Belgium had the sixth-highest average salaries among EU countries in the OECD in 2025, according to a report published by the intergovernmental organisation.

The recently-published Taxing Wages 2026 report takes a look at changes in taxation on employees and employers across the 38 member states of the OECD. It uses average gross wage figures collected from each of the countries, and focuses on changes between 2024 and 2025 as part of its analysis.

With an average wage of €62,348, Belgium sits in tenth place in the overall ranking of European countries within the OECD, which is topped by Switzerland and Iceland. Norway and the United Kingdom are the other non-EU countries ahead of Belgium, which is sandwiched between Ireland and Austria in the table.

Luxembourg had the highest average wage among European Union countries at €77,840, ahead of Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Other major EU countries are some way behind their northern neighbours, with France on €45,964, Italy on €36,594, and Spain at €32,678. Slovakia had the lowest average wage, with €19,590, while Hungary and Latvia were also below the €22,000 mark.

Wages stagnating in Belgium

As was the case elsewhere, Belgium saw an increase in the gross average salary of its workers compared to the previous year, having jumped from €60,370 in 2024 by nearly €2,000. However, this figure grew at a slower rate than in other countries.

Taking into account inflation (which averaged at 3% in Belgium across 2025), the previous twelve months will have seen the average salary before tax grew by only 0.3%. Only Austria saw a lower percentage increase in the EU, at 0.2%, while Greece, France, and Luxembourg were the other EU member countries where growth was lower than 1%.

The most dramatic increase was seen in Lithuania, which saw a 5.8% increase in wages, closely followed by Poland on 5.7% and Slovenia with 4.1%.

Gap narrowing between OECD members

As pointed out in a Euronews analysis of the report, the gap in average wages between OECD countries narrows once purchasing power is taken into account, compared to the nominal figures.

A separate ranking, measuring gross salaries in US dollars with equal purchasing power, sees Belgium move up to seventh place in the European rankings, with a gross average of $87,530. The country is notably ahead of the United Kingdom ($82 329), France ($67 273), and Italy ($60 503)

Germany tops the list among EU countries, at $93,985, and is only behind Switzerland in the OECD-wide ranking.The lowest of the member countries, meanwhile, is Slovakia on $38,113, while the average among the EU countries that are members of the OECD is $64,771.

Belgium leads tax table

The report also found that Belgium had one of the highest average tax rates among OECD countries. For single workers with no children, the burden is nearly 40%, higher than for any other member.

The next-highest tax burdens were found in Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia, and Denmark, while the OECD average was around 25%.

Czechia had the lowest average tax rate, reaching around 21%, while among European countries as a whole, Switzerland's rate was the only one that fell below the 20% mark.

The OECD also analysed the differences in tax burdens for married couples, specifically those with one earner and one child. In these cases, Belgians pay only 19.9% on their income, a rate which places the country below the likes of Slovakia, Poland and Luxembourg.

Belgian employees are far from fully satisfied with their pay, according to a new salary survey relayed by De Morgen.

Employers themselves also appear unconvinced by the wages they offer, with both sides believing better opportunities may exist elsewhere.

The annual study, conducted by HR services company Acerta together with KU Leuven, surveyed more than 2,000 employees and over 600 employers across Belgium.

Workers gave their current salaries an average score of 6.7 out of 10 when comparing them with what they think they could earn elsewhere. Employers rated their own pay policies only slightly higher, at 6.8 out of 10, compared with competitors.

According to Charlotte Thijs, compensation expert at Acerta, economic uncertainty and inflation are fuelling dissatisfaction. “Daily life is becoming more expensive while wages only follow inflation after a delay, usually once a year,” she said in comments reported by De Morgen.

Small-company workers feel disadvantaged

The survey suggests employees at smaller companies are particularly critical of their salaries. According to Thijs, some may believe larger companies are able to offer more attractive pay packages and benefits.

Despite this, salary is not the main factor determining whether workers stay with or leave an employer. Work-life balance and job security remain the top priorities for Belgian employees, ahead of pure financial compensation.

Employees want performance rewarded

The study also found broad agreement between employers and employees on how wages should evolve in the future.

Both groups believe individual competencies and performance should play a greater role in determining salaries. Employees were even more supportive of this idea than employers themselves.

More than half of workers surveyed (55.2%) believe pay should be linked more closely to skills and competencies, while 52.8% want stronger recognition for performance.

However, opinions diverge sharply when it comes to seniority. Nearly 44.4% of employees believe years of service should once again become a more decisive factor in salary calculations. Among employers, only 11.1% agree.

“The right compensation is always about balance,” Thijs said. “Employers look at what is financially feasible, while employees want their contribution to be rewarded fairly.”

Year-end bonuses and meal vouchers still popular

Beyond wages themselves, the survey also examined which extra-legal benefits remain most attractive to workers.

Traditional perks continue to dominate. Year-end bonuses are the most valued benefit, cited by 68.3% of respondents, followed by meal vouchers at 49%.

Hospitalisation insurance was considered important by 33.6% of employees, while 21.2% highlighted group insurance schemes. Extra holidays, media vouchers and pension savings plans also ranked highly.

Antwerp is such a great city and I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, but does anyone else feel like dating in Antwerp and honestly, most of Belgium has become statistically impossible?

If you’re in high school or uni, you’re fine. You have that built in social circle. But once you start working, it’s like a brick wall. You go to the store? You can’t just talk to people at Delhaize, you’ll look like a creep. You go to a bar? Everyone is sitting in their own little fortress of 4 5 friends and if you try to break in, the vibe gets weird instantly.

I’m looking at how it used to be. My grandparents' generation had it easier people actually introduced you to others. We used to have matchmakers, but now that’s a luxury service that costs like €24,999 and the locations aren't even serious half the time.

And the apps... don't get me started. You swipe for hours, finally get a match, you start texting, and then nothing. Just ghosted. It feels like everyone is just collecting people on their phone like Pokemon but nobody actually wants to meet up for a coffee or a beer. Even speed dating feels like a weird job interview where you have 5 minutes to prove you're not a serial killer.

I read somewhere that divorce rates are hitting 50% or more, but I bet the real break up rate for people just living together is even higher. It’s like the government and society just gave up and said figure it out yourselves, but the only tools we have are these broken apps that don't even work.

Is it just the reserved Flemish culture or is this happening everywhere? Am I the only one who thinks we need to go back to the old way? I’m genuinely curious if anyone here has actually met a spouse in the wild in the last 5 years without a screen being involved.

I see people on Reddit saying even a cheap coffee date in Antwerp is €15 minimum, and if you want to actually impress someone at a concert or dinner, you’re looking at €299. Is dating basically becoming a luxury hobby only for the middle class?

It feels like if you don't have fireworks in the first 5 seconds, people just move on to the next match. Do we even give people a chance to grow on us anymore?

In a city like Antwerp or Brussels, are we just dating people who are going to move away in two years anyway? Is that why nobody wants to commit?

We all see the official stats, but what about the couples who stay together just because they can’t afford an apartment alone in this economy? Are we staying in dead relationships just to pay the rent?

We have work and we have home. Where is the place where you can actually meet someone without it being a date? Does it even exist in Belgium anymore?