This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of foreigners by the total population, except for stateless persons and persons with undetermined citizenship.
More than 12% of the population living in Belgium has a foreign citizenship.
In the Brussels-Capital Region, more than 1 inhabitant out of 3 is not Belgian. Etterbeek (49%), Ixelles (49%) and Saint-Gilles (48%) have the highest percentages of non-Belgians.
In the Flemish Region, 9% of the inhabitants do not have the Belgian citizenship. In the Walloon Region, it is 10%.
At municipal level, percentages are well above the national average, mostly in big cities and in border municipalities.
The share of foreigners with the citizenship of an EU country (27 countries) is calculated as the ratio between this population and the total population, except for stateless persons and persons with undetermined citizenship.
Around 8% of the population living in Belgium has the citizenship of another EU country. These regional variations are significant: this figure is 6% in Flanders and 7% in Wallonia, versus 23% in the Brussels-Capital Region. The municipalities of Ixelles, Etterbeek and Saint-Gilles particularly stand out with more than 35% of their inhabitants having the citizenship of another EU country.
Outside the Brussels-Capital Region, the border municipalities also show high percentages of foreign citizens from the European Union.
This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of non-Belgians who are not citizens of one of the countries of the European Union (27 countries) by the total population, except for stateless persons and persons with undetermined citizenship.
Slightly more than 4% of people living in Belgium have the citizenship of a non-EU country. Wallonia and Flanders show lower figures, with 3% and 3.5% respectively. However, nearly 12% of the inhabitants of the Brussels-Capital Region have the citizenship of a non-EU country. The 11 municipalities with the highest percentage are located in this region; Saint-Josse-ten-Noode is first with 17.9%.
The Census 2021 in a nutshell
The Census 2021 is a snapshot of the population living in Belgium on 1 January 2021. It provides a wide range of figures on housing and demographic, socio-economic and educational characteristics of the citizens. The objective of the Census is twofold: to comply with the European regulation[1] and to produce statistics to address national specific needs (public services, international organizations, researchers, enterprises and private individuals).
Previously based on an exhaustive survey of all citizens, since 2011 the Census has been based exclusively on the use of administrative databases.
Definitions
The various statistical units
Population
The population taken into account for the Census 2021 is the residential population, as registered in the National Register of Natural Persons (RNPP) on 1 January 2021. The Belgian population includes Belgians and non-Belgians who have been allowed or authorised to settle or to stay in Belgium but does not include non-Belgians living on the territory for less than three months, asylum seekers and non-Belgians in an illegal situation[2].
Private households
This group includes people living alone in a dwelling and groups of several people living in the same dwelling and providing themselves with essentials for living.
Family nuclei
A family nucleus is defined as two or more persons who belong to the same household and who are related as husband and wife, as partners in a registered partnership, as partners in a consensual union, or as parent and child.
Living quarters
Living quarters refer to all quarters used as the usual residence of one or several persons.
Conventional dwellings
Conventional dwellings are separate units (surrounded by walls and covered by a roof) that are independent (with a direct access from the street or a staircase, passage) and designed to be used as a permanent dwelling.
Occupied conventional dwellings
Occupied conventional dwellings are conventional dwellings used as the usual residence of one or several private households.
Variables and their description
Sex
This variable is used to distinguish men from women.
Age
The age reached in completed years of age on 1 January 2021.
Place of usual residence
The place of residence is that registered in the National Register on 1 January 2021. So this is the place of legal residence.
The Belgian municipalities have changed between 2011 and 2021. In the comparisons shown on this website, the figures for 2011 are broken down according to the municipalities of 2021.
Locality
A locality is defined as a distinct population cluster, that is an area defined by population living in neighbouring or contiguous buildings. This area constitutes a group of buildings, none of which is separated from its nearest neighbour by more than 200 meters.
The Belgian municipalities have changed between 2011 and 2021. In the comparisons shown on this website, the figures for 2011 are broken down according to the municipalities of 2021.
Country of citizenship
Citizenship is defined as the particular legal bond between an individual and his/her State. It is acquired by birth or naturalisation.
Remark
The comparison with the previous Census requires some caution: this publication is based on the Belgian population and the Census 2011 has as reference the European definition of the population.
Information on the difference between the Belgian population and the Census 2011 population.
[1] COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2017/543 of 22 March 2017 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EC) No 763/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on population and housing censuses as regards the technical specifications of the topics and of their breakdowns.
[2]Information on the difference between the Belgian population and the Census 2011 population.