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State of the UnionBelgium in numbers

State of the UnionBelgium in numbersEdition of 13 October 2026

How is
Belgium doing?

The key figures about our country, in plain language. Straight from official sources, updated automatically every day, and every figure shows where it comes from.

Debt per inhabitant€58,271Belgium 2025Interest per day€39.1mBelgium 2025 · provisionalTax burden on a lower wage41.4%Belgium 2025 · EU 39.5%Employment rate72.8%Belgium 2025 · EU 76.1%Inflation3.0%Belgium 2025 · EU 2.5%Economic growth1.0%Belgium 2025 · EU 1.4%

Since you opened this page, the Belgian government has paid €0 in interest on its debt.

Worked example: interest payments in 2025 (provisional, 14.3 billion euros according to Eurostat), spread evenly over every second of the year.
How do Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels differ?Jobs, poverty, health, education and more, region by region.Employment rate, 2025Flanders77.3%Wallonia67.9%Brussels63.9% How much tax do I pay?Enter your gross salary and see your total tax burden, your take-home pay and where your contribution goes.

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Or compare the regions
EconomyIs our economy growing?1.0%economic growth, 20253 figures Public financesWhat state are the public finances in?€58,271debt per inhabitant, 20259 figures JobsHow many people are working?72.8%employment rate, 20255 figures HealthHow healthy are we?82.4 yearslife expectancy, 20246 figures EducationHow well educated are we?52.7%higher education degree, 20254 figures Housing and povertyCan everyone make ends meet?16.5%risk of poverty, 20254 figures Climate and energyHow green is our energy?14.9%renewable energy, 20255 figures MobilityDo we get where we're going smoothly and safely?93.1%train punctuality, 20265 figures Safety and justiceHow is the justice system doing?114.0%prison occupancy, 20242 figures PopulationHow many of us are there, and who is joining us?11,955,308inhabitants, 20266 figures Flanders, Wallonia, BrusselsHow do the regions differ? Jobs, poverty, health and education side by side.Compare the regions

The latest months

Monthly and quarterly figures from the National Bank · retrieved 13 October 2026

How optimistic are households?

Consumer confidence

−10

September 2026

  • −3 compared with August 2026
  • a year earlier: −1
What is this?

A monthly survey of households about the economy, unemployment, their own finances and saving. Zero is neutral: a negative figure means more pessimists than optimists.

Source: National Bank · raw data

How do businesses see things?

Business barometer

−12.1

September 2026

  • +1.1 compared with August 2026
  • a year earlier: −7.9
What is this?

The National Bank's barometer summarises the monthly business surveys (industry, construction, trade and services). It is mainly used to see the direction: if it rises, businesses are more positive.

Source: National Bank · raw data

How many people are looking for work right now?

Unemployment this month

5.9%

August 2026

  • −0.1 percentage points compared with July 2026
  • a year earlier: 6.1%
  • EU: 6.1%
What is this?

Unemployment rate according to the international definition, seasonally adjusted, so you can compare months with each other.

Source: National Bank · raw data

Is the economy growing right now?

Growth this quarter

0.0%

Q2 2026

  • −0.2 percentage points compared with Q1 2026
  • a year earlier: 0.2%
What is this?

GDP growth (after inflation) compared with the previous quarter, adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects. Two consecutive quarters of contraction are often called a recession.

Source: National Bank · raw data

Why you can trust these figures

  1. Official sourcesEvery figure comes from an official institution, such as Eurostat, the National Bank or the Federal Planning Bureau. Each figure shows its source, with a link.
  2. Updated every dayA program fetches the figures automatically every day. Nobody types them in, and no AI is involved in the figures themselves.
  3. Anyone can checkAll data and calculations are public. You can download every figure and check it yourself.