Long-term work incapacity (i41)
- 31/10/2025
- objective
- assessment
In 2024, long-term work incapacity reached 12.2 percent in Belgium. To achieve the sustainable development goal by 2030, this figure must decrease. Between 2005 and 2023, the trend is unfavourable (assessment of November 2025).
Long-term work incapacity - Belgium
percentage of employment, unemployed included
| 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2005 | 2024//2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 5.4 | 6.4 | 8.5 | 10.2 | 10.7 | 12.2 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||
Data for 2023 and 2024 are provisional.
Source: Calculations FPB based on National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (2025), direct communication (02/10/2025)
Long-term work incapacity by region - Belgium
percentage of employment, unemployed included
| 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2005 | 2024//2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels-Capital Region | 5.8 | 5.8 | 7.4 | 8.6 | 8.9 | 10.7 | 3.2 | 4.3 |
| Flemish Region | 4.8 | 5.8 | 7.5 | 8.6 | 9.1 | 10.2 | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| Walloon Region | 6.2 | 7.8 | 10.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 15.9 | 5.1 | 4.0 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||
Data for 2023 and 2024 are provisional.
Source: Calculations FPB based on National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (2025), direct communication (02/10/2025)
Long-term work incapacity by sex - Belgium
percentage of employment, unemployed included
| 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2005 | 2024//2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| females | 5.9 | 7.7 | 10.9 | 13.4 | 14.3 | 16.8 | 5.7 | 4.7 |
| males | 5.1 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 8.7 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||
Data for 2023 and 2024 are provisional.
Source: Calculations FPB based on National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (2025), direct communication (02/10/2025)
Long-term work incapacity by age - Belgium
percentage of employment, unemployed included
| 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2005 | 2024//2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-24 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 3.9 | 8.1 |
| 25-49 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 3.9 | 2.9 |
| 50-64 | 13.4 | 14.3 | 17.5 | 21.2 | 22.1 | 24.5 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| >64 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.7 | -0.9 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||
Data for 2023 and 2024 are provisional.
Source: Calculations FPB based on National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (2025), direct communication (02/10/2025)
Long-term work incapacity by disease - Belgium
percentage of total
| 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2005 | 2024//2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mental | 31.6 | 33.2 | 34.5 | 35.8 | 36.1 | 38.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| musculoskeletal system and connective tissue | 25.5 | 27.1 | 30.3 | 31.4 | 31.8 | 31.3 | 1.1 | -0.1 |
| nervous system | 6.2 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 5.6 | 6.1 | 0.0 | -1.1 |
| tumors | 6.1 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 5.2 | -0.8 | -1.9 |
| circulatory system | 9.8 | 8.0 | 6.3 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 4.4 | -4.2 | -3.6 |
| other | 20.8 | 19.2 | 16.8 | 15.4 | 15.9 | 14.8 | -1.8 | -0.8 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||
Data for 2023 and 2024 are provisional.
Source: Calculations FPB based on National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (2025), direct communication (02/10/2025)
Definition: the proportion of people (aged 16 or above) in work incapacity for more than one year in the total employment (wage earners and self-employed) of the private sector in Belgium. Unemployed persons with access to this status are also included in the calculation. The indicator is calculated by the FPB using data from the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance, the National Accounts Institute and the National Social Security Office.
The following breakdowns are available for this indicator: region, sex, age and cause of incapacity.
Goal: the proportion of people in long-term work incapacity must decrease.
The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015 include goal 8: “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”.
The Federal Long-Term Strategic Vision for Sustainable Development includes objective 11: “Working conditions will be adapted over the whole career in order to ensure a better quality of life and to be able to work longer” (Belgian Official Gazette, 08/10/2013). It is therefore necessary to know the development of the proportion of people who should potentially have working conditions adapted to their needs.
UN indicator: the selected indicator does not correspond to any monitoring indicator for the SDGs but is related to goal 8, as it gives some information about the capacity of the population to take part actively in the labour market.
Sources
At www.indicators.be the Federal Planning Bureau presents sustainable development indicators.
2025 © cic@plan.be