Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in Belgium
Belgium: Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation was 26.4% in 1982. ▼ Falling
Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in Belgium, 1969–1982
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 26.4% for gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in 1982. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.9% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation 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.
Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 32.2% | — |
| 1970 | 33.3% | +3.6% |
| 1971 | 32.5% | -2.6% |
| 1973 | 31.1% | -4.0% |
| 1974 | 30.5% | -2.2% |
| 1975 | 28.8% | -5.3% |
| 1976 | 29.9% | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 30.0% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 30.1% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 30.4% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 30.6% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 27.5% | -10.3% |
| 1982 | 26.4% | -3.9% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 26.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.9%, 1.8× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 26.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.7%, 2.5× the median. (16 countries reporting)
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
- 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 gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in Belgium?
- Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation 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 vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 33.3% in 1970.
- What is the lowest gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.4% in 1982.
- How does Belgium rank for gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation?
- Belgium ranks 6th out of 67 countries with data for 1982.
- Is gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation 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 vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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.