The minimum wage and average salary in Belgium in 2026

When looking for a job in Belgium, salary is an essential consideration. Not only do you need to make sure you can afford the cost of living, but your new employer must pay you at least minimum wage and follow other labor laws.

Thankfully, for those thinking of moving there, Belgium has one of the highest minimum wages in Europe The lower limit of your income depends on several criteria, such as your sector, but there is a national baseline that every industry must meet.

Find out what you should be paid in Belgium by reading the following section:

• What is the minimum wage in Belgium in 2025?

• Exceptions from Belgium’s minimum wageFreelance and self-employed workers in BelgiumYoung people working in BelgiumInternship and apprenticeship positions

• Freelance and self-employed workers in Belgium

• Young people working in Belgium

• Internship and apprenticeship positions

• The average salary in BelgiumAverage salary in Belgium by sectorWhat are the highest paying jobs in Belgium?Average salary in Belgium by regionSalary checker in Belgium

• Average salary in Belgium by sector

• What are the highest paying jobs in Belgium?

• Average salary in Belgium by region

• Salary checker in Belgium

• Is there a gender pay gap in Belgium?

• Salaries and wages for expats working in Belgium

• What to do if you’re being paid below the minimum wage in Belgium

• Useful resources

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What is the minimum wage in Belgium in 2025?

The national monthly minimum wage in Belgium in 2025 is €2,070. The National Labour Council (Dutch: Nationale Arbeidsraad, NAR, French: Conseil National du Travail, CNT) sets this rate, which is usually indexed once per year in December. Meanwhile, part-time workers can calculate their minimum income based on the 38-hour working week.

Although this baseline minimum wage exists, there is no law in Belgium stipulating it. Rather, joint committees for each industry decide on pay, and the rate applies to everyone working in the field. However, salary may not go below the national Guaranteed Minimum Monthly Income. In addition, if a sector does not set a lower wage boundary, it must abide by the national minimum.

As well as being one of the highest minimum wages in the European Union, Belgium performs well among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Its labor laws protect workers’ rights, but living costs in the country have risen far faster than wages in recent years.

Exceptions from Belgium’s minimum wage

Anyone over 18 working in the private sector must receive at least the national minimum wage. However, aside from the different salaries per sector, workers may find that the minimum differs in some circumstances.

Freelance and self-employed workers in Belgium

There is no set minimum wage for self-employed or freelance workers. In addition, ‘platform workers,’ or those working as independent contractors for services such as food delivery and ride-hailing, have no guaranteed minimum salary.

Freelancing in Belgium: a guide for self-employed expats

Many gig workers have expressed dissatisfaction with both their working conditions and compensation in recent years, leading the EU to take steps to protect their rights. For instance, they intend to recategorize these workers’ employment status and enhance transparency relating to their data. This could lead to platform workers being eligible for their country’s minimum wage.

Young people working in Belgium

Since 2022, young workers have been entitled to the national stipulated minimum wage. However, there are some situations where under-21s might receive less. When there is no collective bargaining agreement in place for your sector, people between 16 and 20 receive 70–96% of the minimum wage.

Internship and apprenticeship positions

Unfortunately, most internships in Belgium are unpaid. This is despite the fact that the European Parliament voted to ban the practice back in 2023.

However, those with a professional immersion internship (also called a CIP in Belgium) are entitled to a legal minimum daily allowance of half of the GGMMI/RMMG.

The average salary in Belgium

According to statistics agency Statbel, the average gross monthly salary in Belgium is €4,076. Still, the median income is slightly lower, at €3,728, which means half of workers earn less than this. Meanwhile, around 10% of employees receive less than €2,443 per month.

Other factors related to job level that might affect how much you earn include:

• Age: Wages rise with age, especially among white-collar workers. Those over 60 might earn around 188% more than workers under 20.

• Education level: Having an undergraduate degree earns you about 6% more than the Belgian average and this difference increases to 46% for employees with a master’s degree.

Although Belgium’s gross salaries and minimum wage consistently rank among the highest in Europe, take-home income may be significantly lower. This is because the country has high tax rates and social security contributions. Accordingly, it’s worth weighing up your net pay against the benefits that living in Belgium offers.

Average salary in Belgium by sector

Like almost everywhere, average salaries in Belgium rise according to job level. As an illustration, CEOs in the country earn 189% more than other workers, a mean of €11,772 per month.

The top-paying industries (in Dutch) in Belgium include:

Industry

Average gross monthly pay

Petrochemical

€6,431

Head offices, business management

€5,696

Financial services (excluding insurance and pensions)

€5,472

Designing and programming computer programs

€5,356

Pharmaceuticals

€5,331

Insurance and pension funds

€5,259

Chemical industry

€5,219

TV and radio broadcasting

€5,218

Electricity, gas, steam, and air production and distribution

€5,216

Aviation

€5,208

Finding jobs in Belgium

The lowest-paying industries in Belgium include:

Industry

Average gross monthly pay

Security

€3,398

Furniture manufacturing

€3,322

Waste disposal

€3,295

Sports and recreation

€3,266

Retail

€3,232

Building and landscaping

€3,183

Social services

€3,020

TV and radio broadcasting

€3,008

Miscellaneous personal services

€2,919

Food and beverage

€2,863

What are the highest paying jobs in Belgium?

Also, the type of job that you do has a substantial impact on how much you earn. Indeed, Statbel notes that the highest-paid professions in Belgium are:

Position

Average gross monthly pay

Corporate director

€11,772

IT manager

€8,787

Business manager

€8,589

Doctod

€8,081

Sales manager

€7,944

Mining, construction, and logistics manager

€7,750

University professor

€7,114

Mathematician, actuary, statistician

€6,760

Physicist, chemist

€6,546

Electrical engineer

€6,314

On the other hand, those working in food and beverages, hospitality, retail, and building and landscaping typically earn 20–30% below the average national salary. The three lowest-paying occupations in Belgium are typically minimum wage roles such as bar staff, hair and beauty specialists, and cleaners.

Average salary in Belgium by region

The average salary across Belgium is highest in Brussels, at €4,748, which is 16% higher than the national mean. Those living in Flanders tend to earn more than those in Wallonia, but the cost of living is also higher.

Salary checker in Belgium

If you want to check that your salary is in line with the average for your region, job level, and sector, try exploring sites such as:

• Glassdoor

• Paylab

• Payscale

Is there a gender pay gap in Belgium?

Unfortunately, like many other countries, Belgium has a gender pay gap. On average, women earn 5% less per hour than men. Also, the discrepancy depends greatly on age, women aged 55–64 make around 8.5% less than men. Women under 25 actually earn more than men their age on average, but this is not the case for any other group.

Another factor that affects women’s earnings is which sector they work in. The largest gaps are found in water distribution and information and communication (11.2%). Still, they earn more than men on average in mineral extraction (-4.1%) and arts, entertainment, and recreation (-0.2%).

Compared to other countries in Europe, Belgium does relatively well. It has the fifth-smallest pay gap in the EU, and the difference in wages is smaller than the bloc average (12.7%).

Although Belgium still has a pay gap, the country is attempting to combat it in several ways. For example, all companies with more than 50 employees must supply statistics on the gender pay gap within their organization.

Salaries and wages for expats working in Belgium

Internationals from the European Economic Area (EEA) living in Belgium are entitled to the same minimum wage as Belgians. However, those from outside require a work permit, and several categories of workers have a separate legal minimum.

Belgian work visas and permits

For 2025, these are the minimum legal salaries for employees from non-EEA countries:

Brussels region*

Flemish region

Walloon region

Highly-skilled employees

€3,703.44

€48,912.00

€51,613.00

Highly-skilled employees under age 30

N/A

€39,129.60

€41,290.00

Managers

€6,647.20

€78,259.00

€86,110.00

Intra-corporate transferee (specialist)

€4,510.60

€48,912.00

€53,390.00

Intra-corporate transferee (trainee)

€2,611.40

€48,912.00

€33,370.00

Intra-corporate transferee (manager)

€5,460.20

€63,586.00

€66,738.00

EU Blue Card

€4,748.00

€63,586.00

€66,738.00

Trainee

Minimum salary for the sector

Sufficient means of existence

Minimum salary for the sector

Medium-skilled employees in bottleneck professions

N/A

Minimum salary for the sector

N/A

You can read more about the allowances and requirements for different foreign workers on the official websites of Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels regions.

What to do if you’re being paid below the minimum wage in Belgium

In any job in Belgium, make sure you know your labor rights, your sector’s bargaining agreement, and the average salary for your position. Keep a record of your salary and your responsibilities at work. You can then take this to your employer and discuss your concerns with them. However, if that does not get results, you have several options.

First of all, you should contact the Directorate General Control on Social Legislation. They can investigate and issue a warning to the employer to remedy the situation and pay arrears by a specific deadline. Some situations may be beyond the Directorate’s scope of work, in that case, you may need to reach out to the labor court.

In the event that an employer does not comply, they can draw up a report and bring it to the attention of the criminal prosecutor. Finally, the employer may receive a fine for each worker in Belgium paid under the legal minimum wage and, in extreme cases, may even be imprisoned.

Belgian employment law and labor rights

If you’re a trade union member, you should try contacting your union representative first with any complaints about your wages. They usually act on your behalf after this first contact.

If you suspect your employer of discriminatory wage practices, there are other ways to escalate the complaint. The Institute for the Equality of Women and Men has an online form to report discrimination, including salary discrepancies.

Useful resources

• belgium.be, information on employment-related issues

• FPS Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, details on employee and employer rights and responsibilities

• Allowances and requirements for international workers in Flanders, Wallonia, and the Brussels region

• Stat.bel, statistics relating to Belgian wages