More men than women in centre of Brussels for first time

While there are still more women than men living in Brussels, the men outnumber the women in the centre of Brussels-City for the first time in many years. This change in population pattern is revealed in the new Bisa Focus, published by the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis.

According to the report, the population in Brussels grew by 7,000 people, or .6%, in 2017. That’s comparable to Flanders but twice as much as Wallonia. Woluwe-Saint-Lambert grew the most, by 2%, followed by Evere (1.8%) and Brussels City (1.5%).

Women outnumber men in the capital by 4%, but this is a serious decline over the last 20 years. According to Bisa, this is because Brussels is becoming younger. As the age demographic decreases, the number of men increase. This is because women tend to live longer, and so older generations count larger numbers of women.

Bisa also points out that some Brussels municipalities still have more women than men, particularly where there is a larger concentration of people over the age of 55. For the first time, Bisa reports, the number of men in the heart of the capital outnumber women. There are 110 men living in the centre of town to every 100 women.

Again, “age plays a crucial role here,” Jean-Pierre Hermia of Bisa told Bruzz. “The periphery municipalities have a higher population of older people, and there are more women in this age group. This is the case, for example, in Uccle and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. But even here, men are on the rise.”

Immigration has also leant to the larger number of men now living in the centre. “The immigration of men from 20 to 45 years old is part of the reason why the capital is younger and also of the reason why gender demographics have changed,” said Hermia.