Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Belgium
Belgium: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 1.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Belgium, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Belgium stood at 1.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Belgium peaked at 2.9% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2018.
Belgium ranks 178th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.8% | — |
| 1992 | 2.7% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 2.6% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | +9.2% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | -7.3% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 2.7% | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | -15.8% |
| 1999 | 2.4% | +6.9% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | -20.3% |
| 2001 | 1.4% | -27.7% |
| 2002 | 1.8% | +29.7% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | +28.9% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -16.4% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | -9.1% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -9.9% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | +16.0% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | -10.4% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -26.8% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +25.3% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | +8.3% |
| 2022 | 1.1% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | -7.1% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | -2.4% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.4%, 41% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.3%, 23% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 2.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 175 Puerto Rico 1.1% compare
- 176 Canada 1.1% compare
- 177 Germany 1.1% compare
- 179 Luxembourg 0.9% compare
- 180 Malta 0.9% compare
- 181 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Belgium
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -0.3325 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0073 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 443.58 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2138 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1233 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Belgium?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Belgium was 1.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 1994.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2018.
- How does Belgium rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Belgium ranks 178th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).