Fiatmap

MacroBelgium

Unemployment rate in Belgium

How hard is it to have a job there?

Belgium's unemployment rate is 5.91 % — #72 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

5.91%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in Belgium over time

8.52 %6.94 %5.36 %8.52 % · 20145.36 % · 20192000: 6.59 %2001: 6.18 %2002: 6.91 %2003: 7.68 %2004: 7.36 %2005: 8.44 %2006: 8.25 %2007: 7.46 %2008: 6.98 %2009: 7.91 %2010: 8.29 %2011: 7.14 %2012: 7.54 %2013: 8.43 %2014: 8.52 %2015: 8.48 %2016: 7.83 %2017: 7.09 %2018: 5.94 %2019: 5.36 %2020: 5.54 %2021: 6.25 %2022: 5.57 %2023: 5.55 %2024: 5.70 %2025: 5.91 %2000201220255.91 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#72 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
42 %
52 of 124 countries
Latest move
▲ 0.21 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
2.62 pp
peak 8.52 % in 2014
Full series
▼ 0.68 pp
since 2000

In Europe: #21 of 36vs median 5.25 %: +0.65 pp (worse)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %Belgium: ahead of 42 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentBelgium 5.91 %0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. Belgium is ahead of 42 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs Belgium
70 Austria5.58 %−0.32 pp
71 Mauritius5.63 %−0.27 pp
72 Belgium5.91 %—
73 Zambia5.92 %+0.01 pp
74 Brazil5.97 %+0.06 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about Belgium

Average monthly salaryGDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare Belgium with another country →Everything about Belgium →
Did this answer your question?