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Belgium — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Belgium, 1990–2025.
Latest value · 2025
54.27%
Labor Force Participation Rate · % of population ages 15+ · +12.5% since 1990
Labor participation for Belgium was 54.27% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 54.58% in 2022. The lowest was 48.26% in 1990 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.34% per year.
Belgium ranks 144 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 77%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 60.12%, so Belgium sits below it. It peaked in 2022 and has fallen 1% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 2%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
54.27%
First (1990)
48.26%
Change
+12.5%
Highest
54.58%
in 2022
Lowest
48.26%
in 1990
Average
52.39%
Annual growth (CAGR)
0.34%
Years of data
36
Recent years
| Year | % of population ages 15+ |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 54.27% |
| 2024 | 54.54% |
| 2023 | 54.41% |
| 2022 | 54.58% |
| 2021 | 54.05% |
| 2020 | 53.38% |
| 2019 | 53.9% |
| 2018 | 53.67% |
| 2017 | 53.34% |
| 2016 | 53.16% |
| 2015 | 53.37% |
| 2014 | 53.58% |
Reading this correctly. Proportion of the population aged 15 and above that is economically active: supplying labor for the production of goods and services. Figures are in % of population ages 15+. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.