Education in Zaanstad, Netherlands: official figures
27.9% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Zaanstad held a higher professional (hbo) or university degree in 2024, below the national figure of 33.3%; that is 4th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up from 24.6% in 2019.
What is the education level in Zaanstad?
28.0% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Zaanstad had no qualification above vmbo or mbo level 1 in 2024, 7th 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 Zaanstad?
Zaanstad was home to 29.8 higher-education students (hbo and university) per 1,000 residents in 2025, 7th 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 Zaanstad?
There were 27.6 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of the municipality of Zaanstad in 2025, above the national figure of 25.9.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many secondary school pupils are there in Zaanstad?
Secondary-school pupils living in Zaanstad numbered 50.2 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 Zaanstad?
The average resident of Zaanstad 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 Zaanstad?
The nearest havo or vwo school was an average 2.5 km away for people in Zaanstad in 2024, below the national figure of 3.4 km; that is 10th longest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many young children are in childcare in Zaanstad?
99% of children under 5 were in day care or school in 2019 (987 per 1,000).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many students are there in Zaanstad?
4,960 students were enrolled in higher education in Zaanstad in 2024, 31 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Zaanstad have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Zaanstad in 2024, 33% had a degree-level education, 45% an upper secondary education and 22% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Zaanstad compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)
Zaanstad ranks 28 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) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 31 | Nissewaard | 21.1% |
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)
Zaanstad ranks 7 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 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 10 | Enschede | 26.7% |
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Zaanstad ranks 25 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Haarlem | 33.5 |
| 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 |
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)
Zaanstad ranks 10 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Alphen aan den | 2.8 km |
| 8 | Haarlemmermeer | 2.6 km |
| 9 | s-Hertogenbosch | 2.6 km |
| 10 | Zaanstad | 2.5 km |
| 11 | Alkmaar | 2.4 km |
| 12 | Venlo | 2.4 km |
| 13 | Groningen | 2.2 km |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)
Zaanstad ranks 24 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Almere | 35 |
| 22 | Haarlem | 32 |
| 23 | Zoetermeer | 32 |
| 24 | Zaanstad | 31 |
| 25 | Alkmaar | 30 |
| 26 | Sittard-Geleen | 30 |
| 27 | Venlo | 30 |
Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 (2019)
Zaanstad ranks 12 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | City | Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Utrecht | 1,095 |
| 10 | Arnhem | 1,004 |
| 11 | Venlo | 993 |
| 12 | Zaanstad | 987 |
| 13 | Maastricht | 960 |
| 14 | s-Gravenhage | 910 |
| 15 | Amsterdam | 895 |
More on Zaanstad: 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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