Demographics of Belgium

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Demographics of the Kingdom of Belgium
Pyramide des ages de la Belgique 2010-2020.png
Population pyramid 2020 (& 2010)
Population11,556,297 (February 2021) 82th
Growth rate0.59% (2021 est.)
Birth rate11.03 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate9.71 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Life expectancy81.65 years (2021 est.)
 • male79.02 years (2021 est.)
 • female84.4 years (2021 est.)[1]
Fertility rate1.77 children born/woman (2021 est.)
Infant mortality rate3.24 (2021 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years16.1% (male 857,373/female 822,303)
15–64 years66.3% (male 3,480,072/female 3,419,721)
65 and over17.6% (male 760,390/female 1,074,477) (2009 est.)
Sex ratio
At birth1.04 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Under 151.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years1.02 male(s)/female
65 and over0.72 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationalitynoun: Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian
Major ethnic58% Flemish
Minor ethnic31% Walloon, 11% Mixed/Other
Language
SpokenDutch, French, German
Population density in Belgium by arrondissement.

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Belgium, including ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. All figures are from the National Institute for Statistics unless otherwise indicated.[2]

Population[]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1846 4,337,196—    
1856 4,529,460+4.4%
1866 4,827,833+6.6%
1876 5,336,185+10.5%
1880 5,520,009+3.4%
1890 6,069,321+10.0%
1900 6,693,548+10.3%
1910 7,423,784+10.9%
1920 7,465,782+0.6%
1930 8,092,004+8.4%
1947 8,512,195+5.2%
1961 9,189,741+8.0%
1970 9,650,944+5.0%
1981 9,848,647+2.0%
1991 9,978,681+1.3%
2001 10,296,350+3.2%
2011 11,000,638+6.8%
2021 11,521,238+4.7%
Source: Statistics Belgium, 2018[3]

Belgium had a population of 11,190,846 people on 1 January 2015 as compared to the 10,839,905 people on 1 January 2010, an increase of 601,000 in comparison to 2000 (10,239,085 inhabitants). Between 1990 (9,947,782 inhabitants) and 2000 the increase was only 291,000. As of January 1, 2020, Belgium has a population of 11,492,641[4] and is the 80th most populous country in the world. The population of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels on January 1, 2019 was 6,589,069 (57.6% of Belgium), 3,633,795 (31.8% of Belgium) and 1,208,542 (10.6% of Belgium), respectively. The population density of Belgium is 376/km2 (970/sq mi) as of July 1, 2020, making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world, and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe. The most densely populated province is Antwerp, the least densely populated province is Luxembourg.

Immigration[]

According to Michèle Tribalat in the beginning of 2020, people of foreign background and their descendants were estimated to have formed 32.1% of the total population.[5] 54.3% of people below age 18 have foreign roots.

Of these 'New Belgians', 55.1% are of non-Belgian European ancestry and 44.9% are from non-Western countries.

Since the relaxation of the Belgian nationality law more than 1.3 million migrants have acquired Belgian citizenship and are now considered new Belgians. 89.2% of inhabitants of Turkish origin have been naturalized, as have 88.4% of people of Moroccan background, 75.4% of Italians, 56.2% of the French and 47.8% of Dutch people.[6][dubious – discuss]

In 2007, there were 1.38 million foreign-born residents in Belgium, corresponding to 12.9% of the total population. Of these, 685 000 (6.4%) were born outside the EU and 695 000 (6.5%) were born in another EU Member State.[7]

Life expectancy at birth from 1841–2015[]

Sources: Our World In Data and the United Nations.

1841–1950

Years 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 40.3 38.6 40.4 41.9 41.0 37.8 35.1 38.0 35.0 42.3
Years 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 41.9 41.8 41.3 39.7 37.4 40.9 40.4 40.1 38.9 45.1
Years 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 41.2 43.1 41.3 39.8 37.7 32.4 43.0 42.5 42.6 40.9
Years 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 34.3 40.0 43.5 44.7 42.1 43.7 44.5 44.2 43.8 42.4
Years 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 44.4 45.5 44.9 44.2 45.4 43.3 46.0 44.9 45.0 44.1
Years 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 44.0 43.1 44.4 46.6 45.4 48.0 48.8 48.1 46.5 46.5
Years 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 49.4 49.1 49.2 49.3 49.9 49.6 51.0 49.6 50.6 51.3
Years 1911 1912 1913 1919 1920[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 49.2 52.3 52.4 49.8 53.6
Years 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 54.7 55.1 56.7 57.4 57.1 56.9 57.1 57.4 55.0 57.1
Years 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 58.4 58.5 58.7 60.3 59.9 59.9 60.0 60.1 60.0 55.9
Years 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950[8]
Life expectancy in Belgium 58.9 59.1 60.3 56.9 58.4 61.9 63.4 64.9 65.4 66.3

1950–2015

Period Life expectancy in
Years 		Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 67.8 1985–1990 75.3
1955–1960 69.5 1990–1995 76.4
1960–1965 70.3 1995–2000 77.4
1965–1970 70.7 2000–2005 78.4
1970–1975 71.5 2005–2010 79.6
1975–1980 72.7 2010–2015 80.5
1980–1985 73.9 2015-2020 81.44

Source: UN World Population Prospects[9]

Total Fertility Rate from 1830 to 1899[]

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.[10]

Years 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840[10]
Total Fertility Rate in Belgium 4.72 4.77 4.82 4.87 4.92 4.97 4.97 4.98 4.98 4.99 5
Years 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850[10]
Total Fertility Rate in Belgium 4.94 4.88 4.82 4.76 4.7 4.64 4.58 4.51 4.45 4.38
Years 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860[10]
Total Fertility Rate in Belgium 4.32 4.25 4.18 4.25 4.31 4.38 4.44 4.51 4.53 4.56
Years 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870[10]
Total Fertility Rate in Belgium 4.58 4.61 4.63 4.66 4.68 4.71 4.73 4.76 4.78 4.8
Years 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880[10]
Total Fertility Rate in Belgium 4.83 4.85 4.87 4.85 4.83 4.82 4.8 4.78 4.75 4.71
Years 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890[10]
Total Fertility Rate in Belgium 4.68 4.64 4.61 4.55 4.49 4.42 4.36 4.3 4.27 4.25
Years 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899[10]
Total Fertility Rate in Belgium 4.22 4.2 4.17 4.13 4.09 4.06 4.02 3.98 3.91

Vital statistics from 1900[]

Note: Territorial changes in East-Belgium occurred in 1925, 1940 and 1944.

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1,000) Crude death rate (per 1,000) Natural change (per 1,000) Total fertility rates[fn 1][10][11]
1900 6,719,000 193,230 126,633 66,597 28.8 18.8 9.9 3.84
1901 6,747,000 199,068 113,136 85,932 29.5 16.8 12.7 3.79
1902 6,848,000 195,076 116,075 79,001 28.5 17.0 11.5 3.73
1903 6,941,000 191,563 115,884 75,679 27.6 16.7 10.9 3.68
1904 7,030,000 191,067 117,097 73,970 27.2 16.7 10.5 3.63
1905 7,118,000 186,665 115,486 71,179 26.2 16.2 10.0 3.57
1906 7,200,000 185,508 115,514 69,994 25.8 16.0 9.7 3.52
1907 7,278,000 184,371 112,656 71,715 25.3 15.5 9.9 3.47
1908 7,352,000 183,046 118,997 64,049 24.9 16.2 8.7 3.42
1909 7,419,000 175,714 115,027 60,687 23.7 15.5 8.2 3.95
1910 7,438,000 175,768 110,403 65,365 23.6 14.8 8.8 3.31
1911 7,457,000 171,029 119,896 51,133 22.9 16.1 6.9 3.26
1912 7,531,000 170,465 109,405 61,060 22.6 14.5 8.1 3.2
1913 7,605,000 170,102 108,296 61,806 22.4 14.2 8.1 3.15
1914 7,662,000 156,389 108,720 47,669 20.4 14.2 6.2 3.22
1915 7,697,000 124,291 100,674 23,617 16.1 13.1 3.1 3.04
1916 7,701,000 99,360 101,044 -1,684 12.9 13.1 -0.2 2.99
1917 7,667,000 86,675 124,824 -38,149 11.3 16.3 -5.0 2.94
1918 7,599,000 85,056 157,340 -72,284 11.2 20.7 -9.5 2.89
1919 7,566,000 128,236 112,986 15,250 16.9 14.9 2.0 2.87
1920 7,491,000 164,257 102,706 61,551 21.9 13.7 8.2 2.78
1921 7,444,000 162,401 100,468 61,933 21.8 13.5 8.3 2.73
1922 7,511,000 152,779 104,155 48,624 20.3 13.9 6.5 2.67
1923 7,573,000 156,005 99,113 56,892 20.6 13.1 7.5 2.62
1924 7,646,000 153,387 98,332 55,055 20.1 12.9 7.2 2.57
1925 7,748,000 153,190 99,569 53,621 19.8 12.9 6.9 2.51
1926 7,843,000 148,840 101,018 47,822 19.0 12.9 6.1 2.46
1927 7,903,000 144,211 103,007 41,204 18.2 13.0 5.2 2.41
1928 7,968,000 145,953 102,270 43,683 18.3 12.8 5.5 2.36
1929 8,032,000 145,542 115,901 29,641 18.1 14.4 3.7 2.3
1930 8,076,000 150,271 103,397 46,874 18.6 12.8 5.8 2.25
1931 8,126,000 147,489 103,773 43,716 18.2 12.8 5.4 2.22
1932 8,186,000 143,824 104,221 39,603 17.6 12.7 4.8 2.19
1933 8,231,000 134,754 104,640 30,114 16.4 12.7 3.7 2.08
1934 8,262,000 131,736 96,851 34,885 15.9 11.7 4.2 2.04
1935 8,288,000 126,304 102,132 24,172 15.2 12.3 2.9 1.94
1936 8,315,000 125,511 101,595 23,916 15.1 12.2 2.9 1.95
1937 8,346,000 125,495 104,163 21,332 15.0 12.5 2.6 1.99
1938 8,374,000 130,133 104,684 25,449 15.5 12.5 3.0 2.11
1939 8,391,000 126,257 110,393 15,864 15.0 13.2 1.9 2.1
1940 8,301,000 110,323 125,083 -14,760 13.3 15.1 -1.8 1.84
1941 8,276,000 98,417 118,670 -20,253 11.9 14.3 -2.4 1.66
1942 8,246,000 105,749 117,291 -11,542 12.8 14.2 -1.4 1.81
1943 8,241,000 120,665 107,767 12,898 14.6 13.1 1.6 2.06
1944 8,291,000 124,075 124,861 -786 15.0 15.1 -0.1 2.12
1945 8,339,000 127,245 121,155 6,090 15.3 14.5 0.7 2.17
1946 8,367,000 146,731 110,413 36,318 17.5 13.2 4.3 2.53
1947 8,450,000 144,979 108,136 36,843 17.2 12.8 4.4 2.47
1948 8,557,000 148,210 103,576 44,634 17.3 12.1 5.2 2.45
1949 8,614,000 144,670 106,704 37,966 16.8 12.4 4.4 2.39
1950 8,639,000 142,970 104,039 38,931 16.5 12.0 4.5 2.33
1951 8,678,000 142,524 107,688 34,836 16.4 12.4 4.0 2.34
1952 8,730,000 146,142 103,624 42,518 16.7 11.9 4.9 2.35
1953 8,778,000 146,522 106,024 40,498 16.7 12.1 4.6 2.37
1954 8,819,000 148,128 104,795 43,333 16.8 11.9 4.9 2.4
1955 8,868,000 148,798 108,316 40,482 16.8 12.2 4.6 2.42
1956 8,924,000 150,181 108,016 42,165 16.8 12.1 4.7 2.6
1957 8,989,000 152,388 107,236 45,152 17.0 11.9 5.0 2.49
1958 9,053,000 155,694 105,746 49,948 17.2 11.7 5.5 2.53
1959 9,104,000 160,662 103,513 57,149 17.6 11.4 6.3 2.57
1960 9,153,000 155,520 113,106 42,414 17.0 12.4 4.6 2.6
1961 9,184,000 158,262 106,259 52,003 17.2 11.6 5.7 2.64
1962 9,251,000 154,338 111,545 42,793 16.7 12.1 4.6 2.59
1963 9,328,000 158,196 115,618 42,578 17.0 12.4 4.6 2.68
1964 9,428,000 160,371 109,342 51,029 17.0 11.6 5.4 2.71
1965 9,499,000 154,856 114,507 40,349 16.3 12.1 4.2 2.62
1966 9,528,000 150,636 114,557 36,079 15.8 12.0 3.8 2.52
1967 9,581,000 145,899 114,509 31,390 15.2 12.0 3.3 2.41
1968 9,619,000 141,242 121,275 19,967 14.7 12.6 2.1 2.31
1969 9,660,000 140,834 119,375 21,459 14.6 12.4 2.2 2.27
1970 9,656,000 141,119 119,623 21,496 14.6 12.4 2.2 2.25
1971 9,695,000 139,104 118,853 20,251 14.3 12.3 2.1 2.21
1972 9,711,000 134,437 116,743 17,694 13.8 12.0 1.8 2.09
1973 9,742,000 129,425 118,313 11,112 13.3 12.1 1.1 1.95
1974 9,772,000 123,155 116,039 7,116 12.6 11.9 0.7 1.83
1975 9,801,000 119,273 119,273 0 12.2 12.2 0.0 1.74
1976 9,818,000 120,472 118,765 1,707 12.3 12.1 0.2 1.72
1977 9,830,000 121,523 112,208 9,315 12.4 11.4 0.9 1.71
1978 9,840,000 121,983 115,060 6,923 12.4 11.7 0.7 1.69
1979 9,848,000 123,658 112,156 11,502 12.6 11.4 1.2 1.69
1980 9,849,000 124,794 114,364 10,430 12.7 11.6 1.1 1.69
1981 9,859,000 124,827 113,308 11,519 12.7 11.5 1.2 1.67
1982 9,856,000 120,382 112,506 7,876 12.2 11.4 0.8 1.61
1983 9,856,000 117,395 114,814 2,581 11.9 11.6 0.3 1.56
1984 9,855,000 115,790 110,577 5,213 11.7 11.2 0.5 1.53
1985 9,858,000 114,283 112,691 1,592 11.6 11.4 0.2 1.51
1986 9,862,000 117,271 111,671 5,600 11.9 11.3 0.6 1.54
1987 9,870,000 117,448 105,840 11,608 11.9 10.7 1.2 1.57
1988 9,902,000 118,764 104,551 14,213 12.0 10.6 1.4 1.57
1989 9,938,000 120,550 107,332 13,218 12.1 10.8 1.3 1.58
1990 9,967,000 123,554 104,545 19,009 12.4 10.5 1.9 1.62
1991 10,004,000 125,412 104,223 21,189 12.5 10.4 2.1 1.66
1992 10,045,000 125,322 103,858 21,464 12.5 10.3 2.1 1.65
1993 10,084,000 120,835 106,715 14,120 12.0 10.6 1.4 1.61
1994 10,116,000 116,408 103,688 12,720 11.5 10.2 1.3 1.56
1995 10,137,000 115,327 104,710 10,617 11.4 10.3 1.0 1.56
1996 10,157,000 116,262 104,228 12,034 11.4 10.3 1.2 1.59
1997 10,181,000 116,125 103,822 12,303 11.4 10.2 1.2 1.60
1998 10,203,000 114,561 104,607 9,954 11.2 10.3 1.0 1.60
1999 10,226,000 113,710 104,933 8,777 11.1 10.3 0.9 1.62
2000 10,251,000 115,157 104,921 10,236 11.2 10.2 1.0 1.67
2001 10,278,000 114,428 103,474 10,954 11.1 10.1 1.1 1.67
2002 10,333,000 111,484 105,667 5,817 10.8 10.2 0.6 1.65
2003 10,376,000 112,388 107,068 5,320 10.8 10.3 0.5 1.67
2004 10,421,000 115,908 101,964 13,944 11.1 9.8 1.3 1.72
2005 10,479,000 118,290 103,305 14,985 11.3 9.9 1.4 1.76
2006 10,548,000 121,695 101,614 20,081 11.5 9.6 1.9 1.80
2007 10,626,000 125,228 102,060 23,168 11.8 9.6 2.2 1.82
2008 10,710,000 128,049 104,587 23,462 12.0 9.8 2.2 1.85
2009 10,796,000 127,297 104,509 22,788 11.8 9.7 2.1 1.84
2010 10,839,905 129,173 105,094 24,079 11.9 9.7 2.2 1.85
2011 10,951,266 127,655 104,247 23,408 11.7 9.5 2.1 1.81
2012 11,035,948 126,993 109,034 17,959 11.5 9.9 1.6 1.79
2013 11,099,554 124,862 109,295 15,567 11.2 9.8 1.4 1.75
2014 11,150,516 124,415 104,723 19,692 11.2 9.4 1.8 1.74
2015 11,209,044 121,713 110,508 11,205 10.9 9.9 1.0 1.69
2016 11,267,910 121,161 108,056 13,105 10.8 9.6 1.2 1.68
2017 11,322,088 119,102 109,629 9,473 10.5 9.7 0.8 1.64
2018 11,376,070 117,800 110,645 7,155 10.4 9.7 0.6 1.61
2019 11,431,406 117,103 108,745 8,358 10.2 9.5 0.7 1.60
2020 11,492,641 113,739 126,850 -13,111 9.9 11.0 -1.1 1.55
2021 11,521,238 112,390 9.7

Current vital statistics[]

[12][13]

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January - November 2020 105,094 114,907 -9,813
January - November 2021 107,575 100,653 +6,922
Difference Increase +2,481 (+2.36%) Positive decrease -14,254 (-12.40%) Increase +16,735

Total fertility rate[]

The total fertility rate (TFR) gradually increased during the last decade from 1.60 in 1997, 1.65 in 2002 and 1.82 in 2007. The rates in Brussels are higher than the national average (1.79 in 1997, 1.93 in 2002 and 2.09 in 2007), while they are below the average in Flanders (1.54 in 1997, 1.56 in 2002 and 1.77 in 2007), due to the higher percentage of non-European immigrants with higher birth rates in Brussels.[14]

Other demographic statistics[]

The following demographic statistics are from the World Population Review in 2019.[15]

  • One birth every 4 minutes
  • One death every 5 minutes
  • One net migrant every 12 minutes
  • Net gain of one person every 9 minutes

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[11]

Population pyramid of Belgium in 2017
Population
11,778,842 (July 2020 est.)
11,491,346 (July 2017 est.)
Age structure in 2020 (estimation)
0-14 years: 17.22% (male 1,033,383/female 984,624)
15-24 years: 11.2% (male 670,724/female 642,145)
25-54 years: 39.23% (male 2,319,777/female 2,278,450)
55-64 years: 13.14% (male 764,902/female 775,454)
65 years and over: 19.21% (male 988,148/female 1,263,109)
Age structure in 2017 (estimation)
0-14 years: 17.16% (male 1,010,201/female 961,994)
15-24 years: 11.34% (male 665,483/female 637,700)
25-54 years: 40.05% (male 2,320,845/female 2,281,411)
55-64 years: 12.86% (male 732,062/female 746,212)
65 years and over: 18.58% (male 929,594/female 1,205,844)
Median age in 2020 (estimation)
total: 41.6 years. Country comparison to the world: 44th
male: 40.4 years
female: 42.8 years
Total fertility rate
1.71 children born/woman (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 160st
Birth rate
11.03 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 175st
11.3 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Death rate
9.71 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 41rd
Mother's mean age at first birth
29 years (2018 est.)
Population growth rate
0.59% (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 158th
Net migration rate
4.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 25th
5.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 81.65 years. Country comparison to the world: 32st
male: 79.02 years
female: 84.4 years (2021 est.)
total population: 81.1 years. Country comparison to the world: 30th
male: 78.5 years
female: 83.8 years (2017 est.)
Male: 74.4 in 1999, 77.2 (2009)
Female: 80.9 in 1999, 82.4 (2009)
Total: 77.7 in 1999, 79.8 (2009)
Infant mortality rate
total: 3.24 deaths/1,000 live births. Country comparison to the world: 216th
male: 3.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
4.8 in 2010
3.4 in 2011
Net migration rate
4.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 25nd
Ethnic groups

Belgian 75.2%, Italian 4.1%, Moroccan 3.7%, French 2.4%, Turkish 2%, Dutch 2%, other 10.6% (2012 est.)

Languages

Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%

Religions

Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant and other Christian 2.5%, Muslim 5%, Jewish 0.4%, Buddhist 0.3%, atheist 9.2%, none 32.6% (2009 est.)

Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 57
youth dependency ratio: 26.7
elderly dependency ratio: 30.2
potential support ratio: 3.3 (2020 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 98.1% of total population (2020)
rate of urbanization: 0.62% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 20 years
male: 19 years
female: 21 years (2018)
Unemployment, youth ages 15–24
total: 15.8%. Country comparison to the world: 86th
male: 16.2%
female: 15.3% (2018 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2003 est.)

Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99%
Education expenditures
6.4% of total GDP (2017) Country comparison to the world: 20th

Nationality[]

noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian

Ethnic groups[]

The country is populated by a Flemish majority of about 6,010,000 people speaking Dutch, a French-speaking minority of 5,480,000 people (Walloons and French-speakers in Brussels and in Flanders (400.000) [16]), as well as 73,000 German speaking people in Wallonia, near the German border. However, David Levinson reports that "the Flemish and Walloon groups are described by experts[who?] as "communities" rather than as ethnic groups, and individuals can move easily from one community to the other by learning to speak the other language".[17]

The largest group of immigrants and their descendants in Belgium are Italians, with more than 450,000[18] people, which is well over 4% of Belgium's total population. The Moroccans are the third-largest group, and the largest Muslim ethnic group, numbering 340,359.[18][19]

The rest consists mostly of French-speaking people from Brussels, Turks, Kurds,[20] Dutch, French, Portuguese, Spaniards, Greeks, Bosniaks, Algerians, Congolese, Vietnamese, Poles, Indians, and Guineans (around 23% of Belgium's population is of non-Belgian origin).[21]

The exact number of French-speakers in Brussels is hard to determine, but it is estimated that 85% of the people living in Brussels use French and 10% use Dutch in their households, as the sole language or secondary language, while Arabic is also largely spoken. See the Brussels article for more details.[22]

Belgians as a proportion of the population regionally and nationally from 2000 - 2021

In the table are the top 30 countries by origin of the population of Belgium in 2020

Ethnic demography of Belgium
Ethnic Group Year
2021[23]
Number %
Belgians 7,753,000 67.3%
Belgians with at-least one foreign parent 2,320,385 20.1%
Non-Belgians 1,447,853 12.6%
Countries of origin of Belgian population (2020)
Country Number (2020) % of population of foreign origin % of total population
 Morocco 340,359 13.3% 3.0%
European Union Italy 278,877 11.1% 2.4%
European Union France 217,200 8.7% 1.9%
European Union Netherlands 190,271 7.3% 1.7%
 Turkey 161,581 6.2% 1.4%
European Union Romania 120,929 4.8% 1.1%
European Union Poland 97,183 3.9% 0.8%
European Union Spain 78,745 3.1% 0.7%
Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo 65,687 2.7% 0.6%
 Russia 62,059 2.5% 0.5%
European Union Portugal 54,719 2.1% 0.5%
European Union Germany 50,772 2.0% 0.4%
European Union Bulgaria 46,876 1.9% 0.4%
 Syria 35,626 1.4% 0.3%
 Algeria 31,956 1.2% 0.3%
 United Kingdom 29,504 1.1% 0.3%
European Union Greece 28,643 1.1% 0.2%
 India 27,267 1.0% 0.2%
 Afghanistan 25,727 1.0% 0.2%
 Cameroon 24,267 0.9% 0.2%
 China 22,283 0.9% 0.2%
 Tunisia 20,921 0.8% 0.2%
 Iraq 20,882 0.8% 0.2%
 Guinea 19,244 0.7% 0.2%
 Brazil 15,158 0.6% 0.1%
 Rwanda 14,729 0.6% 0.1%
 Pakistan 14,580 0.6% 0.1%
 United States 13,820 0.5% 0.1%
 Iran 12,891 0.5% 0.1%
 Albania 12,641 0.5% 0.1%
 Senegal 11,876 0.5% 0.1%
Other countries 414,327 16.2% 3.6%
Total 2,549,724 100% 22.2%

Languages[]

Main article: Languages of Belgium

Belgium's three official languages are Dutch, spoken by majority of the population, French, spoken by 45+ %, and German, spoken by less than 1%. The vast majority of Belgium's population, 99%, is literate as defined by the Belgian government, i.e. capable of reading and writing in an official language by the time a citizen has reached the age of 15. English is the official (meetings) language of the European Commission, 10% of the job market in Brussels; also, Arabic is 2nd most spoken language in Brussels according to fresh sources (around 10%)

Religion[]

Main article: Religion in Belgium

58% of Belgians, are nominally Roman Catholic. Other Christians, Muslims and other minority religions comprise 14% of the population. 27% are agnostic, atheist or other non-believers.[24]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ In fertility rates, 2.1 and above is a stable population and has been marked blue, 2 and below leads to an aging population and the result is that the population decreases.

References[]

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document: "2016 edition".

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  16. ^ "DPG Media Privacy Gate".
  17. ^ Levinson, David (1998). Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. p. 14. ISBN 1-57356-019-7.
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  19. ^ Voor het eerst meer Marokkaanse dan Italiaanse migranten, Hbvl.be, 21 May 2007
  20. ^ "De situatie van de Koerden is nog een stuk beroerder dan die van de Catalanen". Gazet van Antwerpen.
  21. ^ "Non-Profit Data". Npdata.be. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  22. ^ "Ethnic demography of Brussels".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "Origin | Statbel". statbel.fgov.be. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  24. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-02. Retrieved 2013-08-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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