Education & skills
Part II — life in the Netherlands
What it shows
The central paradox — credentials up, measured skills down. Tertiary attainment among the EU's highest and early school leaving down from 17% (2000) to ~6%; but PISA reading fell from 513 (2003) to 459 (2022), below OECD average, with maths similar (538→493). Spending per student rose throughout.
What it cannot prove
The cause of skill decline (curriculum, composition, digital, pedagogy, teachers — the data doesn't adjudicate) or how much is COVID artefact (PISA 2025, published late 2026, is the first calibration point).
J1PISA mathematics score
493
↘1y — · 5y — · 10y -30
AOECD-PISAsince 2003 · as of 2022
J2Early school leavers
7.4%
→1y +0.4 · 5y +0.4 · 10y -0.8
AEurostatsince 2000 · as of 2025
J3Tertiary attainment (25–64)
46.1%
↗1y +1.5 · 5y +3.5 · 10y +10.8
AEurostatsince 1996 · as of 2025
More indicators for this domain are planned — see the methodology & roadmap. Missing here means not credible yet, not forgotten.