Food, beverages and tobacco in Belgium
Belgium: Food, beverages and tobacco was 18.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Food, beverages and tobacco in Belgium, 1963–2023
Source: International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Measured in % of value added in manufacturing.
Analysis
The most recent figure for food, beverages and tobacco in Belgium is 18.6%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 20.9% on the previous year and up 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food, beverages and tobacco in Belgium peaked at 19.2% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2000.
Belgium ranks 105th of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.
Food, beverages and tobacco in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % of value added in manufacturing | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 18.9% | — |
| 1964 | 17.9% | -5.4% |
| 1965 | 17.9% | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 17.7% | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 19.0% | +7.2% |
| 1968 | 18.9% | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 17.5% | -7.3% |
| 1970 | 17.0% | -2.9% |
| 1971 | 17.3% | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 17.2% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 16.0% | -6.8% |
| 1974 | 15.3% | -4.4% |
| 1975 | 16.7% | +9.5% |
| 1976 | 16.4% | -1.8% |
| 1977 | 16.7% | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 17.1% | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 17.1% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 16.8% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 18.3% | +8.6% |
| 1982 | 18.8% | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 19.2% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 18.8% | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 18.3% | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 18.1% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 18.3% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 16.8% | -8.6% |
| 1989 | 16.5% | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 16.9% | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 18.1% | +6.6% |
| 1992 | 18.2% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 18.6% | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 18.3% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 13.3% | -27.3% |
| 1996 | 13.0% | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 13.0% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 12.9% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 12.5% | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 11.8% | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 12.6% | +7.1% |
| 2002 | 12.6% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 12.9% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 13.1% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 12.9% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 12.2% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 12.5% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 13.1% | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 15.5% | +17.9% |
| 2010 | 14.3% | -7.5% |
| 2011 | 14.9% | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 15.3% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 15.4% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 15.9% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 15.7% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 15.4% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 15.2% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 16.3% | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 16.0% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 16.4% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 16.9% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 15.4% | -8.8% |
| 2023 | 18.6% | +20.9% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 18.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 13.5%, 1.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 18.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 17.9%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Food, beverages and tobacco 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | -27.3% | 18.3% | 13.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.2% | 17.5% | 19.0% | 7 |
| 1970s | 16.7% | 15.3% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.0% | 16.5% | 19.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.5% | 12.5% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.9% | 11.8% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.4% | 14.3% | 16.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.8% | 15.4% | 18.6% | 4 |
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 food, beverages and tobacco in Belgium?
- Food, beverages and tobacco in Belgium was 18.6% in 2023, according to International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
- What is the highest food, beverages and tobacco recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 19.2% in 1983.
- What is the lowest food, beverages and tobacco recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2000.
- How does Belgium rank for food, beverages and tobacco?
- Belgium ranks 105th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
- Is food, beverages and tobacco rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), published as part of Food, beverages and tobacco (% of value added in manufacturing). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Manufacturing of food, beverages, and tobacco includes industries classified in ISIC (Rev. 3) divisions 15 and 16. Value added is the contribution to the economy by a producer or an industry or an institutional sector, which is estimated by the total value of output produced and deducting the total value of intermediate consumption of goods and services used to produce that output. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of value added in manufacturing which is the contribution to the economy by the manufacturing sector (ISIC Rev. 3 major division D).