Education in Noord-Drenthe (Drenthe, Netherlands): official figures
33.2% of residents aged 15 to 74 in the Noord-Drenthe COROP area held a higher professional (hbo) or university degree in 2024, below the national figure of 33.3%; that is 11th highest among the 40 COROP areas, up from 30.3% in 2019.
What is the education level in the Noord-Drenthe region?
22.5% of residents aged 15 to 74 in the Noord-Drenthe COROP area had no qualification above vmbo or mbo level 1 in 2024, 7th lowest among the 40 COROP areas (below the national figure of 25.9%).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students live in the Noord-Drenthe region?
Noord-Drenthe was home to 26.6 higher-education students (hbo and university) per 1,000 residents in 2025, 14th lowest among the 40 COROP areas (Netherlands: 43.0).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many vocational students are there in the Noord-Drenthe region?
There were 29.4 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of the Noord-Drenthe COROP area 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 the Noord-Drenthe region?
Secondary-school pupils living in the Noord-Drenthe COROP area numbered 52.3 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 the Noord-Drenthe region?
The average resident of Noord-Drenthe lived 1.0 km by road from the nearest primary school in 2025, above the national figure of 0.8 km.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow far is the nearest secondary school in the Noord-Drenthe region?
The nearest havo or vwo school was an average 6.9 km away for people in Noord-Drenthe in 2024, above the national figure of 3.4 km; that is 2nd longest among the 40 COROP areas.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow Noord-Drenthe compares with other COROP regions in the Netherlands
Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)
Noord-Drenthe ranks 11 of 40, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Delft en Westland | 37.3% |
| 9 | Overig Groningen | 37.2% |
| 10 | Zuidoost-Noord-Brabant | 34.8% |
| 11 | Noord-Drenthe | 33.2% |
| 12 | Zuidwest-Overijssel | 33.0% |
| 13 | Alkmaar en omgeving | 32.5% |
| 14 | Noordoost-Noord-Brabant | 32.3% |
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)
Noord-Drenthe ranks 34 of 40, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Zuidwest-Overijssel | 24.4% |
| 32 | Arnhem/Nijmegen | 23.7% |
| 33 | Delft en Westland | 23.1% |
| 34 | Noord-Drenthe | 22.5% |
| 35 | Groot-Amsterdam | 22.5% |
| 36 | Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek | 22.5% |
| 37 | Utrecht | 22.3% |
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Noord-Drenthe ranks 27 of 40, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | IJmond | 28.4 |
| 25 | Alkmaar en omgeving | 27.9 |
| 26 | Zuidoost-Zuid-Holland | 27.5 |
| 27 | Noord-Drenthe | 26.6 |
| 28 | Noord-Limburg | 25.2 |
| 29 | Zuidoost-Friesland | 25.1 |
| 30 | Achterhoek | 25.0 |
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)
Noord-Drenthe ranks 2 of 40, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zuidwest-Friesland | 8.9 km |
| 2 | Noord-Drenthe | 6.9 km |
| 3 | Zuidoost-Drenthe | 6.9 km |
| 4 | Overig Zeeland | 6.4 km |
| 5 | Delfzijl en omgeving | 6.0 km |
| 6 | Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen | 5.9 km |
| 7 | Noord-Friesland | 5.6 km |
More on Noord-Drenthe: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · Drenthe · 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…)
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