On the occasion of the National Day, Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, surveyed how many Belgians live in another country of the European Union.
The top five EU countries where Belgians live:
- 117,125 Belgians live in France
- 40,929 Belgians live in Spain
- 39,023 Belgians live in the Netherlands
- 26,770 Belgians live in Germany
- 19,205 Belgians live in Luxembourg
These figures refer to persons having the Belgian nationality and the situation on 1 January 2023[1].
Compared to two years earlier, in 2021, the number of Belgians living in those five countries has been increasing: 10.1% more Belgians went to live in France, 5.4% more Belgians moved to the Netherlands, 2% more Belgians now live in Germany and 0.6% more in Spain. Only in Luxembourg did the number of resident Belgians decrease between 2021 and 2023 (-2.1%). Only 31 Belgians live in Lithuania.
[1] Data were not available for some EU countries. Source: Eurostat based on administrative data from Statbel and the national statistical offices of the other member countries.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop5ctz__custom_118…