Unemployment rate in Belgium 2008-2022
In 2022, the unemployment rate in Belgium was 5.6 percent. This is a slight decrease in comparison to the previous year, and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the last ten years. Unemployment peaked in 2014 and 2015, at 8.6 percent. In 2022, there were around 293 thousand unemployed persons in Belgium.
Unemployment in Belgium differed from region to region. The unemployment rate was lowest in the Flemish Region, the Dutch-speaking part of the country. In 2021, unemployment reached 3.9 percent there. By comparison, in the Brussels-Capital Region the share of people without employment was nearly four times as high, at 12.5 percent.
For 2022, an increase in the unemployment rate in Flanders was foreseen. According to a recent forecast, the unemployment rate would rise from just below six percent in 2019, to 8.2 percent in 2022. Between 2023 and 2025, the unemployment rate in Flanders was expected to decrease again.
Unemployment per region
Unemployment in Belgium differed from region to region. The unemployment rate was lowest in the Flemish Region, the Dutch-speaking part of the country. In 2021, unemployment reached 3.9 percent there. By comparison, in the Brussels-Capital Region the share of people without employment was nearly four times as high, at 12.5 percent.
Forecast for 2022
For 2022, an increase in the unemployment rate in Flanders was foreseen. According to a recent forecast, the unemployment rate would rise from just below six percent in 2019, to 8.2 percent in 2022. Between 2023 and 2025, the unemployment rate in Flanders was expected to decrease again.
