Brussels population continues to grow

As of 1 January this year, the Brussels-Capital Region counted 1,175,173 inhabitants, according to the most recent population census by the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis (Bisa). The region welcomed about 11,700 new residents in 2014, an increase of 1% on the previous year. The City of Brussels last year experienced a dramatic population increase of 3%, mainly due to an influx of European expats, writes brusselnieuws.be.

More births and fewer deaths in Brussels in 2013 played a role in the increase, but it is international migration, mainly from within the EU, that accounts for the bulk of the region's newcomers, says Bisa. 

Furthermore, less people were scrapped from the registers in 2014 (18,000) compared to 2013, when the Brussels municipalities de-registered nearly 20,000 individuals in total, including people who left the country. More than 13,000 locals moved to other municipalities outside the capital.