Belgium - Gross capital formation (% of GDP)

Gross capital formation (% of GDP) in Belgium was 24.16 as of 2020. Its highest value over the past 50 years was 30.29 in 1974, while its lowest value was 18.57 in 1986.

Definition: Gross capital formation (formerly gross domestic investment) consists of outlays on additions to the fixed assets of the economy plus net changes in the level of inventories. Fixed assets include land improvements (fences, ditches, drains, and so on); plant, machinery, and equipment purchases; and the construction of roads, railways, and the like, including schools, offices, hospitals, private residential dwellings, and commercial and industrial buildings. Inventories are stocks of goods held by firms to meet temporary or unexpected fluctuations in production or sales, and "work in progress." According to the 1993 SNA, net acquisitions of valuables are also considered capital formation.

Source: World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.

See also:

Year Value
1970 29.66
1971 28.56
1972 26.56
1973 27.59
1974 30.29
1975 26.63
1976 26.98
1977 26.63
1978 26.42
1979 25.96
1980 26.56
1981 22.57
1982 21.60
1983 18.76
1984 19.82
1985 18.98
1986 18.57
1987 19.63
1988 21.86
1989 23.53
1990 24.35
1991 22.84
1992 22.59
1993 21.93
1994 22.01
1995 21.79
1996 21.63
1997 22.30
1998 22.35
1999 22.69
2000 23.78
2001 22.63
2002 20.75
2003 20.96
2004 22.67
2005 23.68
2006 23.97
2007 24.60
2008 25.94
2009 22.17
2010 23.13
2011 24.51
2012 23.69
2013 22.43
2014 23.14
2015 23.63
2016 24.25
2017 24.46
2018 25.37
2019 24.96
2020 24.16

Limitations and Exceptions: Because policymakers have tended to focus on fostering the growth of output, and because data on production are easier to collect than data on spending, many countries generate their primary estimate of GDP using the production approach. Moreover, many countries do not estimate all the components of national expenditures but instead derive some of the main aggregates indirectly using GDP (based on the production approach) as the control total. Data on capital formation may be estimated from direct surveys of enterprises and administrative records or based on the commodity flow method using data from production, trade, and construction activities. The quality of data on government fixed capital formation depends on the quality of government accounting systems (which tend to be weak in developing countries). Measures of fixed capital formation by households and corporations - particularly capital outlays by small, unincorporated enterprises - are usually unreliable. Estimates of changes in inventories are rarely complete but usually include the most important activities or commodities. In some countries these estimates are derived as a composite residual along with household final consumption expenditure. According to national accounts conventions, adjustments should be made for appreciation of the value of inventory holdings due to price changes, but this is not always done. In highly inflationary economies this element can be substantial.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Gross domestic product (GDP) from the expenditure side is made up of household final consumption expenditure, general government final consumption expenditure, gross capital formation (private and public investment in fixed assets, changes in inventories, and net acquisitions of valuables), and net exports (exports minus imports) of goods and services. Such expenditures are recorded in purchaser prices and include net taxes on products.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Economic Policy & Debt Indicators

Sub-Topic: National accounts