A quarter of people suffering from severe material and social deprivation live in housing that is difficult to heat comfortably

5.8% of the population in Belgium lives in housing whose insulation and/or heating system cannot keep it comfortably warm in winter, and 13.0% lives in housing that cannot be kept comfortably cool in summer. There are significant disparities according to socio-economic factors, such as poverty status, household type and tenure status. This is particularly the case for people experiencing severe material and social deprivation, a quarter of whom live in housing that cannot be kept comfortably heated in winter, and 40% of whom live in housing that cannot be kept comfortably cool in summer. This is according to the new results published by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The figures come from the 2023 Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), in which more than 6,400 Belgian households were interviewed about their income, living conditions and the energy efficiency of their home.
- 5.8% of the population in Belgium lives in a dwelling that cannot be kept comfortably warm in winter, and 13.0% lives in a dwelling that cannot be kept comfortably cool in summer.
- 75.4% of people experiencing severe material and social deprivation (SMSD) manage to heat their homes comfortably in winter, a percentage below that of people not experiencing SMSD (95.6%).
- In summer, 59.8% of people experiencing SMSD can keep their dwelling comfortably cool, versus 88.8% of people not experiencing SMSD.
- 16.6% of people experiencing SMSD live in a dwelling that has undergone at least one energy renovation in the last five years, versus 33.0% of people not experiencing SMSD.
- People experiencing SMSD are the worst off in terms of window types. 0.8% of them have triple-glazed windows, compared to 6.3% of non-SMSD people, while 11.8% have single glazing, a much higher figure than the 2.2% observed among non-SMSD people.
- People experiencing SMSD are also more likely to live in older dwellings: 28.5% of them live in dwellings built before 1945, versus 20.3% of non-SMSD people, and 8.5% live in recent dwellings (built between 2001 and 2020), versus 19.9% of non-SMSD people.
Ability to keep home comfortably warm in winter
94.2% of the population in Belgium lives in housing with insulation and heating systems that keep it comfortably warm in winter. In other words, 5.8% of the population in Belgium lives in a dwelling that cannot be kept comfortably warm during the winter.
- 88.4% of people at risk of monetary poverty (AROP) manage to keep their homes comfortably warm in winter, versus 95.1% of the non-AROP population.
- 84.4% of people living in a household with low work intensity (LWI) say they can keep their home comfortably warm in winter, compared to 95.1% of people not belonging to this group.
- 75.4% of people experiencing severe material and social deprivation (SMSD) are able to heat their homes comfortably during the winter, compared to 95.6% of the non-SMSD population.
- 86.1% of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) manage to keep their homes comfortably warm in winter, versus 96.1% of the non-AROPE population.
The ability to keep a dwelling warm in winter differs depending on the tenure status. For example, 97.0% of homeowners say they are able to keep their home comfortably warm, while this figure drops to 86.6% for tenants, a difference of almost 10 percentage points.
The ability to keep a dwelling warm in winter also varies according to the type of household. Households consisting of two adults with one or more children have the highest rate: 96.3%. This figure falls to 86.2% for single parents with child(ren), the lowest rate among the groups studied.
A breakdown by income quintile shows that people in the first income quintile (the 20% with the lowest income) have the most difficulties keeping their homes comfortably warm. 87.9% of these persons live in a dwelling that can be kept comfortably warm during the winter. This figure gradually improves as income increases. People in the third quintile reach 95.7%, and those in the fifth quintile (the 20% with the highest income) have a rate of 97.5%, the highest rate.
Ability to keep home comfortably cool in summer
87.0% of the population in Belgium lives in housing whose insulation allows it to be kept comfortably cool in summer.
- People at risk of monetary poverty (AROP) find it more difficult to keep their homes comfortably cool in summer. 76.9% of them say they can maintain a comfortable temperature, compared to 88.4% of non-AROP people.
- People living in households with low work intensity (LWI) are also affected, with 72.7% able to keep their homes comfortably cool in summer, versus 88.0% of non-LWI people.
- People experiencing severe material and social deprivation (SMSD) have the most difficulties keeping their homes cool in summer. 59.8% manage to do so, versus 88.8% of non-SMSD people.
- 75.4% of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) manage to keep their homes cool in summer, versus 89.6% of the non-AROPE population.
The tenure status is also associated with the ability of dwellings to be kept cool in summer. Homeowners are more likely to live in a dwelling that can be kept comfortably cool in summer (90.7%), versus 77.0% of tenants.
The type of household is also associated with disparities in terms of the ability of dwellings to be kept cool in summer. Households with two adults, at least one of whom is aged 65 or over, are the most likely to be able to keep their home cool in summer, with 91.4% of them claiming to be able to do so. Single parents with child(ren) are among those most affected by the summer heat, with 79.6% able to keep their homes cool.
The ability to keep a dwelling cool in summer is strongly related to the income level. People in the first income quintile (the 20% with the lowest income) are the most affected, with 79.8% living in a dwelling that can be kept comfortably cool in summer. This figure gradually improves as income increases. People in the third quintile reach 90.2%, and those in the fifth quintile (the 20% with the highest income) have a rate of 90.3%, the highest rate.
Energy renovation (thermal insulation, windows or heating system)
The 2023 SILC survey reveals that 32% of the population in Belgium lives in a home that has benefited from at least one energy renovation measure in the last five years, such as thermal insulation, window replacement or heating system improvement. More specifically, 7.3% of the population lives in a dwelling that has benefited from three or more measures, 8.1% from two measures, and 16.6% from one measure.
- Fewer people at risk of monetary poverty (AROP) live in a dwelling that has undergone major renovations in the last five years. 19.9% of AROP people live in a dwelling that has benefited from at least one measure, compared to 33.7% of non-AROP people.
- People living in low work intensity (LWI) households also live, on average, in dwellings that have benefited from fewer energy renovations. More specifically, 18.6% of LWI people live in a home that has undergone at least one energy renovation in the last five years, compared to 35.6% of non-LWI people.
- This disparity can also be seen among people experiencing severe material and social deprivation (SMSD): 16.6% of them live in homes that have undergone at least one energy renovation in the last five years, compared to 33.0% of non-SMSD people.
- People at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) live, on average, in dwellings that have benefited from fewer energy renovations. 19.5% of AROPE people live in a dwelling that has benefited from at least one energy renovation, compared to 34.9% of non-AROPE people.
The tenure status is also related to renovation measures. More specifically, homeowners live in dwellings that have benefited, on average, from more energy renovation measures than tenants over the last five years.
Type of windows installed in Belgian housing
83.9% of the population in Belgium has double-glazed windows. 6.0% have triple glazing or more, and 2.7% use a combination of double and triple glazing. A minority (2.8%) has only single-glazed windows, while 4.5% have a combination of single and double/triple glazing.
- People at risk of monetary poverty (AROP) are less well equipped in terms of energy efficiency of their windows. 1.2% of these people have triple glazing or more, versus 6.6% of non-AROP people. In addition, 6.0% of AROP people have single glazing, a higher percentage than the 2.3% of non-AROP people who do.
- People living in low work intensity (LWI) households are also less likely to have energy-efficient windows. 1.1% of these households have windows with triple glazing or more, and 6.5% have single glazing, compared to 7.1% of non-LWI people who have triple-glazed windows and 2.0% who have single glazing.
- People experiencing severe material and social deprivation (SMSD) are the worst off in terms of window types: 0.8% of them have triple-glazed windows, compared to 6.3% of non-SMSD people, while 11.8% have single glazing, a much higher figure than the 2.2% observed among non-SMSD people.
- People at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) are also at a disadvantage: 1.4% of these people have triple glazing, while 6.7% have single-glazed windows. In comparison, 7.0% of non-AROPE people have triple glazing, and 1.9% have single glazing.
Year of construction of dwellings
Finally, the 2023 SILC survey also focused on the year in which households' dwellings were built, depending on their situation. It has been found that:
- People at risk of monetary poverty (AROP) are more likely to live in older dwellings. 28.5% of AROP people live in dwellings built before 1945, while 25.3% live in dwellings built between 1946 and 1960. 8.3% of AROP people live in more recent dwellings, built between 2001 and 2020, compared to 20.7% of non-AROP people.
- People living in low work intensity (LWI) households are also more likely to live in older dwellings. 28.5% of LWI people live in dwellings built before 1945, while 23.5% live in dwellings built between 1946 and 1960. By contrast, 10.5% live in dwellings built between 2001 and 2020, compared to 22.2% of non-LWI people.
- People experiencing severe material and social deprivation (SMSD) are also more likely to live in older dwellings: 28.5% of them live in dwellings built before 1945, versus 20.3% of non-SMSD people, and 8.5% live in recent dwellings (built between 2001 and 2020), versus 19.9% of non-SMSD people.
- People at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) are also concentrated in older dwellings: 26.6% live in dwellings built before 1945, while 24.9% live in dwellings built between 1946 and 1960. In comparison, 8.9% of these people live in more recent dwellings, built between 2001 and 2020, compared to 21.5% of non-AROPE people.
18.6% of the population is faced with poverty or social exclusion
As a reminder, 2,150,000 Belgians, or 18.6% of the population, were at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) in 2023 based on the EU-SILC Survey on Income and Living Conditions.
People at risk of poverty or social exclusion are in at least one of the following situations:
- Their disposable income is below the poverty threshold, which is €1,450 for a single person (AROP) and €3,045 for a household of two adults and two children. In 2023, 12.3% of the population was at risk of monetary poverty.
- They are living in a household with low work intensity (LWI). This means that the members of working age in their household have worked less than 20% of their potential in the last 12 months. This concerned 10.5% of the population.
- They are in a situation of severe material and social deprivation (SMSD). This means that they are unable to pay for certain goods, services or activities considered necessary or desirable by most people in order to achieve an acceptable standard of living. In 2023, this concerned 6.1% of the population.