Annual working hours vs. productivity in Belgium

Belgium: Annual working hours vs. productivity was 1,593 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1,593 hours per worker
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
110th
of 129 countries
All-time high
2,124 hours per worker
in 1950
All-time low
1,459 hours per worker
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Annual working hours vs. productivity in Belgium, 1950–2023

05001.0k1.5k2.0k195019862023

Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual working hours vs. productivity in Belgium is 1,593 hours per worker, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual working hours vs. productivity in Belgium peaked at 2,124 hours per worker in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1,459 hours per worker, in 2020.

That places Belgium 110th out of 129 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 2,078 hours per worker 2,033 hours per worker 2,124 hours per worker 10
1960s 1,970 hours per worker 1,917 hours per worker 2,023 hours per worker 10
1970s 1,821 hours per worker 1,742 hours per worker 1,906 hours per worker 10
1980s 1,695 hours per worker 1,664 hours per worker 1,722 hours per worker 10
1990s 1,597 hours per worker 1,573 hours per worker 1,678 hours per worker 10
2000s 1,586 hours per worker 1,564 hours per worker 1,598 hours per worker 10
2010s 1,587 hours per worker 1,578 hours per worker 1,595 hours per worker 10
2020s 1,548 hours per worker 1,459 hours per worker 1,593 hours per worker 4

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 107 Ethiopia 1,599 hours per worker compare
  2. 108 Malawi 1,596 hours per worker compare
  3. 109 Ecuador 1,594 hours per worker compare
  4. 111 Slovenia 1,588 hours per worker compare
  5. 112 Chad 1,585 hours per worker compare
  6. 113 Rwanda 1,584 hours per worker compare

See the full ranking of 129 places →

More economy & growth data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual working hours vs. productivity in Belgium?
Annual working hours vs. productivity in Belgium was 1,593 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 2,124 hours per worker in 1950.
What is the lowest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 1,459 hours per worker in 2020.
How does Belgium rank for annual working hours vs. productivity?
Belgium ranks 110th out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
Is annual working hours vs. productivity rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours vs. productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Annual working hours vs. productivity
Unit
hours per worker
Source
Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
129 places, 4,891 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

This is the average sum of hours worked by employees and self-employed people during each year in a country.