Belgium has ranked number one in the world for ‘quality of management schools’ in the latest ‘Global Competitiveness Report’ from the World Economic Forum (WEF). As well as being highly satisfied with the quality of management schools in the country, international business leaders  also ranked Belgium as the 15^th most competitive economy in the world, surpassing France and closely behind Germany and the Netherlands.

More than 14,000 business leaders in 142 countries were sent identical surveys on various elements of the strength of their respective country’s competitiveness. The Belgian results were collected by a team from Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School before being combined with objective data to determine the rankings.

The news has been well received by professors at Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, which currently ranks highest among Belgian business schools. Professor Leo Sleuwaegen of Vlerick, who collected the results, says: “Over the last ten years, Belgium has risen from relative obscurity to become a serious competitor on the global business education stage. We now rank ahead of the UK, which took second place. France is fifth, Holland 10, Germany 36 and Luxembourg 58. It is fair to say that we have set the bar nationally, in terms of the calibre of management education and raised the overall standard through our increasingly impressive reputation.”

General Director of Vlerick, Patrick De Greve says: “It goes without saying that all social, economic and business parties are proud of Belgium’s reinforced competitive position, and especially since this improvement is partly thanked to the high quality of education in Belgium, more specifically the quality of management schools. Belgian management schools represent great value for money and Vlerick is at the forefront of attracting students from around the world with quality teaching for a lower price than its international counterparts. Vlerick in particular prides itself in having upheld this principle and has been rewarded with several accreditations and strong local, European and global positions in various rankings. It is a great challenge to be and continue to stay an academic business school, whilst at the same time positioning democratic programme fees in the market. In the current economic context the reputation of a business school is still important, but value for money is clearly gaining more and more interest.”