State IntegrityReceipts, not verdicts

Education in Tilburg, Netherlands: official figures

33.5% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Tilburg held a higher professional (hbo) or university degree in 2024, above the national figure of 33.3%; that is 15th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up from 30.1% in 2019.

Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%)
33.5%
2024
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%)
26.7%
2024
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents
68.7
2025
Resident mbo (vocational) students per 1,000 residents
25.5
2025
Resident secondary-school pupils per 1,000 residents
45.8
2025
Average road distance to a primary school (km)
0.7 km
2025
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km)
2.0 km
2024

What is the education level in Tilburg?

26.7% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Tilburg had no qualification above vmbo or mbo level 1 in 2024, 9th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (above the national figure of 25.9%).

Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copy

How many students live in Tilburg?

Tilburg was home to 68.7 higher-education students (hbo and university) per 1,000 residents in 2025, 8th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 43.0).

Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copy

How many vocational students are there in Tilburg?

There were 25.5 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of the municipality of Tilburg in 2025, below the national figure of 25.9.

Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copy

How many secondary school pupils are there in Tilburg?

Secondary-school pupils living in Tilburg numbered 45.8 per 1,000 residents in 2025, against 51.0 nationally.

Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copy

How far is the nearest primary school in Tilburg?

The average resident of Tilburg 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 copy

How far is the nearest secondary school in Tilburg?

The nearest havo or vwo school was an average 2.0 km away for people in Tilburg in 2024, below the national figure of 3.4 km; that is 15th longest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.

Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copy

How many students are there in Tilburg?

17,650 students were enrolled in higher education in Tilburg in 2024, 77 for every 1,000 residents.

Source: Eurostat · saved copy

How many people in Tilburg have a degree?

Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Tilburg in 2024, 40% had a degree-level education, 38% an upper secondary education and 22% at most lower secondary schooling.

Source: Eurostat · saved copy

How Tilburg compares with other cities in the Netherlands

Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)

Tilburg ranks 17 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.

RankCityResidents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%)
14Maastricht35.9%
15Deventer34.7%
16Rotterdam33.5%
17Tilburg33.5%
18Alkmaar33.4%
19Haarlemmermeer33.3%
20Ede32.6%
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copy

Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)

Tilburg ranks 9 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.

RankCityResidents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%)
6Sittard-Geleen29.7%
7Zaanstad28.0%
8Almere26.8%
9Tilburg26.7%
10Enschede26.7%
11Apeldoorn26.6%
12Zoetermeer26.0%
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copy

Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)

Tilburg ranks 8 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.

RankCityResident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents
5Utrecht87.6
6Enschede80.3
7Eindhoven72.2
8Tilburg68.7
9Leeuwarden67.3
10Amsterdam64.5
11Rotterdam55.8
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copy

Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)

Tilburg ranks 15 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.

RankCityAverage road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km)
12Venlo2.4 km
13Groningen2.2 km
14Zoetermeer2.2 km
15Tilburg2.0 km
16Enschede2.0 km
17Almere1.8 km
18Breda1.8 km
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copy

Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)

Tilburg ranks 8 of 29, highest first.

RankCityHigher education students per 1,000 residents
5Ede83
6Leiden83
7Utrecht83
8Tilburg77
9Leeuwarden73
10Amsterdam68
11Eindhoven67
Source: Eurostat · saved copy

More on Tilburg: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · all cities in the Netherlands

Sources

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.