Bastogne, soon the largest municipality in Belgium
Bastogne, Tournai and Antwerp will be the largest municipalities
Significant changes will be made to the geographical division of Belgium in the coming months, with the merging of 28 municipalities in Flanders on 1 January 2025 and 2 in Wallonia on 2 December 2024.
By merging with Bertogne, Bastogne will become the largest municipality in the country, covering 265 km². It will therefore supplant Tournai, which covers an area of 215 km².
Antwerp which, after merging with Borsbeek, will overtake Couvin to retain the third place at national level with 208 km², takes the final place on the podium but remains of course the largest municipality in Flanders.
Beveren, that merges with Kruibeke and Zwijndrecht, will cover an area of 206 km², overtakes Ghent (158 km²) and becomes the second largest municipality in Flanders.
As no merger is planned in the Brussels-Capital Region, the ranking remains unchanged, with Brussels-City, Uccle and Anderlecht as the largest municipalities, with 33, 23 and 18 km² respectively.
Belgium's total surface area remains at 30,689 km², with the Flemish Region accounting for 13,626 km², Wallonia for 16,901 km² and the Brussels-Capital Region for 162 km².
Largest municipalities in the Walloon Region
| Currently | As of 02/12/2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournai | 215 km² | Bastogne | 265 km² |
| Couvin | 207 km² | Tournai | 215 km² |
| Chimay | 199 km² | Couvin | 207 km² |
| Libramont-Chevigny | 179 km² | Chimay | 199 km² |
| Namur | 176 km² | Libramont-Chevigny | 179 km² |
Largest municipalities in the Flemish Region
| Currently | As of 01/01/2025 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Antwerp | 204 km² | Antwerp | 208 km² |
| Ghent | 158 km² | Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht | 206 km² |
| Beveren | 153 km² | Ghent | 158 km² |
| Diksmuide | 151 km² | Diksmuide | 151 km² |
| Bruges | 141 km² | Bruges | 141 km² |
Largest municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region
| Brussels-Capital Region | |
|---|---|
| Brussels | 33 km² |
| Uccle | 23 km² |
| Anderlecht | 18 km² |
| Watermael-Boitsfort | 13 km² |
| Auderghem | 9 km² |
Smallest municipalities per region
| Walloon Region | Flemish Region | Brussels-Capital Region | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Nicolas | 6.9 km² | Herstappe | 1.3 km² | Saint-Josse-ten-Noode | 1.2 km² |
| Beyne-Heusay | 7.3 km² | Drogenbos | 2.5 km² | Koekelberg | 1.2 km² |
| Farciennes | 10.4 km² | Mesen | 3.6 km² | Ganshoren | 2.4 km² |
| Quaregnon | 11.2 km² | Borsbeek | 3.9 km² | Saint-Gilles | 2.5 km² |
| Fléron | 13.7 km² | Linkebeek | 4.2 km² | Berchem-Sainte-Agathe | 3.0 km² |
The statistics on land use give an overview of the number of parcels, the surface areas and the non-indexed cadastral income (C.I.) of all parcels and administrative units in Belgium[1].
[1] Until 2017, the calculation of the total surface area was based on files from the land register of the FPS Finances. The data contained in this database were originally defined during the Napoleonic era (when the land register was created).
From 2018 onwards, the total surface areas come from the CADGIS database of the FPS Finances. The data contained in this database are based on the most recent measuring techniques. The total surface areas are now also in line with international conventions and guidelines from Eurostat, the European statistical office. This is why, for the ten coastal municipalities, the surface area from the coast to the low-water line has been taken into account.
Totale oppervlakte volgens het Kadasterregister, België, gewesten en provincies
Indien u meer details wil of zelf variabelen wenst te selecteren, klik dan op het be.STAT icoontje
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Occupation du sol selon le revenu cadastral
Occupation du sol selon la superficie cadastrale
Statistics on land use
Purpose and brief description
The statistics on land use give since 1982 an overview of the number of parcels, the surface areas and the non-indexed cadastral income (C.I.) of all parcels and administrative units in Belgium. The source of these data is the FPS Finances.
A distinction is made between unbuilt parcels and built parcels:
The unbuilt parcels consist of:
- arable land
- pasture
- gardens and parks
- orchards
- woods
- wasteland
- lands for leisure, sports
- waters included in the land register
- roads included in the land register
- other (n.e.c.)
The built plots consist of:
- apartments, flats
- apartment buildings
- houses, farms
- outbuildings, including greenhouses
- workshops and industrial buildings
- storage facilities
- banks, offices
- commercial buildings
- public buildings
- utilities
- buildings for social assistance and health care
- buildings for education, research and culture
- places of worship
- buildings for leisure, sports
- other (n.e.c.
In addition to the built and unbuilt parcels, there are also the non-standardised parcels and the surface area not included in the land register:
The non-standardised parcels are the parcels to which the FPS Finances has not yet assigned any standardised Cadastral Nature. These have been decreasing over time and since 2010 there has been 0: all parcels have since been allocated a standardised Cadastral Nature.
The sum of the surface areas of the unbuilt parcels, the built parcels and the non-standardised area is also referred to as the surface area included in the land register.
The surface area not included in the land register consists of the surface area that is not divided into parcels. No Cadastral Nature is assigned to this surface area. It is calculated by deducting the surface area included in the land register from the total surface area of the administrative unit.
A distinction is made according to the taxability both for the surface areas and the cadastral income. Most of the built and unbuilt parcels are taxable: the owners have to pay the tax on property for their use. It is calculated according to the cadastral income. Some parcels are not taxable, for example the public domain or government buildings.
Total surface area
Until 2017, the calculation of the total surface area was based on the files from the land register. This database contains the cadastral surface areas that result from the successive updates of the municipality surface areas, such as they were initially defined during the Napoleonic era (when the land register was created).
From 2018 onwards, the calculation of the total surface area is based on files from the CADGIS system. The surface areas in this database are based on digital files established with the most recent measuring techniques and give a more accurate picture of the actual surface area of the administrative units.
Coast
In order to comply with international conventions, from 2018 onwards, the strip of the Belgian coast delimited by the embankment and the low-water line is taken into account in the calculation of the surface area not included in the land register of the Belgian coastal municipalities.
Population
Belgian State
Frequency
Annually
Timing of publication
Results available 10 months after the reference period