Economy, jobs and prices in Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad (Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium): official figures
GDP per person was 76,000 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 190% of the EU average (117% for Belgium); the highest of 44 arrondissements in Belgium.
How big is the economy of Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad?
The local economy produced €108.2 billion of output (GDP) in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people work in Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad?
About 729,700 people worked in Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad in 2024 (employment by place of work).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow rich is the Brussels-Capital arrondissement?
Net taxable income averaged €18,529 per resident in the Brussels-Capital arrondissement in income year 2023, 21% below the Belgian average of €23,352; that was the lowest of the 44 Belgian arrondissements.
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyWhat is the average income per tax return in the Brussels-Capital arrondissement?
791,621 income tax returns were filed by residents of the Brussels-Capital arrondissement for income year 2023, with an average net taxable income of €29,249 per return (the 2nd lowest among the 44 Belgian arrondissements; Belgian average €37,275).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyWhat is the main industry in Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad?
The largest part of the economy of Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad in 2024 was finance, property and business services, at 41.5% of gross value added, followed by public administration, education, health and other services (29.3%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow industrial is Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad?
Industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) made up 4.7% of output in 2024, against 15.3% for Belgium.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow fast is the economy of Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad growing?
Gross value added rose from €70.0 billion in 2015 to €97.9 billion in 2024 in current prices, an increase of 40% before inflation.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat jobs do people do in Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad?
Of the 729,700 jobs located in Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad in 2024, 43% in public services, education, health and other services, 4% in industry and 0.0% in farming, forestry and fishing.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre jobs growing in Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad?
The number of people working in Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad rose by 6.0% between 2015 and 2024, to 729,700.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- Average net taxable income per resident in the Brussels-Capital arrondissement rose by 37.0% between income years 2013 and 2023, from €13,525 to €18,529 (Belgium: +37.2%), the 15th slowest growth of the 44 Belgian arrondissements. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- Residents of the Brussels-Capital arrondissement declared 23.15 billion euros of net taxable income in 2023, 8.4% of the Belgian total, while they made up 10.6% of the population counted in the tax statistics. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- Earnings from work, pensions and benefits (professional income) made up 96.3% of net taxable income in the Brussels-Capital arrondissement in 2023, and taxable real estate income 2.2% (Belgium: 98.0% and 1.5%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
How Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad compares with other arrondissements in Belgium
Net taxable income per resident (2023)
Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad ranks 44 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Net taxable income per resident |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | Arr. Verviers — communes francophones | €21,237 |
| 39 | Arr. Tournai-Mouscron | €20,804 |
| 40 | Arr. Liège | €20,773 |
| 41 | Arr. Mons | €20,149 |
| 42 | Arr. La Louvière | €19,723 |
| 43 | Arr. Charleroi | €18,722 |
| 44 | Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad | €18,529 |
Growth in net taxable income per resident, 2013-2023 (2023)
Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad ranks 30 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Growth in net taxable income per resident, 2013-2023 |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Arr. Thuin | 37.8% |
| 28 | Arr. Nivelles | 37.4% |
| 29 | Arr. Turnhout | 37.3% |
| 30 | Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad | 37.0% |
| 31 | Arr. Namur | 37.0% |
| 32 | Arr. Roeselare | 36.8% |
| 33 | Arr. Kortrijk | 36.3% |
Net taxable income per tax return (2023)
Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad ranks 43 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Net taxable income per tax return |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | Arr. Philippeville | €33,060 |
| 39 | Arr. Tournai-Mouscron | €32,437 |
| 40 | Arr. Liège | €31,813 |
| 41 | Arr. Mons | €30,970 |
| 42 | Arr. La Louvière | €30,343 |
| 43 | Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad | €29,249 |
| 44 | Arr. Charleroi | €28,943 |
Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (2024)
Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad ranks 43 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | Arr. Halle-Vilvoorde | 7.4% |
| 39 | Arr. Thuin | 7.3% |
| 40 | Arr. Mons | 7.1% |
| 41 | Arr. Dinant | 6.6% |
| 42 | Arr. Philippeville | 6.6% |
| 43 | Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad | 4.7% |
| 44 | Arr. La Louvière | 4.4% |
Share of output from finance, property and business services (2024)
Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad ranks 1 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from finance, property and business services |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad | 41.5% |
| 2 | Arr. Leuven | 37.7% |
| 3 | Arr. Veurne | 34.2% |
| 4 | Arr. Halle-Vilvoorde | 34.2% |
| 5 | Arr. Waremme | 33.4% |
| 6 | Arr. Antwerpen | 31.7% |
| 7 | Arr. Oudenaarde | 31.6% |
Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services (2024)
Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad ranks 14 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Arr. Virton | 32.1% |
| 12 | Arr. Neufchâteau | 31.9% |
| 13 | Arr. Tournai-Mouscron | 30.3% |
| 14 | Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad | 29.3% |
| 15 | Arr. Verviers — communes francophones | 28.8% |
| 16 | Arr. Leuven | 28.5% |
| 17 | Arr. Brugge | 27.9% |
More on Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad: overview · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Brussels-Capital Region · Belgium
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment, thousand people (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 664e4e3a6dc0…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment (thousand persons) by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 222a97c302d3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)
- Statbel (Belgian statistical office): Fiscal statistics on income subject to personal income tax, by municipality of residence, income years 2005-2023 (TF_PSNL_INC_TAX_MUNTY), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5ff459c06f5f…)
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