Labour force participation in Belgium
The ILO estimates that 54.3% of people aged 15 and over in Belgium were in the labour force in 2025.
Belgium, 2025
54.3%
Change from 2024
−0.3percentage points
World, 2025
60.8%
Median of European Union (27 countries), 2025
60.3%
Position in 2025
141st of 181
Labour force participation in Belgium over time
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Belgium
World
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of working-age population aged 15 and over. Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates). Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years. Dashed lines are projections.
| Period | Belgium | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 54.3% | 60.8% |
| 2024 | 54.5% | 61.0% |
| 2023 | 54.4% | 61.0% |
| 2022 | 54.6% | 60.7% |
| 2021 | 54.0% | 60.4% |
| 2020 | 53.4% | 59.7% |
| 2019 | 53.9% | 61.0% |
| 2018 | 53.7% | 61.2% |
| 2017 | 53.3% | 61.3% |
| 2016 | 53.2% | 61.5% |
Flags: f Projection . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of −0.3 percentage points from 54.5% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 53.4%, the figure has changed by +0.9 percentage points.
- Among the 181 countries with data for 2025, Belgium has the 141st highest value.
- The figure for the world in 2025 was 60.8%.
More for Belgium
All statistics for Belgium
Women's labour force participation
49.8%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment-to-population ratio
51.1%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Unemployment rate, ages 15 to 74
6.2%
2025 · Eurostat
Youth unemployment rate, ages 15 to 24
17.4%
2025 · Eurostat
Long-term unemployment rate
2.0%
2025 · Eurostat
Employment rate, ages 20 to 64
72.8%
2025 · Eurostat