Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belgium
Belgium: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 14.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belgium, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belgium is 14.6%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belgium peaked at 18.0% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 14.2%, in 2008.
Belgium ranks 144th of 186 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, total (% of total employment) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 17.3% | — |
| 1992 | 17.9% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 17.9% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 17.7% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 17.9% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 18.0% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 17.2% | -4.3% |
| 1998 | 17.4% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 17.3% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 16.0% | -7.1% |
| 2001 | 15.2% | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 15.4% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 15.2% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 14.7% | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 15.2% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 15.1% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 14.8% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 14.2% | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 14.8% | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 14.4% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 14.3% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 14.3% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 15.1% | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 14.6% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 15.2% | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 14.8% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 14.5% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 14.6% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 14.8% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 15.5% | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 14.5% | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 15.3% | +5.2% |
| 2023 | 14.7% | -3.4% |
| 2024 | 14.7% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 14.6% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.6% | 17.2% | 18.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 15.1% | 14.2% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.7% | 14.3% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.9% | 14.5% | 15.5% | 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, total (% of total employment) in Belgium?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belgium was 14.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 18.0% in 1996.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.2% in 2008.
- How does Belgium rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Belgium ranks 144th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. 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, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.