On average, women earn 5.3% less per hour than men, with the situation worsening with age. The pay gap increases from 3.4% between the ages of 25 and 34 to 8.9% for the 55-64 age group.
This is the result of the calculation of the gender pay gap, harmonised at European level, for the year 2020, published by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office.
However, Belgium is doing better than most other European countries when it comes to equal hourly wages for women and men.
The average pay gap at European level is 13.0%. Only Luxembourg (0.7%), Romania (2.4%), Slovenia (3.1%), Italy (4.2%) and Poland (4.5%) do better than Belgium.
Since 2010, the pay gap in Belgium has decreased from 10.2% to 5.3%. The European average has decreased to a lesser extent: from 15.8% in 2010 to 13.0% in 2020.