Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Belgium
Belgium: Employment in industry (% of total employment) was 19.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Belgium, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Belgium recorded 19.2% for employment in industry (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Belgium peaked at 30.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 19.2%, in 2025.
Belgium ranks 90th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 30.3% | — |
| 1992 | 29.9% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 29.4% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 28.9% | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 28.3% | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 27.6% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 27.5% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 27.2% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 25.8% | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 25.8% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 25.5% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 25.8% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 24.9% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 24.9% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 24.7% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 24.7% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 24.4% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 24.7% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 23.5% | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 23.4% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 23.2% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 21.8% | -6.4% |
| 2013 | 21.7% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 21.4% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 21.4% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 21.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 20.9% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 21.1% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 20.7% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 20.5% | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 20.1% | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 19.5% | -3.1% |
| 2025 | 19.2% | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.3% | 25.8% | 30.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 24.9% | 23.5% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.7% | 20.9% | 23.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.0% | 19.2% | 20.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
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 employment in industry (% of total employment) in Belgium?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Belgium was 19.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 30.3% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.2% in 2025.
- How does Belgium rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- Belgium ranks 90th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).