Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Belgium
Belgium: Public sector employment as a share of total employment was 35.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Belgium, 2004–2020
Source: World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Belgium stood at 35.8%.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Belgium peaked at 41.4% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 33.7%, in 2011.
Belgium ranks 4th of 79 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 39.3% | — |
| 2005 | 41.4% | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 41.1% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 40.4% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 34.3% | -15.2% |
| 2009 | 34.7% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 33.7% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 33.7% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 34.0% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 34.9% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 35.1% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 35.1% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 35.9% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 35.7% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 35.0% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 35.8% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 35.8% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.5% | 34.3% | 41.4% | 6 |
| 2010s | 34.9% | 33.7% | 35.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.8% | 35.8% | 35.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 1 Maldives 47.1% compare
- 2 Russian Federation 44.9% compare
- 3 Ukraine 38.7% compare
- 5 Denmark 32.5% compare
- 6 Luxembourg 31.5% compare
- 7 Republic of Moldova 30.3% compare
More work & labour data for Belgium
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1652 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1676 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1614 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.59 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1395 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 12,349 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 139 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,498 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,563 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,061 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public sector employment as a share of total employment in Belgium?
- Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Belgium was 35.8% in 2020, according to World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 41.4% in 2005.
- What is the lowest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.7% in 2011.
- How does Belgium rank for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
- Belgium ranks 4th out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
- Is public sector employment as a share of total employment rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.