Annual working hours per person employed in Belgium
Belgium: Annual working hours per person employed was 1,546 Hours in 2016. ▼ Falling
Latest (2016)
1,546 Hours
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
31st
of 37 countries
All-time high
1,884 Hours
in 1970
All-time low
1,545 Hours
in 2015
Years of data
47
1970–2016
Annual working hours per person employed in Belgium, 1970–2016
Source: OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in Hours.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 1,546 Hours for annual working hours per person employed in 2016.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per person employed in Belgium peaked at 1,884 Hours in 1970 and was at its lowest, 1,545 Hours, in 2015.
That places Belgium 31st out of 37 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Annual working hours per person employed in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,884 Hours | — |
| 1971 | 1,874 Hours | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 1,848 Hours | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 1,821 Hours | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 1,793 Hours | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 1,784 Hours | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 1,786 Hours | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 1,761 Hours | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 1,744 Hours | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 1,728 Hours | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 1,708 Hours | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 1,684 Hours | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 1,670 Hours | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 1,676 Hours | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 1,700 Hours | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 1,706 Hours | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 1,686 Hours | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 1,671 Hours | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 1,659 Hours | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 1,650 Hours | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 1,664 Hours | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 1,626 Hours | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 1,604 Hours | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 1,559 Hours | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 1,559 Hours | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1,585 Hours | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 1,559 Hours | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 1,572 Hours | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 1,583 Hours | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 1,582 Hours | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 1,595 Hours | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 1,588 Hours | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 1,583 Hours | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 1,578 Hours | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 1,573 Hours | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 1,565 Hours | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 1,572 Hours | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 1,577 Hours | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 1,570 Hours | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 1,548 Hours | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 1,546 Hours | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 1,560 Hours | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 1,560 Hours | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1,558 Hours | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 1,555 Hours | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 1,545 Hours | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 1,546 Hours | +0.1% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1,546 Hours is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1,713 Hours, 90% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1,546 Hours is below the median for high income countries, which is 1,728 Hours, 89% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,802 Hours | 1,728 Hours | 1,884 Hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,681 Hours | 1,650 Hours | 1,708 Hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,590 Hours | 1,559 Hours | 1,664 Hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,575 Hours | 1,548 Hours | 1,595 Hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,553 Hours | 1,545 Hours | 1,560 Hours | 7 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 28 Sweden 1,626 Hours compare
- 29 Austria 1,609 Hours compare
- 30 Switzerland 1,590 Hours compare
- 32 Luxembourg 1,520 Hours compare
- 33 France 1,503 Hours compare
- 34 Netherlands 1,437 Hours compare
More work & labour data for Belgium
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1652 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1676 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1614 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.59 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1395 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 12,349 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 139 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,498 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,563 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,061 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per person employed in Belgium?
- Annual working hours per person employed in Belgium was 1,546 Hours in 2016, according to OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per person employed recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 1,884 Hours in 1970.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per person employed recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,545 Hours in 2015.
- How does Belgium rank for annual working hours per person employed?
- Belgium ranks 31st out of 37 countries with data for 2016.
- Is annual working hours per person employed rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per person employed. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Regular hours worked by full-time and part-time workers, paid and unpaid overtime, hours worked in additional jobs, and time not worked because of public holidays, annual paid leave, strikes and labour disputes, and other reasons.