Informal employment rate in Belgium
Belgium: Informal employment rate was 2.45 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Informal employment rate in Belgium, 2007–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, informal employment rate in Belgium stood at 2.45. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 26.1% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, informal employment rate in Belgium peaked at 4.76 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 2.45, in 2025.
Belgium ranks 75th 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 rate in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 4.65 | — |
| 2008 | 3.46 | -25.7% |
| 2009 | 4.35 | +25.7% |
| 2010 | 3.92 | -9.9% |
| 2011 | 4.33 | +10.3% |
| 2012 | 4.4 | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 4.2 | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 4.76 | +13.3% |
| 2015 | 2.68 | -43.7% |
| 2016 | 2.48 | -7.5% |
| 2017 | 3.57 | +44.2% |
| 2018 | 3.72 | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 3.05 | -18.0% |
| 2020 | 2.46 | -19.2% |
| 2021 | 3 | +21.8% |
| 2022 | 2.68 | -10.7% |
| 2023 | 3.28 | +22.4% |
| 2024 | 3.31 | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 2.45 | -26.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.15 | 3.46 | 4.65 | 3 |
| 2010s | 3.71 | 2.48 | 4.76 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.86 | 2.45 | 3.31 | 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 rate in Belgium?
- Informal employment rate in Belgium was 2.45 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest informal employment rate recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 4.76 in 2014.
- What is the lowest informal employment rate recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.45 in 2025.
- How does Belgium rank for informal employment rate?
- Belgium ranks 75th out of 81 countries with data for 2025.
- Is informal employment rate rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. 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 rate (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 economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.