Monthly evolution of the consumer price index and of the so-called health index, which is used for the price indexation of wages, social benefits and house-rent.

This publication presents the main results of the demographic outlook for Belgium: population, households, births, deaths, international migration and internal migration.  To show the sensitivity of the results to some assumptions, three alternative scenarios are analysed: one linked to the health crisis (Covid-19), another modifying the long-term mortality assumption and a last one adjusting the assumption on international emigration.

The "first recruitments"measure aims to promote employment while supporting small businesses and start-ups. The analysis shows that the measure has a positive but modest impact on the probability of survival of young businesses. Furthermore, the reinforcement in 2016 does not appear to have generated any additional benefit. On the one hand, these results imply that the strengthening of the measure does not address a genuine need on the part of the recipients. On the other hand, the reinforcement may have encouraged more employers to undertake a risky business activity.

Ce rapport constitue une contribution à la préparation du nouveau Programme de Stabilité et du nouveau Programme National de Réforme. Il reprend les principaux résultats de la version préliminaire des « Perspectives économiques 2021-2026 » dont la version définitive sera publiée en juin 2021.

A policy mix of “stick” measures (generalised distance based road charge) and “carrot” measures (supporting carpooling) could induce an increase in the occupation rate of cars in Belgium from 1.44 to 1.50. This relatively modest increase can be explained by the relatively small share of trips for which an increase in the occupation rate is a realistic option, and by the inconveniences linked to the organisation of carpooling. Nevertheless, this policy mix can induce a notable improvement in the traffic situation during the peak periods in the regions that currently suffer the most from congestion.

This Working Paper presents the methodology that has been applied since 2020 in the model used to draw up the population outlook for Belgium. The methodology considers that fertility is explained by both structural (education, labour market participation, etc.) and cyclical factors (the economic cycle, etc.). Those factors are taken into account through three elements: (1) expert opinion on long-term fertility trends, (2) an explicit trend in the fertility schedule and (3) the effect of cyclical and structural determinants of fertility using an error-correction model.

To measure population ageing, several demographic indicators are traditionally proposed, including the average age of the population or the proportion of people aged 67 and over in the population. This Fact Sheet considers population ageing from a different angle and couples old age not to the number of years already lived, but to the number of years left to live.

Society will rather have to adapt to population ageing. Implementing strictly demographic policies to counter population ageing in the coming years is far from being a panacea.

This report quantifies the marginal external cost of transport (congestion costs and environmental costs) using the Federal Planning Bureau’s PLANET model and compares this to the transport taxes levied. These indicators were not covered in the ‘Projections of transport demand in Belgium by 2040’, published in 2019 by the Federal Planning Bureau and the FPS Mobility and Transport. In that sense this report supplements this publication.

Which activities contribute to productivity growth? The EUKLEMS database of the Federal Planning Bureau provides an answer to this question.

How do capital, labour and technical progress contribute to growth? The EUKLEMS database of the Federal Planning Bureau provides an answer to this question.

Do the labour force characteristics influence economic growth? The EUKLEMS database of the Federal Planning Bureau provides an answer to this question.

The population projections 2019-2070 were published in the beginning of March 2020, just before the first signs of COVID-19 on the Belgian territory. In light of the evolution of the epidemic and the measures taken by the National Security Council (NSC) to halt the spread of COVID-19, an update of these projections seemed indispensable.