Belgian population growth: more than a third of residents are of foreign origin

Belgium's population grew by 0.52% last year, bringing the total to 11.82 million, according to newly released official figures from national statistics office Statbel.

This population growth is attributed to an increase in migration, which exceeded the number of people leaving Belgium.

The growth offsets the negative natural balance (-3,879) resulting from the number of deaths exceeding the number of births.

“It’s rather exceptional for the number of deaths to exceed the number of births,” Statbel said in its report.

A negative natural balance was seen in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, along with another in 2022. Prior to that, the last negative natural balance was in the early 1940s.

Statbel also noted that the legal population of Belgium consists of slightly more women (5,995,529) than men (5,830,022).

At the regional level, Wallonia saw its population grow by 0.34%, or 12,707 inhabitants, in 2024 – slightly higher than the previous year (0.29%).

The population of Flanders increased by 0.63%, or 42,996 inhabitants, representing a slight slowing down compared to 2023 (0.69%).

The population of the Brussels region increased by 0.49%, or 6,198 inhabitants, in 2024. The increase is also down compared to 2023 (0.68%).

Brussels was the only region where the natural balance remained positive in 2024 (+5,330) thanks to 13,830 births and 8,500 deaths. A recent drop in births in Brussels, however, is causing the balance to decline.

More than a third (36%) of the population in Belgium is of foreign origin, according to the newly-released figures.

On 1 January, the Belgian population of 11.82 million was made up of 64% Belgians of Belgian origin (7.57 million), 22.1% Belgians of foreign origin (2.62 million) and 13.8% non-Belgians (1.63 million).

Half of the Belgian residents of foreign origin do not have Belgian nationality as their first registered nationality.

Among the other half, 20.9% have two parents with a registered foreign nationality as their first nationality and 28.7% have one parent with a registered foreign nationality as their first nationality.

“It’s important to note that nationality does not indicate whether a person has migrated or not,” Statbel noted. “The country of birth is a better indicator of whether or not a person has migrated to Belgium.”

Statbel also noted that diversity in terms of origin has increased in Belgium over the past two decades.