Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Belgium
Belgium: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 1.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Belgium, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Belgium is 1.1%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 20.1% on the previous year and down 19.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Belgium peaked at 2.9% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2022.
Belgium ranks 177th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.7% | — |
| 1992 | 2.6% | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 2.6% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | +9.7% |
| 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% | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -14.6% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | -7.5% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | +20.1% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.6%, 42% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.9%, 22% 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% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 174 Puerto Rico 1.2% compare
- 175 Djibouti 1.1% compare
- 176 Malta 1.1% compare
- 178 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.0% compare
- 179 Bahrain 0.9% compare
- 180 Luxembourg 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 share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Belgium?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Belgium was 1.1% in 2023, according to ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 1994.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2022.
- How does Belgium rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Belgium ranks 177th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities, including those temporarily absent.