Labour force participation rate in Belgium
Belgium: Labour force participation rate was 53.77 in 2025. βΌ Falling
Labour force participation rate in Belgium, 2004β2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 53.77 for labour force participation rate in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force participation rate in Belgium peaked at 56.38 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 53.17, in 2024.
That places Belgium 51st out of 57 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56 | 55.48 | 56.38 | 6 |
| 2010s | 54.52 | 53.46 | 55.51 | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.9 | 53.17 | 54.45 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More work & labour data for Belgium
- Population - Est. & Proj. β Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1652 % change on previous year (2100)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour force participation rate in Belgium?
- Labour force participation rate in Belgium was 53.77 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force participation rate recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 56.38 in 2005.
- What is the lowest labour force participation rate recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.17 in 2024.
- How does Belgium rank for labour force participation rate?
- Belgium ranks 51st out of 57 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force participation rate rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. 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 Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 22 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. The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) database description.