Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Belgium

Belgium: Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 4,318 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
4,318
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
26th
of 75 countries
All-time high
4,393
in 2016
All-time low
4,024
in 2000
Years of data
31
1995–2025

Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Belgium, 1995–2025

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1995201020251995: 4.1k1996: 4.1k1997: 4.1k1998: 4.1k1999: 4.0k2000: 4.0k2001: 4.2k2002: 4.2k2003: 4.2k2004: 4.1k2005: 4.1k2006: 4.1k2007: 4.1k2008: 4.1k2009: 4.2k2010: 4.2k2011: 4.3k2012: 4.3k2013: 4.3k2014: 4.3k2015: 4.4k2016: 4.4k2017: 4.3k2018: 4.3k2019: 4.3k2020: 4.4k2021: 4.3k2022: 4.3k2023: 4.4k2024: 4.4k2025: 4.3k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for persons outside the labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Belgium is 4,318, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Belgium peaked at 4,393 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 4,024, in 2000.

Belgium ranks 26th of 75 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) in Belgium, 1995 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1995 4,095
1996 4,120 +0.6%
1997 4,128 +0.2%
1998 4,111 -0.4%
1999 4,044 -1.6%
2000 4,024 -0.5%
2001 4,154 +3.2%
2002 4,151 -0.1%
2003 4,161 +0.2%
2004 4,124 -0.9%
2005 4,053 -1.7%
2006 4,102 +1.2%
2007 4,099 -0.1%
2008 4,124 +0.6%
2009 4,177 +1.3%
2010 4,158 -0.5%
2011 4,272 +2.7%
2012 4,296 +0.6%
2013 4,290 -0.1%
2014 4,316 +0.6%
2015 4,356 +0.9%
2016 4,393 +0.9%
2017 4,280 -2.6%
2018 4,275 -0.1%
2019 4,281 +0.1%
2020 4,363 +1.9%
2021 4,325 -0.9%
2022 4,307 -0.4%
2023 4,356 +1.1%
2024 4,374 +0.4%
2025 4,318 -1.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 4,100 4,044 4,128 5
2000s 4,117 4,024 4,177 10
2010s 4,292 4,158 4,393 10
2020s 4,341 4,307 4,374 6

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 23 Ecuador 4,780 compare
  2. 24 Netherlands 4,701 compare
  3. 25 Zambia 4,409 compare
  4. 27 Greece 4,241 compare
  5. 28 Portugal 3,839 compare
  6. 29 Burkina Faso 3,834 compare

See the full ranking of 75 places →

More work & labour data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is persons outside the labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Belgium?
Persons outside the labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Belgium was 4,318 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest persons outside the labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 4,393 in 2016.
What is the lowest persons outside the labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 4,024 in 2000.
How does Belgium rank for persons outside the labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
Belgium ranks 26th out of 75 countries with data for 2025.
Is persons outside the labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. 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 Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/persons-outside-the-labour-force-previous-ilo-definition-icls13-15/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
75 places, 1,355 data points, 1987–2026
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. Persons outside the labour force comprise all persons of working age who, during the specified reference period, were not in the labour force (that is, were not employed or unemployed). For more information, refer to the International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) database description.