Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Belgium
Belgium: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 11.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Belgium, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Belgium stood at 11.1%.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Belgium peaked at 14.5% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 10.1%, in 2012.
Belgium ranks 145th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.5% | — |
| 1992 | 14.5% | +7.3% |
| 1993 | 14.2% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 13.8% | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 14.3% | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 14.3% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 13.7% | -4.1% |
| 1998 | 13.2% | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 14.2% | +7.3% |
| 2000 | 12.6% | -11.0% |
| 2001 | 12.0% | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 12.1% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 11.6% | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 11.3% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 11.8% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 11.4% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 11.0% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 10.4% | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 10.8% | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 10.4% | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 10.3% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 10.1% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 10.6% | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 10.5% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 10.7% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 10.4% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 10.2% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 10.4% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 10.4% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 10.9% | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 10.6% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 11.4% | +7.2% |
| 2023 | 11.0% | -3.1% |
| 2024 | 11.1% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 11.1% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.0% | 13.2% | 14.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.5% | 10.4% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.4% | 10.1% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.0% | 10.6% | 11.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
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 self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Belgium?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Belgium was 11.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 14.5% in 1992.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1% in 2012.
- How does Belgium rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Belgium ranks 145th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.