Poverty in Brussels leads to differences in life expectancy, education, mental health

Poverty is on the rise in Brussels and the social landscape remains marked by significant inequalities, according to the latest research from the 2025 Social Barometer of the Capital Region.

In Belgium, a single person is at risk of poverty on an income of less than €1,565 per month, and a couple with two children on less than €3,286.

The risk of poverty affected 23% of the population of Brussels last year, compared with 7% in Flanders and 13% in Wallonia.

According to the Brussels Social Health Observatory, the Brussels region is home to the poorest municipalities in the country, a significant proportion of the population has low educational attainment, poverty affects one in three children and housing and mental health issues are becoming more pronounced.

While poverty in Brussels is nothing new - in 2023, the risk of poverty affected as many as 28% of the population - Marion Englert, coordinator of the Barometer, said the seeming "decrease" in this figure must be viewed with considerable caution.

It falls within the margin of statistical error and several other indicators - particularly regarding expenditure, which are not taken into account in the calculation of the poverty threshold - point to a deterioration in the situation.

“The number of people in Brussels who cannot afford an unexpected expense or cannot eat protein every other day is on the rise,” says Englert.

“In general, precarity is certainly on the rise, as we can also see from the growing number of families on the waiting list for social housing and the number of homeless people.”

The 2025 Barometer found that within the capital, poverty rates vary by a factor of three between the wealthiest and poorest municipalities. Six of the 10 municipalities with the lowest incomes in Belgium are in Brussels - Saint-Josse, Molenbeek, Anderlecht, Koekelberg, Schaerbeek and Brussels-City.

“Living here is more expensive than elsewhere,” said Englert.

“So not only are there more low-income residents in Brussels, but housing costs also weigh more heavily, leaving even less money available.”

The poorest 20% of Brussels residents spend more than 50% of their income on housing. After these expenses, they are left with barely more than €10 per person per day to meet their needs: transport, healthcare, food and so on.

The supply of affordable housing also remains limited compared to demand. As of 1 January 2025, 55,572 households were on the waiting list for social housing - up 78% in 15 years - with waiting times often exceeding 10 years.

The quality of the housing supply is also problematic. Some 24% of the population of Brussels lives in substandard housing and 30% in overcrowded accommodation - a figure that rises to 50% among households with children.

As many as 13% of Brussels households experience energy poverty, meaning they cannot heat their homes or pay their electricity or gas bills.

“Indicators of this kind are not included in the official calculation of the at-risk-of-poverty rate,” said Englert.

As of 1 January 2025, Brussels had 47,304 recipients of the social integration income (RIS), more than Flanders (45,616) despite having a population five times smaller. Wallonia had 77,207.

The proportion of RIS (or equivalent) recipients among 18 to 64-year-olds rose from 3% in 2002 to almost 7% in Brussels in 2025 - compared with 1.5% in Flanders and 4% in Wallonia.

In certain municipalities such as Molenbeek and Saint-Josse, more than one in 10 people aged 18 to 64 receive RIS.

In 2026, following the reform of unemployment benefits, the number of RIS recipients continues to rise particularly rapidly, which could lead in the coming months - and for the first time - to their numbers exceeding those of unemployed people receiving benefits in the Brussels region, the Social and Health Observatory noted.

Since 1 April, a large group of Brussels residents have lost their benefits, following a first wave in January and a second wave in March. Following the final wave in July next year, a total of 37,751 Brussels residents will have lost their benefits, according to the latest figures.

Some may, however, apply to the CPAS for a social assistance allowance. It is expected that between a third and half of that group will do so or are already in the process of doing so.

“This will lead to a sharp rise in the number of people registered with the CPAS, while that growth was already under way,” said Englert, citing, for example, reforms to the integration allowances for young people.

Between 2013 and 2025, the number of people receiving social assistance in Brussels rose by as much as 66%, whilst the number of people on unemployment benefit fell by 35%.

Among young people aged between 18 and 24, the number of social assistance recipients actually doubled during the same period, compared with a sharp 75% drop in the number of unemployment benefit recipients.

Last year, 15% of young people in Brussels in that age group were already receiving social assistance, or an equivalent benefit in the case of asylum seekers.

This means that almost one in six young people in Brussels are living on such a replacement income.

“One in six is a huge figure for our young people, and in general the CPASs are already under considerable pressure,” says Englert.

“The number of people receiving social assistance or other support from the CPAS will inevitably rise.

"We will only know the exact extent of this in a year’s time, but it is already certain that the number of social assistance recipients in Brussels will exceed the number of Onem unemployment benefits."

Last year, just over 50,000 people in Brussels received such unemployment benefits from Onem, but more than 47,000 people were already on social assistance. That balance will reverse this year and is likely to become even more uneven.

“It is clear that the poorest municipalities will have the greatest funding needs,” Englert said.

Figures regarding government support do not take into account the invisible population - more than 50,000 undocumented migrants are believed to be living in Brussels, representing 4% of the population.

Extreme poverty is also on the rise. On 6 November 2024, 9,777 homeless or poorly housed people were counted by Bruss’help - up 25% in two years.

Poverty leads to social inequalities that can affect everything from health to education. Social inequalities result in a life expectancy gap of nearly five years between the richest and poorest municipalities.

They are also evident in the prevalence of chronic diseases. Diabetes, for instance, is three times more common among the poorest 20% than among the wealthiest 20%. Disparities also appear in access to curative or preventive care.

The report also highlighted concerns about mental wellbeing, especially but not limited to Brussels residents and young people.

“Across all age groups, you can see that levels of anxiety disorders and depression have not yet returned to their previous [pre-pandemic] levels,” said Englert.

Almost a fifth of all Brussels residents are thought to show symptoms of anxiety or depression, according to the latest health survey by Sciensano.

These mental health issues are increasingly becoming a cause or trigger for incapacity at work, particularly among women and manual workers.

Many Brussels residents are also struggling with persistent loneliness and isolation. Up to 6% reportedly do not see a single friend or family member outside their own household on a monthly basis - twice as many as in the rest of the country.

“There is also a large group of Brussels residents who do not suffer from loneliness at all, but that is precisely what makes it so polarised,” said Englert.

“If you’re unemployed or economically inactive, you’re at greater risk of loneliness. Single people or single-parent families are more likely to experience isolation than couples with or without children. And they are simply more common in Brussels.”

A final, somewhat distinct risk group consists of international expats - temporary immigrants with plans to return to their country of origin - who often live far from their families.

While poverty remains a complex issue for Brussels, Englert emphasised two critical matters for the capital: “affordable and social housing, as well as good care and preventive healthcare at neighbourhood level”.