Fiscal statistics on income based on tax year 2021, income 2020
- In 2020, the net taxable income of Belgians amounted on average to 19,671 euros;
- The Flemish Region remains the region with the highest income;
- Brussels remains the region with the lowest average income;
- In 2020, Flemish Brabant was still the province with the highest average income per capita, followed by Walloon Brabant and East Flanders;
- At local level, Sint-Martens-Latem is the leading municipality in terms of average income per capita. It is 56.9 % above the Belgian average;
- The lowest average income can be found in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, where the income per capita is 46.3% below the national average.
- In 2020, there was a doubling in the total amount of unemployment benefits in Belgium.
Remark
Income refers to the net taxable income. These figures are calculated based on personal tax declarations and comprise the taxable income from professions, replacement income, pensions, dividends, the cadastral income and maintenance allowances. Untaxed income (such as child allowance and the subsistence wage) is not part of the tax income. The reference period of the data is still the income year 2020, so the tax year 2021. The fiscal statistics are established according to the taxpayer's place of residence.
1. Flemish people have the highest income; people from Brussels trail behind
In 2020, the average net taxable income per capita stood at 19,671 euros. A breakdown of this figure by region reveals that the income per capita is the highest in the Flemish Region. With 21,078 euros, the average income in Flanders is 7.2% above the national average. The inhabitants of the Walloon and Brussels-Capital Regions are considerably lagging behind financially. The average income in the Walloon Region is 5.9% below the Belgian average, whereas people from the Brussels-Capital Region made even 21.5% less on a yearly basis.
| Average income per capita (in EUR) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Belgium | 17,698 | 17,824 | 18,331 | 18,768 | 19,105 | 19,671 |
| Brussels-Capital Region | 13,831 | 13,980 | 14,372 | 14,668 | 14,973 | 15,444 |
| Flanders | 18,970 | 19,102 | 19,636 | 20,125 | 20,501 | 21,078 |
| Wallonia | 16,684 | 16,787 | 17,281 | 17,672 | 17,949 | 18,518 |
| Table 1: Average income per capita, by region | ||||||
2. The two provinces of Brabant are the richest provinces
| Province | Average income per capita (in EUR) |
|---|---|
| Province of Flemish Brabant | 22,836 |
| Province of Walloon Brabant | 22,482 |
| Province of East Flanders | 21,372 |
| Province of West Flanders | 20,619 |
| Province of Antwerp | 20,608 |
| Province of Limburg | 19,876 |
| Province of Luxembourg | 19,363 |
| Province of Namur | 19,205 |
| Province of Liège | 18,233 |
| Province of Hainaut | 17,118 |
| Brussels-Capital Region | 15,444 |
| National average | 19,671 |
| Table 2: Average income per capita in the ten provinces and in the Brussels-Capital Region. | |
As in previous years, Flemish Brabant was again in 2020 the province with the highest average income per capita, i.e. 22,836 euros per capita. With 22,482 euros, the average income per capita in the province of Walloon Brabant also exceeded the 22,000 euros mark. East Flanders completed the top three with an average annual income of 21,372 euros per capita.
3. Sint-Martens-Latem has the highest income; Saint-Josse-ten-Noode ranks last
With an average income of 30,859 euros per capita, Sint-Martens-Latem is the municipality with the highest income. A resident of this municipality has an income that is on average 56.9% higher than the national average.
| Municipality | Average income per capita (in EUR) | % above the national average |
|---|---|---|
| Sint-Martens-Latem | 30,859 | 56.9% |
| Hove | 28,656 | 45.7% |
| Oud-Heverlee | 28,627 | 45.5% |
| Keerbergen | 28,358 | 44.2% |
| De Pinte | 28,133 | 43.0% |
| Lasne | 27,917 | 41.9% |
| Knokke-Heist | 27,698 | 40.8% |
| Koksijde | 27,479 | 39.7% |
| Schilde | 27,355 | 39.1% |
| Bonheiden | 27,157 | 38.1% |
| National average | 19,671 | - |
| Table 3: The ten municipalities with the highest average income per capita | ||
Municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region are well represented at the other side of the scale. With an average of 10,564 euros, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode is the Belgian municipality with the lowest income. The average income of an inhabitant of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode is 46.3 % below the national average. With Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Anderlecht, Farciennes, Dison, Schaerbeek and Koekelberg, Belgium has six other municipalities where the average income per capita is at least 30% below the national average. Mesen, in West Flanders, is with an average of 15,501 euros the municipality with the lowest income in the Flemish Region.
| Municipality | Average income per capita (in EUR) | % below the national average |
|---|---|---|
| Saint-Josse-ten-Noode | 10,564 | -46.3% |
| Molenbeek-Saint-Jean | 11,311 | -42.5% |
| Anderlecht | 12,473 | -36.6% |
| Farciennes | 12,821 | -34.8% |
| Dison | 13,163 | -33.1% |
| Schaerbeek | 13,432 | -31.7% |
| Koekelberg | 13,657 | -30.6% |
| Brussels | 13,817 | -29.8% |
| Charleroi | 14,140 | -28.1% |
| Colfontaine | 14,197 | -27.8% |
| National average | 19,671 | - |
| Table 4: The ten municipalities with the lowest average income per capita | ||
4. Increase in unemployment benefits[1] in 2020
In the Covid year 2020, there was a sharp rise in unemployment benefits, which was due to the large number of workers receiving temporary unemployment benefits. There was a shift from earnings of employees and self-employed people to unemployment benefits.
| Income year | Total joint net professional income | % Income of self-employed people | % Wages of employees | % (Bridging) pensions | % Unemployment benefits | % Illness and disability benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 214,143,350,227 | 9.8% | 55.6% | 25.8% | 4.4% | 4.5% |
| 2019 | 208,229,376,254 | 10.5% | 58.0% | 24.9% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
| Table 5: Components of the joint net professional income as % of total. | ||||||
The total amount of unemployment benefits in Belgium has more than doubled. The amount rose the most in the Flemish region: from 1.9 billion euros to 4.7 billion euros.
[1] The bridging pension was not included in unemployment benefits.