Flemish Workers Earned €2,895 Monthly, Gender Gap Narrows

The average working Flemish person aged 20 to 64 earned €2,895 net per month in 2024, according to new data published on May 19 by Statistics Flanders. The median net professional income stood at €2,830 per month, indicating a slightly skewed distribution where higher incomes pull the average upward. While overall incomes have risen in real terms since 2006, significant disparities persist by gender, origin, age, and education level.

Context & Background

The figures come from the 2025 round of the EU-SILC (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) survey, which collects data on income earned in the previous year. The survey methodology was significantly revised in 2019, meaning comparisons with pre-2019 data should be made with caution. Statistics Flanders noted that between 2019 and 2025, the median professional income rose by 4% in real terms, adjusted for inflation.

A long-term positive trend is evident: in 2006, 30% of workers earned €3,000 or more per month. By 2024, that share had risen to 42%, reflecting broad-based income growth across the Flemish labor market.

Key Developments

Gender Pay Gap Narrows

The gender pay gap in monthly professional income continues to shrink. Men had a median net income of €2,995 per month in 2024, while women earned €2,624 — a difference of €371 per month. This represents a significant improvement from six years earlier, when the gap stood at €530 per month.

According to Statistics Flanders, women’s median income grew by 8% between 2019 and 2025, compared to just 1% for men. “The difference in median professional income between men and women thus decreased from €530 per month in 2019 to €370 in 2025,” the agency stated.

Belgium already has one of the lowest unadjusted gender pay gaps in the European Union. Data from the Federal Planning Bureau shows that in 2023, the average hourly wage gap stood at just 0.7%, far below the EU27 average of 12.2%.

Income Disparities by Origin

A worker born in Belgium had a median net income of €2,882 per month. For workers born in another EU country, the figure dropped to €2,534, while those born outside the EU earned a median of just €2,346 per month — a gap of roughly €536 compared to Belgian-born workers. Statistics Flanders cautioned that the non-EU group has smaller sample sizes and larger margins of error, so the figure should be interpreted with care.

Age and Education Divides

Workers aged 40 to 64 had a median net income of €3,000 per month, nearly €400 more than the €2,610 earned by those aged 20 to 39. The education gap is even starker: high-skilled workers earned a median of €3,070 per month, compared to €2,500 for medium-skilled and just €2,190 for low-skilled workers — a difference of nearly €900 between the highest and lowest education levels.

Regional Comparison

The median net professional income in the Flemish Region stood at €2,830 per month, compared to €2,660 in the Walloon Region — a gap of €170. Between 2019 and 2025, Flanders saw 4% real income growth versus 3% in Wallonia, indicating a slight widening of the regional disparity.

Analysis & Implications

The data paints a picture of a Flemish labor market that is delivering rising real incomes over the long term, but where structural inequalities remain deeply entrenched. The rapid narrowing of the gender pay gap — a 30% reduction in just six years — is a notable success, driven by faster wage growth for women. However, the persistent gaps by origin, age, and education level suggest that targeted policy interventions may still be needed.

As De Morgen reported, the data was released by Statistics Flanders on May 19 and picked up by multiple Belgian news outlets, including VRT NWS, which noted that the figures come from the EU-SILC survey conducted in 2025.

What’s Next

The next update from Statistics Flanders on professional income is expected in May 2027. Key questions remain: whether the rapid narrowing of the gender pay gap will continue or plateau; how the origin-based income gap intersects with other factors such as education and sector; and whether regional disparities between Flanders and Wallonia will continue to widen. For now, the data offers both reasons for optimism — particularly on gender equality — and a reminder of the work still ahead.