Belgium: number of Flemish primary school pupils attending religious courses, by religion 2010-2016

This statistic shows the number of pupils attending religious courses in primary school in Flanders from 2010 to 2016, by religion. During the school year 2015-2016, 350,180 Flemish pupils attended classes on Catholicism in primary school and 35,795 Flemish pupils attended classes on Islam in primary school.

Number of pupils attending religious courses in primary school in Flanders from 2010 to 2016, by religion

Characteristic	Catholicism	Islam	Zedenleer*	Exemption**
2015-2016	350,180	35,795	52,804	1,369
2014-2015	346,588	33,266	49,869	1,115
2013-2014	340,952	31,142	47,618	1,039
2012-2013	338,280	29,417	45,505	969
2011-2012	337,091	27,364	43,567	938
2010-2011	337,293	24,836	41,299	1,026

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Release date

May 2016

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Region

Belgium

Survey time period

2010 to 2016

Supplementary notes

* "Zedenleer" has been a course in Belgium since the primary school law act of 1879 of Pierre Van Humbeeck. The course is taught in all municipal public school and at least in Flanders in all secondary schools. Parents have to decide whether their son/daughter attends classes on a recognized religion or on "zedenleer". Originally the course was seen as atheistic and especially anti-clerical, however, nowadays the focus is more on moral issues, critical reflection on society, human rights, free speech and such.

** Parents also have the possibility to get an exemption for their children. This means that in the time the pupil was supposed to attend religious classes, the pupil can study his/her own belief system.

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