Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Belgium
Belgium: Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 55.95 in 2025. β² Rising
Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Belgium, 1947β2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Belgium stood at 55.95. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Belgium peaked at 55.95 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 40, in 1981.
Belgium ranks 152nd of 210 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 51.12 | 51.12 | 51.12 | 1 |
| 1960s | 49.88 | 49.88 | 49.88 | 1 |
| 1970s | 44.14 | 41.23 | 49.16 | 3 |
| 1980s | 47.61 | 40 | 50.68 | 9 |
| 1990s | 50.15 | 48.34 | 51.91 | 10 |
| 2000s | 52.49 | 50.89 | 53.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.64 | 53.11 | 54.39 | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.91 | 53.81 | 55.95 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 149 French Polynesia 56.36 compare
- 150 Uzbekistan 56.22 compare
- 151 Suriname 56.12 compare
- 153 Costa Rica 55.94 compare
- 154 South Africa 55.57 compare
- 155 Pakistan 55.34 compare
More work & labour data for Belgium
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1676 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1614 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Rural population, annual growth rate -1.59 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1395 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Urban population 12,349 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Rural population 139 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Female 5,498 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Male 5,563 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Both sexes 11,061 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Male, per unit of GDP 0 1000 No per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Belgium?
- Labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Belgium was 55.95 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 55.95 in 2025.
- What is the lowest labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 40 in 1981.
- How does Belgium rank for labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- Belgium ranks 152nd out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. 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 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 50 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. The labour force participation rate is the labour force as a percent of the working-age population. 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 Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.