Public sector wage premium in Belgium

Belgium: Public sector wage premium was -0.0483 compared to all private employees in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
-0.0483 compared to all private employees
Change on year
up 14.8%
World rank
51st
of 60 countries
All-time high
0.014 compared to all private employees
in 2005
All-time low
-0.0884 compared to all private employees
in 2009
Years of data
15
2004–2018

Public sector wage premium in Belgium, 2004–2018

-0.1-0.075-0.05-0.025-00.0252004201120182004: 0.004 compared to all private employees2005: 0.014 compared to all private employees2006: 0 compared to all private employees2007: -0.019 compared to all private employees2008: -0.073 compared to all private employees2009: -0.088 compared to all private employees2010: -0.049 compared to all private employees2011: -0.047 compared to all private employees2012: -0.012 compared to all private employees2013: 0.003 compared to all private employees2014: -0.055 compared to all private employees2015: -0.065 compared to all private employees2016: -0.068 compared to all private employees2017: -0.057 compared to all private employees2018: -0.048 compared to all private employees

Source: World Bank. Measured in compared to all private employees.

Analysis

The most recent figure for public sector wage premium in Belgium is -0.0483 compared to all private employees, measured in 2018.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.8% on the previous year and up 34.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector wage premium in Belgium peaked at 0.014 compared to all private employees in 2005 and was at its lowest, -0.0884 compared to all private employees, in 2009.

That places Belgium 51st out of 60 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Public sector wage premium in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Public sector wage premium (compared to all private employees) in Belgium, 2004 to 2018.
Year compared to all private employees Change
2004 0.0035 compared to all private employees —
2005 0.014 compared to all private employees +297.2%
2006 0.0001 compared to all private employees -99.0%
2007 -0.0194 compared to all private employees -13879.1%
2008 -0.0731 compared to all private employees +277.4%
2009 -0.0884 compared to all private employees +20.9%
2010 -0.0491 compared to all private employees -44.5%
2011 -0.0466 compared to all private employees -5.0%
2012 -0.0123 compared to all private employees -73.6%
2013 0.0031 compared to all private employees -124.9%
2014 -0.0552 compared to all private employees -1900.1%
2015 -0.0645 compared to all private employees +16.9%
2016 -0.068 compared to all private employees +5.3%
2017 -0.0566 compared to all private employees -16.7%
2018 -0.0483 compared to all private employees -14.8%

Belgium compared with similar countries

  • Belgium's -0.0483 compared to all private employees is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0825 compared to all private employees. (31 countries reporting)
  • Belgium's -0.0483 compared to all private employees is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0546 compared to all private employees. (30 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Public sector wage premium 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.

YearChange FromTo
2007 -13879.1% 0.0001 compared to all private employees -0.0194 compared to all private employees
2014 -1900.1% 0.0031 compared to all private employees -0.0552 compared to all private employees

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s -0.0272 compared to all private employees -0.0884 compared to all private employees 0.014 compared to all private employees 6
2010s -0.0442 compared to all private employees -0.068 compared to all private employees 0.0031 compared to all private employees 9

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 48 Switzerland -0.0067 compared to all private employees compare
  2. 49 Slovakia -0.0384 compared to all private employees compare
  3. 50 United Kingdom -0.0479 compared to all private employees compare
  4. 52 Finland -0.0628 compared to all private employees compare
  5. 53 Russia -0.0739 compared to all private employees compare
  6. 54 Iceland -0.0815 compared to all private employees compare

See the full ranking of 60 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector wage premium in Belgium?
Public sector wage premium in Belgium was -0.0483 compared to all private employees in 2018, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest public sector wage premium recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 0.014 compared to all private employees in 2005.
What is the lowest public sector wage premium recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was -0.0884 compared to all private employees in 2009.
How does Belgium rank for public sector wage premium?
Belgium ranks 51st out of 60 countries with data for 2018.
Is public sector wage premium rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Public sector wage premium (compared to all private employees). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Public sector wage premium in Belgium. Statizoid. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-wage-premium-compared-to-all-private-employees/belgium/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-wage-premium-compared-to-all-private-employees/belgium/">Public sector wage premium in Belgium</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Public sector wage premium (compared to all private employees)
Unit
compared to all private employees
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
60 places, 738 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed