Average monthly income in Belgium 2007-2021, by level of education

On average, the gross monthly income in Belgium varied between 2,800 and 5,800 euros in 2021. The amount earned depended on the level of education. Indeed, the higher the education, the higher the average salary. However, only a small share of Belgians thought their salaries were in line with their qualifications.

The Belgian dream?

From the country’s perspective, the average salary was also dependent on the region of Belgium they worked in. On a European level, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg (together known as the Benelux region) were all in the ten European Union countries with the highest annual salary in 2020. Luxembourg was, in fact, the country with the second highest average salary. Meanwhile, the Netherlands and Belgium held the fourth and seventh positions. However, these figures reflect only average amounts and do not provide information on the distribution of different wages.

Further income disparities…

In addition to these differences, in 2019, Belgians also faced different levels of income depending on their gender. Despite gender equality being one of the fundamental principles of the European Union law, the average pay in Belgium was higher in the male population than in the female population. All in all, education indeed correlated to the level of wages, but then so were other variables.