Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national in Belgium
Belgium: Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national was 31.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in Belgium, 1961–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Belgium recorded 31.6% for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in 2025.
That represents a change of up 6.7% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in Belgium peaked at 47.7% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 21.2%, in 1981.
That places Belgium 106th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 46.2% | — |
| 1970 | 47.7% | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 21.2% | -55.4% |
| 1983 | 41.8% | +96.6% |
| 1984 | 40.8% | -2.3% |
| 1985 | 41.4% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 41.6% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 40.2% | -3.3% |
| 1988 | 36.8% | -8.4% |
| 1989 | 33.8% | -8.2% |
| 1990 | 34.1% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 35.4% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 35.7% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 32.7% | -8.5% |
| 1994 | 33.0% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 31.7% | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 29.9% | -5.7% |
| 1997 | 29.3% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 29.4% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 30.1% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 32.6% | +8.4% |
| 2001 | 30.0% | -8.2% |
| 2002 | 30.2% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 28.8% | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 32.2% | +11.6% |
| 2005 | 32.3% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 31.9% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 31.6% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 30.8% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 29.9% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 29.8% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 29.8% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 27.9% | -6.3% |
| 2013 | 28.2% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 28.1% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 27.1% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 26.2% | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 27.7% | +9.0% |
| 2019 | 29.4% | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 26.5% | -9.9% |
| 2021 | 28.2% | +6.5% |
| 2022 | 29.7% | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 30.2% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 29.6% | -2.1% |
| 2025 | 31.6% | +6.7% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 31.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.2%, 87% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 31.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 32.2%, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +96.6% | 21.2% | 41.8% |
| 1981 | -55.4% | 47.7% | 21.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.2% | 46.2% | 46.2% | 1 |
| 1970s | 47.7% | 47.7% | 47.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 37.2% | 21.2% | 41.8% | 8 |
| 1990s | 32.1% | 29.3% | 35.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.0% | 28.8% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.0% | 25.4% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.3% | 26.5% | 31.6% | 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 labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in Belgium?
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in Belgium was 31.6% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 47.7% in 1970.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.2% in 1981.
- How does Belgium rank for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%)?
- Belgium ranks 106th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 is the proportion of the population ages 15-24 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.