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.
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 copyHow 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 copyHow 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 copyHow 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 copyHow 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 copyHow 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 copyHow 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 copyHow 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 copyHow 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.
| Rank | City | Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Maastricht | 35.9% |
| 15 | Deventer | 34.7% |
| 16 | Rotterdam | 33.5% |
| 17 | Tilburg | 33.5% |
| 18 | Alkmaar | 33.4% |
| 19 | Haarlemmermeer | 33.3% |
| 20 | Ede | 32.6% |
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.
| Rank | City | Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Sittard-Geleen | 29.7% |
| 7 | Zaanstad | 28.0% |
| 8 | Almere | 26.8% |
| 9 | Tilburg | 26.7% |
| 10 | Enschede | 26.7% |
| 11 | Apeldoorn | 26.6% |
| 12 | Zoetermeer | 26.0% |
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.
| Rank | City | Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Utrecht | 87.6 |
| 6 | Enschede | 80.3 |
| 7 | Eindhoven | 72.2 |
| 8 | Tilburg | 68.7 |
| 9 | Leeuwarden | 67.3 |
| 10 | Amsterdam | 64.5 |
| 11 | Rotterdam | 55.8 |
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.
| Rank | City | Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Venlo | 2.4 km |
| 13 | Groningen | 2.2 km |
| 14 | Zoetermeer | 2.2 km |
| 15 | Tilburg | 2.0 km |
| 16 | Enschede | 2.0 km |
| 17 | Almere | 1.8 km |
| 18 | Breda | 1.8 km |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)
Tilburg ranks 8 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Ede | 83 |
| 6 | Leiden | 83 |
| 7 | Utrecht | 83 |
| 8 | Tilburg | 77 |
| 9 | Leeuwarden | 73 |
| 10 | Amsterdam | 68 |
| 11 | Eindhoven | 67 |
More on Tilburg: 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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