Almost one quarter of Brussels’ residents are non-Belgian Europeans

Some 23% of people living in Brussels are non-Belgian EU citizens, according to the new annual report from Brussels statistical office Bisa, reports Bruzz.

Overall, the number of non-Belgians in the city continues to rise. In 2023, 287,590 people with another European Union nationality lived in the capital, double the figure of 20 years ago.

In addition, 170,562 people with a non-EU nationality live in Brussels. Together, they account for 181 different nationalities in the capital. More than 10% of these expats work for one of the international institutions (51,593 people).

Each year, Bisa publishes the Mini-Bru guide, a compact brochure full of detailed information on household income and expenditure, politics, education, mobility, environment, the labour market and more.

For 2024, the institute has delivered a special edition that takes into account Belgium’s current presidency of the EU Council. It contains a separate chapter on European immigrants and offers a quiz on the 27 member states of the EU.

Average age of EU citizens in Brussels is 37

The largest proportion of non-Belgian EU citizens originate from France (around 69,000), Romania (46,000) and Italy (35,000). Malta, Estonia and Cyprus are the countries the least represented.

The average age of all European citizens in Brussels is 37 and they reside mainly in the southeast of the city.

While Italian, Greek and Spanish communities have been in Brussels since the 1990s, their population level remains the same today. There’s no permanent immigration from these countries; their citizens’ average age is around 40 or above.

The influx of Romanians, Portuguese, Poles and French remains much higher. On average, Romanians resident here are 32-years-old and predominantly male.

Meanwhile, six out of 10 nationals from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are female.

Brussels residents possessing a non-EU nationality mainly come from Morocco (7.3%), Ukraine (2.8%) and Syria (2.2%).

Photo: ©Bisa