Material and social deprivation in 2020

Households

Table of Contents

    Material and social deprivation in 2020

    In 2020, 11 % of the Belgian population was faced with material and social deprivation. 

    This is what emerged from the new figures of Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. These results come from the 2020 EU-SILC survey. 

    • Regional differences are significant:  20.5 % of the inhabitants of Brussels were in a precarious situation, compared to 15.8 % of the population in Wallonia and 6.6 % in Flanders.  
    • In 2020, about one quarter of Belgians were financially unable to face an unexpected expense and 2.2 % could not afford an Internet connection at home.
    • Single parents and their children experienced much more difficulties than the other categories. 28.6 % of them were in a situation of material and social deprivation.
    • Furthermore, the share of the population where the household says that it has (great) difficulties to make ends meet is 16.7 %. 
    • Finally, 10.4 % of the population consider that their overall income decreased in 2020 compared to 12 months earlier, and 5.3 % expect to see their overall income decrease in the next 12 months.

    Percentage of the population in a situation of material and social deprivation

    Material and social deprivation - Belgium 2019 2020
    Total 11.0% 11.0%
    Per region
    Brussels-Capital Region 21.2% 20.5%
    Flemish Region 6.5% 6.6%
    Walloon Region 15.9% 15.8%
    Per gender
    Men 10.8% 10.6%
    Women 11.3% 11.5%
    Per age group
    0-17 13.1% 11.9%
    18-24 8.5% 10.4%
    25-49 11.4% 11.4%
    50-64 12.7% 13.2%
    65+ 7.0% 7.2%
    Per household type
    1 adult with child(ren) 29.7% 28.6%
    2 adults with child(ren) 8.6% 9.2%
    2 adults without children, at least one 64+ 4.9% 4.4%
    2 adults without children, < 65 8.6% 7.5%
    Single 18.4% 18.7%
    Other 7.6% 7.6%

    Note:

    The COVID pandemic emerged in Belgium during the fieldwork for SILC 2020. The measures taken had a significant impact on the data collection. Therefore, it is difficult to compare the results of SILC 2020 with those of SILC 2019.