Informal employment in Belgium
Belgium: Informal employment was 119.45 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Informal employment in Belgium, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for informal employment in Belgium is 119.45, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 24.6% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment in Belgium peaked at 209.54 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 108.34, in 2016.
Belgium ranks 61st of 81 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Informal employment in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 197.21 | — |
| 2008 | 148.18 | -24.9% |
| 2009 | 187.25 | +26.4% |
| 2010 | 167.06 | -10.8% |
| 2011 | 185.62 | +11.1% |
| 2012 | 191.38 | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 183.64 | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 209.54 | +14.1% |
| 2015 | 117.24 | -44.0% |
| 2016 | 108.34 | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 159.6 | +47.3% |
| 2018 | 170.65 | +6.9% |
| 2019 | 140.33 | -17.8% |
| 2020 | 114.78 | -18.2% |
| 2021 | 140.86 | +22.7% |
| 2022 | 127.02 | -9.8% |
| 2023 | 156.88 | +23.5% |
| 2024 | 158.46 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 119.45 | -24.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 177.55 | 148.18 | 197.21 | 3 |
| 2010s | 163.34 | 108.34 | 209.54 | 10 |
| 2020s | 136.24 | 114.78 | 158.46 | 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 informal employment in Belgium?
- Informal employment in Belgium was 119.45 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 209.54 in 2014.
- What is the lowest informal employment recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 108.34 in 2016.
- How does Belgium rank for informal employment?
- Belgium ranks 61st out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is informal employment rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Informal employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This harmonized series for informal employment is derived using the same set of criteria across countries to improve comparability. The criteria used are based on employment status, institutional sector, destination of production, bookkeeping, registration, social security contribution, places of work and size. Data disaggregated by occupation are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Data may have been regrouped from the national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCO. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.