Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force in Belgium

Belgium: Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force was 4,319 Persons in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
4,319 Persons
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
16th
of 33 countries
All-time high
4,393 Persons
in 2016
All-time low
4,024 Persons
in 1999
Years of data
27
1999–2025

Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force in Belgium, 1999–2025

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1999201220251999: 4.0k Persons2000: 4.0k Persons2001: 4.1k Persons2002: 4.1k Persons2003: 4.1k Persons2004: 4.1k Persons2005: 4.1k Persons2006: 4.1k Persons2007: 4.1k Persons2008: 4.1k Persons2009: 4.2k Persons2010: 4.2k Persons2011: 4.3k Persons2012: 4.3k Persons2013: 4.3k Persons2014: 4.3k Persons2015: 4.4k Persons2016: 4.4k Persons2017: 4.3k Persons2018: 4.3k Persons2019: 4.3k Persons2020: 4.4k Persons2021: 4.3k Persons2022: 4.3k Persons2023: 4.4k Persons2024: 4.4k Persons2025: 4.3k Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

In 2025, population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force in Belgium stood at 4,319 Persons.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force in Belgium peaked at 4,393 Persons in 2016 and was at its lowest, 4,024 Persons, in 1999.

That places Belgium 16th out of 33 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 4,024 Persons 4,024 Persons 4,024 Persons 1
2000s 4,101 Persons 4,033 Persons 4,177 Persons 10
2010s 4,292 Persons 4,158 Persons 4,393 Persons 10
2020s 4,341 Persons 4,308 Persons 4,374 Persons 6

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 13 Romania 7,750 Persons compare
  2. 14 Australia 7,532 Persons compare
  3. 15 Chile 6,269 Persons compare
  4. 17 Greece 4,241 Persons compare
  5. 18 Portugal 3,839 Persons compare
  6. 19 Czechia 3,454 Persons compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More work & labour data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force in Belgium?
Population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force in Belgium was 4,319 Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 4,393 Persons in 2016.
What is the lowest population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 4,024 Persons in 1999.
How does Belgium rank for population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force?
Belgium ranks 16th out of 33 countries with data for 2025.
Is population outside the labour force — persons outside the labour force 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 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/population-outside-the-labour-force-persons-outside-the-labour-force/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
Population outside the labour force — Persons outside the labour force
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
46 places, 1,266 data points, 1955–2025
Last refreshed

The infra-annual dataflow on the outside the labour force population is a subset of the infra-annual labour statistics database, which contains predominantly monthly and quarterly statistics on the outside the labour force population by age groups (15+, 15-24, 25-54, 55-64, 15-64 and 15-74 where available) and sex and associated statistical methodological information and associated statistical methodological information, for the OECD member countries and for selected other economies. The 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). The infra-annual labour statistics compiled for all OECD member countries, are drawn from Labour Force Surveys based on definition provided by the 19th Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2013. The uniform application of these definitions across all OECD member countries results in estimates that are internationally comparable.