Economic Outlook No 117 — Trend employment rate, as a percentage of in Belgium
Belgium: Economic Outlook No 117 — Trend employment rate, as a percentage of was 58.84 in 2026. ▲ Rising
Economic Outlook No 117 — Trend employment rate, as a percentage of in Belgium, 1985–2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 58.84 for economic outlook no 117 — trend employment rate, as a percentage of in 2026. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, economic outlook no 117 — trend employment rate, as a percentage of in Belgium peaked at 58.84 in 2026 and was at its lowest, 50.35, in 1987.
That places Belgium 30th out of 30 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Economic Outlook No 117 — Trend employment rate, as a percentage of in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 50.53 | — |
| 1986 | 50.4 | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 50.35 | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 50.38 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 50.44 | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 50.51 | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 50.57 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 50.59 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 50.59 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 50.62 | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 50.71 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 50.92 | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 51.24 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 51.7 | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 52.23 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 52.8 | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 53.31 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 53.73 | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 54.07 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 54.35 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 54.59 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 54.82 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 55.01 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 55.16 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 55.26 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 55.3 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 55.3 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 55.26 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 55.24 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 55.27 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 55.4 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 55.64 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 55.98 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 56.37 | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 56.79 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 57.19 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 57.57 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 57.94 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 58.3 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 58.55 | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 58.72 | +0.3% |
| 2026 | 58.84 | +0.2% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 58.84 is below the median for high income countries, which is 67.72, 87% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 58.84 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 67.15, 88% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 50.42 | 50.35 | 50.53 | 5 |
| 1990s | 50.97 | 50.51 | 52.23 | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.31 | 52.8 | 55.26 | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.65 | 55.24 | 56.79 | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.16 | 57.19 | 58.84 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More economy & growth data for Belgium
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.04 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.25 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -19.31 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0266 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -1,617 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled -28.79 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 30.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0397 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -2,411 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 33.22 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is economic outlook no 117 — trend employment rate, as a percentage of in Belgium?
- Economic outlook no 117 — trend employment rate, as a percentage of in Belgium was 58.84 in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest economic outlook no 117 — trend employment rate, as a percentage of recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 58.84 in 2026.
- What is the lowest economic outlook no 117 — trend employment rate, as a percentage of recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.35 in 1987.
- How does Belgium rank for economic outlook no 117 — trend employment rate, as a percentage of?
- Belgium ranks 30th out of 30 countries with data for 2026.
- Is economic outlook no 117 — trend employment rate, as a percentage of rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Economic Outlook No 117 — Trend employment rate, as a percentage of population aged 15-74. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The OECD Economic Outlook presents the OECD’s analysis of the major global economic trends and prospects for the next two years. The Outlook puts forward a consistent set of projections for output, employment, government spending, prices and current balances based on a review of each member country and of the induced effect on each of them on international developments. OECD (2025), OECD Economic Outlook No 117 (Edition 2025/1) EO117 Database documentation EO117 Last historical points gdp inflation cpi population unemployment real gdp gdp per capita employment OECD Economic Outlook website: https://www.oecd.org/economic-outlook/ Contact : eco.outlook@oecd.org Keywords : Outlook, forecasts, forecast, GDP