Belgium vs France: Sahm rule recession indicator — Recession signal

Belgium
0 Unspecified
in 2026
France
0 Unspecified
in 2026
Belgium rank
9th
France rank
9th

Sahm rule recession indicator — Recession signal over time

  • Belgium
  • France
00.20.40.60.81198420052026

How they compare

Belgium currently reports 0 Unspecified against 0 Unspecified in France, a difference of 0 Unspecified.

The two have swapped places 14 times across 43 shared years of data; in 1984 it was France ahead.

Belgium ranks 9th and France ranks 9th of 30 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 4 and France in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Belgium France Difference Ahead
1980s 0 Unspecified 0.1667 Unspecified 0.1667 Unspecified France
1990s 0.3 Unspecified 0 Unspecified 0.3 Unspecified Belgium
2000s 0.7 Unspecified 0.1 Unspecified 0.6 Unspecified Belgium
2010s 0.5 Unspecified 0.1 Unspecified 0.4 Unspecified Belgium
2020s 0.5714 Unspecified 0.1429 Unspecified 0.4286 Unspecified Belgium

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher sahm rule recession indicator — recession signal, Belgium or France?
Belgium, at 0 Unspecified against 0 Unspecified in France as of 2026.
What is the difference in sahm rule recession indicator — recession signal between Belgium and France?
0 Unspecified, with Belgium ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and France?
43 years are reported by both, from 1984 to 2026.
How do Belgium and France rank globally for sahm rule recession indicator — recession signal?
Belgium ranks 9th and France ranks 9th of 30 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Sahm rule recession indicator — Recession signal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Belgium vs France: Sahm rule recession indicator — Recession signal. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/sahm-rule-recession-indicator-recession-signal/belgium/france/

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About this data

Indicator
Sahm rule recession indicator — Recession signal
Unit
Unspecified
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
32 places, 1,260 data points, 1955–2026
Last refreshed

The Sahm rule is a simple recession indicator based on increases in the unemployment rate. Originally developed for the United States, it is triggered when the three-month average unemployment rate rises by at least 0.5 percentage points above its lowest level in the previous year. To assess its usefulness beyond the United States, the OECD has calculated the Sahm indicator for OECD countries using monthly unemployment rates from the OECD Labour Force Surveys and replaced the fixed U.S. threshold with country-specific thresholds. Under this approach, the indicator is triggered when the three-month average unemployment rate rises above its country-specific threshold relative to its lowest level in the previous year. For more information please refer to Can we predict recessions using only unemployment data? Applying the Sahm rule to OECD countries.