Annual working hours per worker in Belgium
Belgium: Annual working hours per worker was 1,593 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours per worker in Belgium, 1870–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 1,593 hours per worker for annual working hours per worker in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in Belgium peaked at 3,483 hours per worker in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1,459 hours per worker, in 2020.
Belgium ranks 111th of 130 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 81 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 3,483 hours per worker | 3,483 hours per worker | 3,483 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1880s | 3,344 hours per worker | 3,344 hours per worker | 3,344 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1890s | 3,177 hours per worker | 3,177 hours per worker | 3,177 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1900s | 3,064 hours per worker | 3,064 hours per worker | 3,064 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1910s | 2,841 hours per worker | 2,841 hours per worker | 2,841 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1920s | 2,229 hours per worker | 2,229 hours per worker | 2,229 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1930s | 2,196 hours per worker | 2,196 hours per worker | 2,196 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1950s | 2,078 hours per worker | 2,033 hours per worker | 2,124 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,970 hours per worker | 1,917 hours per worker | 2,023 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,821 hours per worker | 1,742 hours per worker | 1,906 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,695 hours per worker | 1,664 hours per worker | 1,722 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,597 hours per worker | 1,573 hours per worker | 1,678 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,586 hours per worker | 1,564 hours per worker | 1,598 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,587 hours per worker | 1,578 hours per worker | 1,595 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,548 hours per worker | 1,459 hours per worker | 1,593 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More work & labour data for Belgium
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 54.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 59.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 84.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 49.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 71.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 74.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 67.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in Belgium?
- Annual working hours per worker in Belgium was 1,593 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 3,483 hours per worker in 1870.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,459 hours per worker in 2020.
- How does Belgium rank for annual working hours per worker?
- Belgium ranks 111th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.