th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (above the national figure of 25.9%).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students live in Sittard-Geleen?
Sittard-Geleen was home to 28.2 higher-education students (hbo and university) per 1,000 residents in 2025, 6th lowest 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 Sittard-Geleen?
There were 22.5 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of Sittard-Geleen 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 Sittard-Geleen?
Secondary-school pupils living in Sittard-Geleen numbered 40.9 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 Sittard-Geleen?
The average resident of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen lived 0.8 km by road from the nearest primary school in 2025, level with the national figure of 0.8 km.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow far is the nearest secondary school in Sittard-Geleen?
The nearest havo or vwo school was an average 3.0 km away for people in the municipality of Sittard-Geleen in 2024, below the national figure of 3.4 km; that is 3rd longest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many young children are in childcare in Sittard-Geleen?
78% of children under 5 were in day care or school in 2019 (782 per 1,000).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many students are there in Sittard-Geleen?
3,470 students were enrolled in higher education in Sittard-Geleen in 2024, 30 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Sittard-Geleen have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Sittard-Geleen in 2024, 34% had a degree-level education, 43% an upper secondary education and 23% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Sittard-Geleen compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)
Sittard-Geleen ranks 27 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) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Enschede | 30.8% |
| 25 | Zoetermeer | 30.8% |
| 26 | Apeldoorn | 30.4% |
| 27 | Sittard-Geleen | 29.5% |
| 28 | Zaanstad | 27.9% |
| 29 | Venlo | 25.6% |
| 30 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 23.4% |
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)
Sittard-Geleen ranks 6 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 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Nissewaard | 31.0% |
| 4 | Rotterdam | 29.8% |
| 5 | s-Gravenhage | 29.7% |
| 6 | Sittard-Geleen | 29.7% |
| 7 | Zaanstad | 28.0% |
| 8 | Almere | 26.8% |
| 9 | Tilburg | 26.7% |
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Sittard-Geleen ranks 26 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Zoetermeer | 32.3 |
| 24 | Alphen aan den | 30.9 |
| 25 | Zaanstad | 29.8 |
| 26 | Sittard-Geleen | 28.2 |
| 27 | Venlo | 27.8 |
| 28 | Alkmaar | 27.6 |
| 29 | Apeldoorn | 27.1 |
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)
Sittard-Geleen ranks 3 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ede | 3.2 km |
| 2 | Leeuwarden | 3.1 km |
| 3 | Sittard-Geleen | 3.0 km |
| 4 | Nissewaard | 2.9 km |
| 5 | Deventer | 2.9 km |
| 6 | Apeldoorn | 2.8 km |
| 7 | Alphen aan den | 2.8 km |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)
Sittard-Geleen ranks 26 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Zoetermeer | 32 |
| 24 | Zaanstad | 31 |
| 25 | Alkmaar | 30 |
| 26 | Sittard-Geleen | 30 |
| 27 | Venlo | 30 |
| 28 | Apeldoorn | 28 |
| 29 | Nissewaard | 27 |
Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 (2019)
Sittard-Geleen ranks 18 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | City | Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | s-Gravenhage | 910 |
| 15 | Amsterdam | 895 |
| 16 | Haarlem | 787 |
| 17 | Ede | 786 |
| 18 | Sittard-Geleen | 782 |
| 19 | Leiden | 492 |
| 20 | Rotterdam | 457 |
More on Sittard-Geleen: 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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