Labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 in Belgium

Belgium: Labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 was 86.27 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
86.27
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
35th
of 82 countries
All-time high
86.44
in 2023
All-time low
80.81
in 2001
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 in Belgium, 2000–2024

0204060802000201220242000: 82.42001: 80.82002: 812003: 81.42004: 82.22005: 842006: 83.92007: 84.72008: 852009: 84.72010: 85.42011: 842012: 85.52013: 85.82014: 86.22015: 85.82016: 85.82017: 85.52018: 86.12019: 85.22020: 85.32021: 86.12022: 86.12023: 86.42024: 86.3

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2024, labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 in Belgium stood at 86.27.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 in Belgium peaked at 86.44 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 80.81, in 2001.

That places Belgium 35th out of 82 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Belgium, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 82.41
2001 80.81 -1.9%
2002 81.03 +0.3%
2003 81.41 +0.5%
2004 82.16 +0.9%
2005 83.97 +2.2%
2006 83.95 -0.0%
2007 84.66 +0.8%
2008 85.04 +0.4%
2009 84.72 -0.4%
2010 85.39 +0.8%
2011 84 -1.6%
2012 85.45 +1.7%
2013 85.75 +0.4%
2014 86.16 +0.5%
2015 85.76 -0.5%
2016 85.75 -0.0%
2017 85.53 -0.3%
2018 86.08 +0.6%
2019 85.2 -1.0%
2020 85.33 +0.2%
2021 86.08 +0.9%
2022 86.15 +0.1%
2023 86.44 +0.3%
2024 86.27 -0.2%

Belgium compared with similar countries

  • Belgium's 86.27 is below the median for high income countries, which is 88.68, 97% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
  • Belgium's 86.27 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 88.34, 98% of the median. (30 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 83.02 80.81 85.04 10
2010s 85.51 84 86.16 10
2020s 86.06 85.33 86.44 5

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 32 Ghana 87.1 compare
  2. 33 United Kingdom 87 compare
  3. 34 Jamaica 86.44 compare
  4. 36 Greece 86.25 compare
  5. 37 Bolivia 85.34 compare
  6. 38 Dominican Republic 84.78 compare

See the full ranking of 82 places →

More work & labour data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 in Belgium?
Labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 in Belgium was 86.27 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 86.44 in 2023.
What is the lowest labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 80.81 in 2001.
How does Belgium rank for labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54?
Belgium ranks 35th out of 82 countries with data for 2024.
Is labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-force-participation-rate-for-persons-ages-25-to-54-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
Labour force participation rate for persons ages 25 to 54 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
82 places, 1,262 data points, 2000–2026
Last refreshed

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. The prime-age labour force participation rate is the labour force of persons aged 25 to 54 years divided by the population aged 25 to 54 years. The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. For more information, refer to the Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND) database description.