Education in Zwolle, Netherlands: official figures
40.6% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Zwolle held a higher professional (hbo) or university degree in 2024, above the national figure of 33.3%; that is 11th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up from 37.5% in 2019.
What is the education level in Zwolle?
21.9% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Zwolle had no qualification above vmbo or mbo level 1 in 2024, 6th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (below the national figure of 25.9%).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students live in Zwolle?
Zwolle was home to 44.6 higher-education students (hbo and university) per 1,000 residents in 2025, 15th 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 Zwolle?
There were 28.4 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of Zwolle 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 Zwolle?
Secondary-school pupils living in Zwolle numbered 56.6 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 Zwolle?
The average resident of the municipality of Zwolle 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 Zwolle?
The nearest havo or vwo school was an average 1.8 km away for people in the municipality of Zwolle in 2024, below the national figure of 3.4 km; that is 13th shortest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students are there in Zwolle?
6,330 students were enrolled in higher education in Zwolle in 2024, 48 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Zwolle have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Zwolle in 2024, 49% had a degree-level education, 36% an upper secondary education and 15% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Zwolle compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)
Zwolle ranks 11 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) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Eindhoven | 42.8% |
| 9 | Breda | 41.3% |
| 10 | s-Hertogenbosch | 40.7% |
| 11 | Zwolle | 40.6% |
| 12 | Arnhem | 37.9% |
| 13 | s-Gravenhage | 37.1% |
| 14 | Maastricht | 35.9% |
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)
Zwolle ranks 26 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 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Breda | 22.1% |
| 24 | Amersfoort | 22.1% |
| 25 | Haarlem | 21.9% |
| 26 | Zwolle | 21.9% |
| 27 | Amsterdam | 21.5% |
| 28 | Nijmegen | 19.4% |
| 29 | Utrecht | 18.0% |
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Zwolle ranks 15 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Breda | 54.9 |
| 13 | Arnhem | 50.1 |
| 14 | s-Gravenhage | 50.0 |
| 15 | Zwolle | 44.6 |
| 16 | Haarlemmermeer | 37.6 |
| 17 | Deventer | 36.6 |
| 18 | Amersfoort | 36.1 |
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)
Zwolle ranks 19 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Enschede | 2.0 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 |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)
Zwolle ranks 15 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | s-Gravenhage | 65 |
| 13 | Breda | 59 |
| 14 | Arnhem | 50 |
| 15 | Zwolle | 48 |
| 16 | Rotterdam | 47 |
| 17 | Haarlemmermeer | 38 |
| 18 | Amersfoort | 37 |
More on Zwolle: 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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