On 1st January 2019, there were in Belgium 4,948,398 private households, of which 1,718,738 persons living alone and 489,175 single parents (35 % and 10 % respectively), i.e. a total of 2,207,913 households (45 %).
In 1999, 1,663,925 households were either people living alone or single parents (39 %). So in 20 years time, 543,988 persons living alone and single parents have been added to this number.
In the Brussels-Capital Region, people living alone and single parents are the most common with 58 % of the 551,243 private households on 1st January 2019. In the Flemish Region, there are 2,815,769 private households, of which 40 % are persons living alone and single parents. In the Walloon Region, there are 1,581,386 private households, of which 48 % are persons living alone and single parents.
The Flemish Region has 8 % single parents and 32 % people living alone, respectively. That is a lot less than in the Walloon Region (12 % and 36 %) and in the Brussels-Capital Region (12 % and 46 %).
A few top 10
| On 1st January 2019 | All private households | People living alone | Single parents | Both | % people living alone + single parents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antwerp | 235,496 | 102,132 | 21,232 | 123,364 | 52% |
| Liège | 100,491 | 52,972 | 11,954 | 64,926 | 65% |
| Ghent | 120,448 | 50,155 | 10,019 | 60,174 | 50% |
| Brussels | 85,251 | 43,055 | 8,972 | 52,027 | 61% |
| Charleroi | 91,294 | 37,992 | 13,680 | 51,672 | 57% |
| Ixelles | 50,700 | 31,307 | 3,975 | 35,282 | 70% |
| Schaerbeek | 55,554 | 22,427 | 7,292 | 29,719 | 53% |
| Anderlecht | 50,831 | 21,612 | 6,463 | 28,075 | 55% |
| Namur | 51,307 | 21,918 | 6,054 | 27,972 | 55% |
| Leuven | 50,403 | 24,320 | 3,292 | 27,612 | 55% |
In absolute figures, Antwerp is in the lead, but if we take a look at percentages, we get a completely different picture: not less than six Brussels municipalities are in the top 10 of the highest percentage of people living alone and single parents. It is worth noting that no Flemish municipality appears in the list below:
| On 1st January 2019 | All private households | People living alone | Single parents | Both | % people living alone + single parents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ixelles | 50,700 | 31,307 | 3,975 | 35,282 | 70% |
| Liège | 100,491 | 52,972 | 11,954 | 64,926 | 65% |
| Saint-Gilles | 25,962 | 13,928 | 2,692 | 16,620 | 64% |
| Etterbeek | 25,691 | 13,846 | 2,248 | 16,094 | 63% |
| Brussels | 85,251 | 43,055 | 8,972 | 52,027 | 61% |
| Saint-Josse-ten-Noode | 12,355 | 5,861 | 1,476 | 7,337 | 59% |
| Huy | 10,075 | 4,459 | 1,341 | 5,800 | 58% |
| Spa | 5,000 | 2,323 | 547 | 2,870 | 57% |
| Woluwe-Saint-Lambert | 27,578 | 12,875 | 2,951 | 15,826 | 57% |
| Seraing | 29,560 | 12,313 | 4,634 | 16,947 | 57% |
If we only take into account the percentage of people living alone, we can see that Flemish cities are now well represented, alongside the Brussels municipalities.
| On 1st January 2019 | All private households | People living alone | % people living alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ixelles | 50,700 | 31,307 | 62% |
| Etterbeek | 25,691 | 13,846 | 54% |
| Saint-Gilles | 25,962 | 13,928 | 54% |
| Liège | 100,491 | 52,972 | 53% |
| Brussels | 85,251 | 43,055 | 51% |
| Leuven | 50,403 | 24,320 | 48% |
| Woluwe-Saint-Lambert | 27,578 | 12,875 | 47% |
| Ostend | 36,529 | 16,763 | 46% |
| Mons | 45,358 | 19,710 | 43% |
| Antwerp | 235,496 | 102,132 | 43% |
Finally, if we look at the percentage of single parents, we get another picture, with a strong representation of Walloon cities (alongside the Brussels municipalities):
| On 1st January 2019 | All private households | Single parents | % single parents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seraing | 29,560 | 4,634 | 16% |
| Charleroi | 91,294 | 13,680 | 15% |
| La Louvière | 34,809 | 5,018 | 14% |
| Mons | 45,358 | 6,236 | 14% |
| Jette | 22,007 | 2,952 | 13% |
| Verviers | 24,676 | 3,249 | 13% |
| Schaerbeek | 55,554 | 7,292 | 13% |
| Uccle | 38,061 | 4,962 | 13% |
| Anderlecht | 50,831 | 6,463 | 13% |
| Forest | 25,501 | 3,221 | 13% |