On 1 January 2023, Belgium had 11,697,557 inhabitants
On 1 January 2023, Belgium[1] had 11,697,557 legal inhabitants. Last year, the Belgian population has grown by 113,594 inhabitants, or by 0.98%. So the population growth was much higher than normal, with a growth rate of about 0.5%, according to the official figures of Statbel, the Belgian statistical office.
The population growth can be explained by a limited statistical adjustment (-208) and two key demographic phenomena[2]:
- A negative natural balance (-2,787);
- A positive international migration balance (+116,554).
So the population growth in 2022 is the result of a positive international migration balance, which offset the negative natural balance while still ensuring a solid population growth. The strongly positive international migration balance in 2022 can be explained by the war in Ukraine.
Population development in Belgium
2022 was marked by a strong population growth of 0.98% or 113,549 inhabitants. In normal circumstances, we expect an annual population growth of about 0.5%.
The natural balance, i.e. the difference between the number of births and deaths, was negative in 2022 (-2,787). A negative natural balance is exceptional. In 2020, year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, this balance was also negative (-13,111). But before that, we have to go back to the early 1940s to find a negative natural balance. The natural balance, also before COVID-19, had been showing a declining trend for several years. This downward trend could and can be mainly explained by a declining trend in the number of births. 113,593 births were registered in 2022. In addition, 116,380 deaths were registered in 2022.
Number of births, deatsh and natural balance in Belgium 2017-2022
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Births | 119,102 | 117,800 | 117,103 | 113,739 | 117,914 | 113,593 |
| Deaths | 109,629 | 110,645 | 108,745 | 126,850 | 112,291 | 116,380 |
| Natural balance | 9,473 | 7,155 | 8,358 | -13,111 | 5,623 | -2,787 |
The high number of deaths in 2022 can be explained by several factors: a changing population structure (ageing population), significant excess mortality in the summer (exceptionally hot weather and strong air pollution), the flu virus circulated twice (April and December), in addition, the RSV virus also circulated in December and we experienced a cold snap with poorer air quality that month.
The international migration balance, i.e. the difference between the number of immigrations and emigrations, was positive in 2022 (+116,544). A positive international migration balance is in line with expectations, but the balance is more positive than normal. This can be explained by the large number of international immigrations[3] in 2022: 233,629 immigrations were recorded. The higher number of immigrations is partly due to the war in Ukraine, as 57,514 (24.6%) immigrants are of Ukrainian nationality. In addition, 117,085 international emigrations[4] were recorded in 2022, this is more in line with expectations.
Number of international immigration and emigration and International migration balance in Belgium 2017-2022
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International immigrations | 163,918 | 166,894 | 174,591 | 144,169 | 165,534 | 233,629 |
| International Emigration | 119,382 | 116,714 | 119,560 | 102,413 | 107,416 | 117,085 |
| International migration balance | 44,536 | 50,180 | 55,031 | 41,756 | 58,118 | 116,544 |
The solid population growth in 2022 in Belgium is due to a positive international migration balance, which offset the negative natural balance while still ensuring a strong population growth of 0.98% or 113,549 inhabitants.
Evolution of the population in the Flemish Region
2022 was also marked by a strong population growth of 1.13% or 75,931 inhabitants in Flanders.
The natural balance was negative in 2022 (-4,244). 63,284 births and 67,528 deaths were recorded that year.
The international migration balance was positive in 2022 (+64,589). 118,704 immigrations and 54,115 emigrations were registered that year. 33,565 immigrants had the Ukrainian nationality.
At all geographical levels lower than Belgium, a third balance comes into play: the internal migration balance. This balance sums up the number of moves within Belgium. The internal migration balance, the difference between the number of people moving in and out of the Flemish Region, was positive (+15,781). So there were more people moving from another region to Flanders (38,617) than people moving from Flanders to another region (22,836).
The solid population growth in the Flemish Region in 2022 is the result of a positive internal migration balance and a strongly positive international migration balance. These offset a negative natural balance and at the same time ensured a solid population growth of 1.13% or 75,931 inhabitants.
Population development in the Walloon Region
Wallonia registered in 2022 a population growth of 0.52% or 19,080 inhabitants.
The natural balance was negative in 2022 (-4,373). 35,565 births and 39,938 deaths were recorded that year.
The international migration balance was positive in 2022 (+20,270). 52,403 immigrations and 32,133 emigrations were registered that year. 12,928 immigrants had the Ukrainian nationality.
The internal migration balance was positive (+3,526). So there were more people moving from another region to Wallonia (24,740) than people moving from Wallonia to another region (21,214).
The population growth in 2022 in Wallonia is the result of a positive internal migration balance and a positive international migration balance. These offset a negative natural balance and at the same time ensured another population growth of 0.52% or 19,080 inhabitants.
Evolution of the population in the Brussels-Capital Region
In 2022, Brussels was also marked by a strong population growth of 1.52% or 18,538 inhabitants.
Brussels was the only region where the natural balance remained positive in 2022 (+5,830). 14,744 births and 8,914 deaths were recorded that year. Despite the still positive natural balance, a decreasing trend in this balance is also seen in Brussels. The decline here is also driven by a decreasing trend in the number of births.
The international migration balance was positive in 2022 (+31,685). 62,522 immigrations and 30,837 emigrations were registered that year. 11,021 immigrants had the Ukrainian nationality.
The internal migration balance was negative (-19,307). So there were fewer people moving from another region to Brussels (25,011) than people moving from Brussels to another region (44,318).
The solid population growth in 2022 in the Brussels-Capital Region is the result of a positive natural balance and a strongly positive international migration balance. These offset a negative internal balance and at the same time ensured a solid population growth of 1.52% or 18,538 inhabitants.
Population development in the provinces
The fastest growing province in Belgium in 2022 was Antwerp with a growth of 1.29%. In the Flemish Region, the provinces of Flemish Brabant (1.20%), East Flanders (1.13%) and Limburg (1.02%) follow at positions 2, 3 and 4 respectively. The slowest growing province in Flanders was West Flanders with a growth of 0.91%.
The fastest growing province in 2022 in Wallonia was Luxembourg with a growth of 1.02%. All the other provinces in the Walloon Region registered a smaller growth than in the Flemish provinces: Walloon Brabant (0.77%), Namur (0.56%), Hainaut (0.43%) and Liège (0.41%).
Population movement in 2022 in Belgium, the regions and the provinces
| Place of residence | Population on 1st January 2022 | Natural balance | Internal migration balance | International migration balance | Statistical adjustment | Total growth | Population on 1st January 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 11,584,008 | -2,787 | / | 116,544 | -208 | 113,549 | 11,697,557 |
| Brussels-Capital Region | 1,222,637 | 5,830 | -19,307 | 31,685 | 330 | 18,538 | 1,241,175 |
| Flemish Region | 6,698,876 | -4,244 | 15,781 | 64,589 | -195 | 75,931 | 6,774,807 |
| Walloon Region | 3,662,495 | -4,373 | 3,526 | 20,270 | -343 | 19,080 | 3,681,575 |
| German-speaking Community | 78,604 | -1 | -139 | 938 | -19 | 779 | 79,383 |
| Province of Antwerp | 1,886,609 | 1,000 | 123 | 23,274 | -54 | 24,343 | 1,910,952 |
| Province of Limburg | 885,951 | -1,232 | 1,664 | 8,692 | -45 | 9,079 | 895,030 |
| Province of East Flanders | 1,543,865 | -779 | 5,373 | 12,804 | 53 | 17,451 | 1,561,316 |
| Province of Flemish Brabant | 1,173,440 | 0 | 4,914 | 9,358 | -229 | 14,043 | 1,187,483 |
| Province of West Flanders | 1,209,011 | -3,233 | 3,707 | 10,461 | 80 | 11,015 | 1,220,026 |
| Province of Walloon Brabant | 409,782 | -282 | 989 | 2,499 | -54 | 3,152 | 412,934 |
| Province of Hainaut | 1,351,127 | -2,208 | 2,520 | 5,477 | -21 | 5,768 | 1,356,895 |
| Province of Liège | 1,110,989 | -1,412 | -381 | 6,652 | -330 | 4,529 | 1,115,518 |
| Province of Luxembourg | 291,143 | 101 | -168 | 2,879 | 12 | 2,824 | 293,967 |
| Province of Namur | 499,454 | -572 | 566 | 2,763 | 50 | 2,807 | 502,261 |
- Data are derived from the National Register. The official population figures do not take into account the waiting register of asylum seekers, which comprises people with an ongoing asylum application (Law of 24 May 1994 establishing a waiting register for foreigners who declare themselves refugees or who ask to be recognised as refugees). However, the figures published by Eurostat contain an estimate of people entered in the waiting register.
- A limited number of registrations in the National Register are late or incorrect. Therefore, the observed population growth (difference between the population on 1 January 2023 and 1 January 2022) is not 100% in line with the balance obtained based on births, deaths and migrations. The statistical adjustment this year amounts to -208 units at Belgian level. This is an indication that the data are of high quality.
- International immigration consists of three movements:
- classic international immigration,
- change of register ‘in’ (transfer from the waiting register to the aliens’ register) and
- re-registration (following an automatic deletion).
- International migration consists of three movements:
- classic international emigration,
- change of register ‘out’ (transfer to the waiting register) and
- automatic deletion.
| Wohnsitz | Bevölkerung am 1. Januar 2022 | Natürlicher Saldo | Saldo der internen Migration | Saldo der internationalen Migration | Statistische Anpassung | Gesamtwachstum | Bevölkerung am 1. Januar 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgien | 11.584.008 | -2.787 | 0 | 116.544 | -208 | 113.549 | 11.697.557 |
| Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt | 1.222.637 | 5.830 | -19.307 | 31.685 | 330 | 18.538 | 1.241.175 |
| Flämische Region | 6.698.876 | -4.244 | 15.781 | 64.589 | -195 | 75.931 | 6.774.807 |
| Wallonische Region | 3.662.495 | -4.373 | 3.526 | 20.270 | -343 | 19.080 | 3.681.575 |
| Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft | 78.604 | -1 | -139 | 938 | -19 | 779 | 79.383 |
| Place of residence | Population on 1st January 2022 | Natural balance | Internal migration balance | International migration balance | Statistical adjustment | Total growth | Population on 1st January 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Province of Antwerp | 1,886,609 | 1,000 | 123 | 23,274 | -54 | 24,343 | 1,910,952 |
| Province of Limburg | 885,951 | -1,232 | 1,664 | 8,692 | -45 | 9,079 | 895,030 |
| Province of East Flanders | 1,543,865 | -779 | 5,373 | 12,804 | 53 | 17,451 | 1,561,316 |
| Province of Flemish Brabant | 1,173,440 | 0 | 4,914 | 9,358 | -229 | 14,043 | 1,187,483 |
| Province of West Flanders | 1,209,011 | -3,233 | 3,707 | 10,461 | 80 | 11,015 | 1,220,026 |
| Province of Walloon Brabant | 409,782 | -282 | 989 | 2,499 | -54 | 3,152 | 412,934 |
| Province of Hainaut | 1,351,127 | -2,208 | 2,520 | 5,477 | -21 | 5,768 | 1,356,895 |
| Province of Liège | 1,110,989 | -1,412 | -381 | 6,652 | -330 | 4,529 | 1,115,518 |
| Province of Luxembourg | 291,143 | 101 | -168 | 2,879 | 12 | 2,824 | 293,967 |
| Province of Namur | 499,454 | -572 | 566 | 2,763 | 50 | 2,807 | 502,261 |
Purpose and brief description
The population movement contains statistics that make it possible to explain the evolution of the residential population, as registered in the National Register of Natural Persons (RNPP).
These statistics concern the change in the residential population, as registered in the National Register of Natural Persons (RNPP), during one reference year. The Belgian population is composed of Belgians and non-Belgians admitted or authorised to settle or stay on the territory, but does not include non-Belgians who stay on the territory for less than 3 months, asylum seekers and non-Belgians in an irregular situation. (Law of 19 July 1991 and law of 1 February 1995)
The number of inhabitants evolves during the year following a number of events, also called “movements”. At Belgian level, the following movements are responsible for a change in the number of inhabitants: births, deaths, international migrations (both immigration and emigration) and changes of nationality. The same movements can also be identified at a lower geographical level, for example at municipal level. At this lower level, an additional movement can be examined: a change of residence in Belgium, which is also called an internal migration.
The changes in the residential population can be derived from the RNPP that is managed by the FPS Home Affairs. The RNPP is an information system and ensures the registration, the storage and the communication of people’s identification data. These data are collected by the municipalities (and the Immigration Office for some categories). The information in the National Register is organised in “information types (IT)”, i.e. the various parts of the legal information. The population movement is determined based on these information types. Statbel is authorised to receive every year some ITs from the National Register in order to fulfil its statistical mission. More information on the various information types in the RNPP is available on the website of the FPS Home Affairs, Directorate General for Institutions and Population.
More figures on international migration movements are available in the theme “migration” on Statbel’s website.
More figures on nationality changes are available in the theme “changes of nationality” on Statbel’s website.
Population
Inwoners in België
Frequency
Yearly.
Timing of publication
Results available 6 months after the reference period
Description of the various population movements
Natural balance
The natural balance of the population is calculated as the number of births minus the number of deaths recorded during a whole reference year. When the number of births is higher than the number of deaths, the natural balance is positive.
Information regarding the number of births can be derived from IT100, the place of birth. In order to determine the number of births during the reference year, the date of birth is taken into account. This date should be in the reference year concerned. The place of birth is also taken into account. The birth must have taken place in a Belgian municipality.
Information on the number of deaths is derived from IT150, place and date of death. In order to determine the number of deaths during the reference year, the date of death and the place where the person was registered at the time of death are taken into account. The death is only taken into account if the person was officially staying in a Belgian municipality (and therefore belonged to the residential population) at the time of death.
Internal migration Balance
The internal migration balance can only be calculated at sub-Belgian level. It concerns people who move out of a municipality to another municipality in Belgium. Such a move can at the same time include moves between arrondissements, provinces and even regions. When more people move in a municipality during the reference year than out of it, the internal migration balance is positive.
Information on the residence is available in the RNPP under IT001 municipality of residence and IT020 address of the main residence. In order to obtain the internal migration balance at municipal level, IT001 suffices to identify the moves between Belgian municipalities.
However, knowing the exact address allows for other applications: for example, the number of moves within the same municipality can be identified, which makes it possible to determine, among other things, the total number of moves in Belgium. In big cities, even moves between various sectors can eventually be identified. See metadata internal migration.
International Migration Balance
The international migration balance is calculated as the number of international immigrations minus the number of international emigrations that have taken place during the reference year. When the number of international immigrations is higher than that of international emigrations, the international migration balance is positive.
International immigration is composed of three distinct movements:
- International immigration, available since 1992: IT001, or the municipality of residence is used. A person is considered as an immigrant in Belgium if:
a. A registration in a Belgian municipality is available, where the previous registration under IT001 refers to a stay abroad, or;
b. This is the very first registration in a Belgian municipality that took place at a later date than the date of birth.
A person can immigrate to Belgium only once in the current year. This is why IT210, or the mention of the register, is also used to select the correct arrival date. - Re-registration, available since 1992: when a person has been automatically deleted, but later re-registers in a Belgian municipality, we speak of a re-registration. A person is considered as re-registered if:
a. A registration in a Belgian municipality is available, where the previous registration under IT001 refers to a deletion of the person, and;
b. A time component is also applicable: a person is only considered as deleted if a new registration in a Belgian municipality takes place after 1st March in the following year. If the deletion and re-registration are close to each other, the person is neither considered as deleted nor as re-registered. - Change of register (in), available since 2000: when an asylum seeker is recognized, he is transferred from the waiting register to the aliens' register. This information is available under IT210, mention of the register.
International emigration is also composed of three distinct movements:
- Emigration, available since 1992: IT001, or the municipality of residence is used. A person is considered as an emigrant when this person has been registered, during the reference year, as living abroad and where the previous registration under IT001 refers to a stay in a Belgian municipality.
- Automatic deletion, available since 1992: IT001, or the municipality of residence is used. A person is considered as automatically deleted when this person has been deleted during the reference year and where the previous registration under IT001 refers to a stay in a Belgian municipality. A time component is also taken into account: the person is only considered as deleted when this person has not been registered in a Belgian municipality before 1st March of the following year.
- Changes of register (out), available since 2010: IT210, or the mention of the register, is used. These are people who, during the year, are transferred from any register to the waiting register. These are usually people who are transferred from the aliens' register to the waiting register.
Statistical Adjustmensts
Ideally, the sum of the various balances should be equal to the change in the population size that we observe between the year Y and the year Y+1. In other words, the population on 1st January of year Y+1 is equal to the sum of the population on 1st January in year Y, the natural balance, the internal migration balance and the international migration balance during year Y.
However, in practice, this is rarely the case. The difference between both is calculated and is called the statistical adjustment. The statistical adjustment gives an indication of the quality for the population figures. The statistical adjustments are in the order of a thousand units. Out of a total of hundreds of thousands of registrations that determine the population movement throughout the year, this can be called a minimum error rate.
Changes of nationalities
The acquisition and granting of the Belgian nationality are complex legal matters. Statbel’s approach for the calculation of nationality changes is very simple: someone changes his/her nationality when his/her nationality as registered under IT031 of the RNPP changes.
Therefore, we only take into account the people for whom another nationality was already registered. Persons who acquire the Belgian nationality when no previous nationality has been registered are not included in these statistics.
This definition, although without any real legal content, covers a large number of legal categories from the Code of Belgian Nationality (naturalisation, acquisition by declaration, etc.). The condition of having a previous nationality means that a number of situations are not included in this statistic. This is largely the case, for example, when the Belgian nationality is granted based on the nationality of the father or the mother (Art. 8 of the Law of 4 December 2012 and previous laws). Usually, no previous nationality is registered in this case.
The nationality is registered in the National Register under “information type 031”. For more information about the acquisition of the nationality and the “information type 031”, please visit the websites of the FPS Home Affairs - Directorate General for Institutions and Population and of the FPS Justice.
Growth and index
The growth is the absolute change in the number of inhabitants. In other words, it is equal to the sum of the various balances, i.e. the natural balance, the internal migration balance and the international migration balance. A positive figure indicates a growth of the population, a negative figure refers to a decline in the population.
The index in year Y is calculated as follows: the growth in the reference year Y is divided by the population on 1st January in the year Y and multiplied by 100 (the population growth rate during the year Y). This figure is then added to 100. An index higher than 100 refers to a population growth, an index lower than 100 indicates a population decline. The farther the number is from 100, the sharper is the growth or decline of the population.