Gender wage gap in Belgium
Belgium: Gender wage gap was 26.4% in 1982. ▼ Falling
Gender wage gap in Belgium, 1969–1982
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 1982, gender wage gap in Belgium stood at 26.4%. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is down 3.9% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender wage gap in Belgium peaked at 33.3% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 26.4%, in 1982.
That places Belgium 6th out of 67 countries with data for 1982, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.2% | 32.2% | 32.2% | 1 |
| 1970s | 30.7% | 28.8% | 33.3% | 9 |
| 1980s | 28.2% | 26.4% | 30.6% | 3 |
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 gender wage gap in Belgium?
- Gender wage gap in Belgium was 26.4% in 1982, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender wage gap recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 33.3% in 1970.
- What is the lowest gender wage gap recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.4% in 1982.
- How does Belgium rank for gender wage gap?
- Belgium ranks 6th out of 67 countries with data for 1982.
- Is gender wage gap rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender wage gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Difference between average earnings of men and average earnings of women expressed as a percentage of average earnings of men.