Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Belgium
Belgium: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 18.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Belgium, 1983–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Belgium is 18.8%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.3% on the previous year and down 21.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Belgium peaked at 24.7% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 10.1%, in 1990.
Belgium ranks 35th of 157 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 19.3% | — |
| 1984 | 20.5% | +6.0% |
| 1985 | 17.7% | -13.8% |
| 1986 | 15.5% | -12.1% |
| 1987 | 14.7% | -5.5% |
| 1988 | 13.0% | -11.6% |
| 1989 | 11.4% | -12.3% |
| 1990 | 10.1% | -11.1% |
| 1991 | 11.0% | +9.1% |
| 1992 | 11.3% | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 17.4% | +53.9% |
| 1994 | 20.5% | +18.0% |
| 1995 | 19.7% | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 17.3% | -12.1% |
| 1997 | 17.6% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 18.3% | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 22.7% | +24.2% |
| 2000 | 12.9% | -43.3% |
| 2001 | 14.3% | +11.3% |
| 2002 | 16.0% | +11.9% |
| 2003 | 20.1% | +25.2% |
| 2004 | 15.8% | -21.5% |
| 2005 | 21.0% | +33.3% |
| 2006 | 18.8% | -10.5% |
| 2007 | 17.1% | -9.0% |
| 2008 | 17.3% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 21.5% | +23.9% |
| 2010 | 22.4% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 18.7% | -16.5% |
| 2012 | 20.4% | +9.1% |
| 2013 | 24.7% | +20.9% |
| 2014 | 24.0% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 23.8% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 21.7% | -8.6% |
| 2017 | 20.2% | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 16.2% | -20.1% |
| 2019 | 16.0% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 15.5% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 19.9% | +28.4% |
| 2022 | 18.1% | -9.0% |
| 2023 | 17.6% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 19.6% | +11.5% |
| 2025 | 18.8% | -4.3% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 18.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.2%, 1.3× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 18.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.3%, 1.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.0% | 11.4% | 20.5% | 7 |
| 1990s | 16.6% | 10.1% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.5% | 12.9% | 21.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.8% | 16.0% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.3% | 15.5% | 19.9% | 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, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Belgium?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Belgium was 18.8% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 24.7% in 2013.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1% in 1990.
- How does Belgium rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Belgium ranks 35th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.0%. 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, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.