Employee compensation as share of government spending in Belgium
Belgium: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 5.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Belgium, 1995–2022
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
In 2022, employee compensation as share of government spending in Belgium stood at 5.9%.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Belgium peaked at 7.0% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 2021.
Belgium ranks 153rd of 155 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 7.0% | — |
| 1996 | 6.8% | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 6.9% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 6.8% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 6.9% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 6.9% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 6.9% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 7.0% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 6.8% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 6.7% | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 6.6% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 6.5% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 6.3% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 6.1% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 5.9% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 6.0% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 6.3% | +5.2% |
| 2015 | 6.4% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 6.3% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 6.3% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 6.2% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 6.1% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 5.7% | -5.8% |
| 2021 | 5.7% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 5.9% | +2.3% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 5.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 18.9%, 31% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 5.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.4%, 36% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.9% | 6.8% | 7.0% | 5 |
| 2000s | 6.7% | 6.4% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 5.9% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 150 Switzerland 7.0% compare
- 151 Brazil 6.6% compare
- 152 Spain 5.9% compare
- 154 Germany 5.7% compare
- 155 Kazakhstan 5.2% 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 employee compensation as share of government spending in Belgium?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Belgium was 5.9% in 2022, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 7.0% in 2002.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 2021.
- How does Belgium rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Belgium ranks 153rd out of 155 countries with data for 2022.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employee compensation as share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Employee compensation includes wages, in-kind payments, and government contributions to social insurance schemes such as social security and pensions.