Belgium consistently appears at the bottom of Europe’s entrepreneurial rankings, with fewer workers expressing a serious interest in starting their own businesses than in nearly any other country on the continent. A survey covering 16,500 employees across 16 nations revealed that only 14% of Belgians said they would actively pursue launching a company. This figure falls well below the European average of 25% and aligns closely with Germany’s low levels of entrepreneurial intent.
Age plays a decisive role in shaping these attitudes. While nearly 24% of workers under 35 consider self-employment, that figure plummets to 11% for those aged 35 to 54. For employees over 55, the number drops even further to just 6%. Younger workers also show a stronger inclination toward side businesses or freelance roles compared to older colleagues.
Professional position and company size further influence these trends. Managers demonstrate significantly higher entrepreneurial ambition, with 23% expressing interest in starting a business compared to just 10% of non-managers. Employees in small firms, those with fewer than 250 staff, show a 17% interest rate, far exceeding the 6% seen in large corporations with over 2,500 employees. Gender disparities also remain pronounced, with 17% of men contemplating entrepreneurship versus only 10% of women.
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Belgium’s reluctance to adopt entrepreneurship stands in stark contrast to countries in Eastern Europe. In Romania, for instance, 45% of workers express a desire to launch their own ventures, and more than half prefer self-employment over traditional employment. Elke Schreurs, a researcher with SD Worx, attributes this gap partly to regulatory instability in Belgium. Frequent adjustments to tax policies, dividend regulations, and social benefits create uncertainty that deters long-term planning and risk-taking.
Despite these challenges, Belgian startups that do launch exhibit strong survival rates. Although Eurostat places Belgium among Europe’s lowest in new business creation, 82% of startups manage to remain operational past two years, a figure among the highest across the continent. This suggests that while fewer Belgians attempt entrepreneurship, those who do often achieve lasting success.