Unemployment rate,Percent in Belgium

Belgium: Unemployment rate,Percent was 6.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
6.2%
Change on year
up 8.8%
World rank
27th
of 71 countries
All-time high
9.8%
in 1994
All-time low
5.4%
in 2019
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Unemployment rate,Percent in Belgium, 1990–2025

02468101990200720251990: 6.51991: 6.41992: 7.11993: 8.61994: 9.81995: 9.71996: 9.51997: 9.21998: 9.31999: 8.42000: 6.92001: 6.62002: 7.52003: 8.22004: 8.42005: 8.42006: 8.32007: 7.52008: 72009: 82010: 8.42011: 7.22012: 7.62013: 8.62014: 8.72015: 8.72016: 7.92017: 7.12018: 62019: 5.42020: 5.52021: 6.32022: 5.62023: 5.52024: 5.72025: 6.2

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2025, unemployment rate,percent in Belgium stood at 6.2%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.8% on the previous year and down 28.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rate,percent in Belgium peaked at 9.8% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2019.

Belgium ranks 27th of 71 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Unemployment rate,Percent in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Unemployment rate,Percent,,, in Belgium, 1990 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1990 6.5% —
1991 6.4% -1.7%
1992 7.1% +10.1%
1993 8.6% +21.6%
1994 9.8% +13.2%
1995 9.7% -0.8%
1996 9.5% -1.3%
1997 9.2% -3.5%
1998 9.3% +1.4%
1999 8.4% -10.0%
2000 6.9% -18.3%
2001 6.6% -4.2%
2002 7.5% +14.2%
2003 8.2% +8.7%
2004 8.4% +2.5%
2005 8.4% +0.6%
2006 8.3% -2.2%
2007 7.5% -9.3%
2008 7.0% -7.0%
2009 8.0% +14.7%
2010 8.4% +4.8%
2011 7.2% -13.9%
2012 7.6% +5.9%
2013 8.6% +12.1%
2014 8.7% +1.2%
2015 8.7% +0.0%
2016 7.9% -9.3%
2017 7.1% -9.6%
2018 6.0% -16.0%
2019 5.4% -9.9%
2020 5.5% +3.1%
2021 6.3% +13.4%
2022 5.6% -11.1%
2023 5.5% -0.9%
2024 5.7% +3.1%
2025 6.2% +8.8%

Belgium compared with similar countries

  • Belgium's 6.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.0%, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • Belgium's 6.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.2%, 1.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 8.5% 6.4% 9.8% 10
2000s 7.7% 6.6% 8.4% 10
2010s 7.5% 5.4% 8.7% 10
2020s 5.8% 5.5% 6.3% 6

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 24 Luxembourg 6.3% compare
  2. 25 Egypt 6.2% compare
  3. 26 Bahrain 6.2% compare
  4. 28 Iceland 6.2% compare
  5. 29 Italy 6.1% compare
  6. 30 Portugal 6.0% compare

See the full ranking of 80 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rate,percent in Belgium?
Unemployment rate,percent in Belgium was 6.2% in 2025, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest unemployment rate,percent recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 9.8% in 1994.
What is the lowest unemployment rate,percent recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2019.
How does Belgium rank for unemployment rate,percent?
Belgium ranks 27th out of 71 countries with data for 2025.
Is unemployment rate,percent rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Unemployment rate,Percent,,,. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rate,Percent,,,
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
80 places, 2,236 data points, 1990–2026
Last refreshed