Belgium's business confidence indicator declined to -14.2 points in April 2026, down from -13.7 points both in February and January, marking the lowest sentiment in a year. Against market expectations of a slight increase, sentiment lowered in most sectors. Confidence in building work dropped (-15.7 versus -11.7), reflecting slightly weaker order books alongside a sharp rise in price expectations. In the business services sector, confidence continued its downward trend (-11.6 versus -6.3) as demand expectations weakened. Similarly, trade sentiment declined (-14.8 versus -10.9), driven by a poorer assessment of stock levels and rising price trends. In contrast, manufacturing confidence edged up (-14.4 versus -16.1), supported by improved stock assessments and a more favorable trend in domestic orders. source: National Bank of Belgium

Business Confidence in Belgium decreased to -14.20 points in April from -13.70 points in March of 2026. Business Confidence in Belgium averaged -7.30 points from 1980 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 10.10 points in July of 2021 and a record low of -36.10 points in April of 2020. This page provides the latest reported value for - Belgium Business Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Belgium Business Confidence - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on May of 2026.

Business Confidence in Belgium decreased to -14.20 points in April from -13.70 points in March of 2026. Business Confidence in Belgium is expected to be -16.00 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Belgium Business Confidence is projected to trend around -10.00 points in 2027 and -8.00 points in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-03-25 02:00 PM
Business Confidence
Mar -13.7 -13.7 -14.1 -16
2026-04-24 01:00 PM
Business Confidence
Apr -14.2 -13.7 -13.2 -14.8
2026-05-22 01:00 PM
Business Confidence
May -14.2 -14.6


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 1206.00 962.00 Companies Mar 2026
Business Confidence -14.20 -13.70 points Apr 2026
Capacity Utilization 76.90 78.60 percent Mar 2026
New Passenger Car Registrations 37802.00 43733.00 Units Apr 2026
Changes in Inventories 1330.60 2745.20 EUR Million Dec 2025
Corruption Index 69.00 69.00 Points Dec 2025
Corruption Rank 21.00 22.00 Dec 2025
Electricity Production 5097.06 6285.39 Gigawatt-hour Feb 2026
Industrial Production YoY 0.30 5.90 percent Mar 2026
Industrial Production MoM -1.50 -7.20 percent Feb 2026
Manufacturing Production 1.40 8.30 percent Mar 2026
Mining Production 10.72 -1.50 percent Mar 2026
Natural Gas Stocks Capacity 7.61 7.61 TWh May 2026
Natural Gas Stocks Injection 0.00 14.87 GWh/d May 2026
Natural Gas Stocks Inventory 1.81 1.82 TWh May 2026
Natural Gas Stocks Withdrawal 14.00 0.00 GWh/d May 2026
New Car Registrations YoY 0.00 8.80 percent Apr 2026


Belgium Business Confidence
In Belgium, the business confidence survey measures the level of optimism that people who run companies have about the current economic situation and how they feel about their organizations’ prospects in the next three months. Every month, a panel of around 6000 business leaders is contacted.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-14.20 -13.70 10.10 -36.10 1980 - 2026 points Monthly

News Stream
Belgium Business Pessimism Deepens
Belgium's business confidence indicator declined to -14.2 points in April 2026, down from -13.7 points both in February and January, marking the lowest sentiment in a year. Against market expectations of a slight increase, sentiment lowered in most sectors. Confidence in building work dropped (-15.7 versus -11.7), reflecting slightly weaker order books alongside a sharp rise in price expectations. In the business services sector, confidence continued its downward trend (-11.6 versus -6.3) as demand expectations weakened. Similarly, trade sentiment declined (-14.8 versus -10.9), driven by a poorer assessment of stock levels and rising price trends. In contrast, manufacturing confidence edged up (-14.4 versus -16.1), supported by improved stock assessments and a more favorable trend in domestic orders.
2026-04-24
Belgium's Business Confidence Remains Subdued in March
Belgium's business confidence indicator remained subdued at -13.7 points in March 2026, unchanged from February and better than the -14.1 forecast. In the building industry, confidence fell 4.6 points to -11.7 as business leaders assessed total order books more negatively and expected demand to decline faster. Business-related services saw confidence decline for the fourth straight month, down 2.0 points to -6.3, with leaders viewing current activity more favorably but future prospects considerably more pessimistically. Manufacturing confidence remained near its low level last month, edging up 1.0 point to -17.1, with stock levels assessed somewhat more positively. The trade sector rose sharply, rising 7.0 points to -10.9, driven by substantial improvement in demand expectations.
2026-03-25
Belgium's Business Sentiment Deteriorates Broadly in February
Belgium's business confidence indicator fell 4.9 points to -13.7 in February 2025, down from -8.8 in the prior month and missing forecasts of -7.5. The trade sector recorded the sharpest deterioration, with its index plunging to -17.9 from -5.6, as expectations and order forecasts to suppliers slumped sharply. In the manufacturing industry, confidence weakened to -17.1 from -11.0, with all sub-components declining amid a significant deterioration in assessments of total order books. Business-related services posted a third consecutive monthly drop, with the index slipping to -4.3 from -2.7. The building industry confidence was nearly unchanged at -7.1 from -6.8.
2026-02-23