Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Belgium
Belgium: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 6.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Belgium, 1971–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Belgium stood at 6.7%.
That represents a change of up 9.5% on the previous year and down 26.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Belgium peaked at 9.5% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1971.
That places Belgium 61st out of 181 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.9% | — |
| 1972 | 2.3% | +21.1% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | -4.3% |
| 1974 | 2.2% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3.7% | +68.2% |
| 1976 | 4.3% | +16.2% |
| 1977 | 3.1% | -28.4% |
| 1978 | 5.0% | +62.3% |
| 1979 | 3.9% | -22.7% |
| 1980 | 7.5% | +95.0% |
| 1981 | 7.5% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 9.5% | +25.9% |
| 1983 | 8.1% | -15.0% |
| 1984 | 8.0% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 7.4% | -8.4% |
| 1986 | 7.1% | -2.9% |
| 1987 | 7.3% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 6.9% | -4.7% |
| 1989 | 5.3% | -23.7% |
| 1990 | 4.6% | -14.1% |
| 1991 | 4.5% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 4.8% | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 6.2% | +28.5% |
| 1994 | 7.7% | +24.9% |
| 1995 | 7.3% | -5.0% |
| 1996 | 7.4% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 7.1% | -4.3% |
| 1998 | 7.6% | +7.0% |
| 1999 | 7.5% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 5.3% | -29.0% |
| 2001 | 5.6% | +6.1% |
| 2002 | 6.2% | +10.9% |
| 2003 | 7.4% | +19.2% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | -10.6% |
| 2005 | 7.6% | +14.3% |
| 2006 | 7.4% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 6.7% | -9.9% |
| 2008 | 6.5% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 7.7% | +19.7% |
| 2010 | 8.1% | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 7.1% | -12.3% |
| 2012 | 7.7% | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 8.6% | +12.9% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 9.1% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 8.1% | -11.4% |
| 2017 | 7.1% | -11.6% |
| 2018 | 6.3% | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 5.7% | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 5.7% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 6.6% | +15.7% |
| 2022 | 5.8% | -11.5% |
| 2023 | 6.0% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 6.1% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 6.7% | +9.5% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 6.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.9%, 1.4× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 6.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.4%, 1.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +95.0% | 3.9% | 7.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.2% | 1.9% | 5.0% | 9 |
| 1980s | 7.5% | 5.3% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.5% | 4.5% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.7% | 5.3% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.7% | 5.7% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.2% | 5.7% | 6.7% | 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 unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Belgium?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Belgium was 6.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 9.5% in 1982.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1971.
- How does Belgium rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Belgium ranks 61st out of 181 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.