Belgium Population
Belgium had an estimated population of 11,941,781 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 81st most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.15% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.70% a year.
Belgium at a glance
How Belgium's population is changing
Belgium's population is growing: +0.70% a year, which works out to about +83,462 people per year, or +229 a day. Births (9.2 per 1,000) and deaths (9.5 per 1,000) alone would give −0.03% a year; net migration adds about 31,989 people a year (+0.27%). Roughly one in every 688 people on Earth lives in Belgium.
Population of Belgium since 1960
In 1960, Belgium had 9,153,489 people. By 2025 that was 11,941,781 — 1.3× larger. The fastest growth came between 2005 and 2015, when the population rose by 8%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 9,153,489 | — |
| 1970 | 9,655,549 | +5.5% |
| 1980 | 9,859,242 | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 9,967,379 | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 10,251,250 | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 10,895,586 | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 11,538,604 | +5.9% |
| 2025 | 11,941,781 | +3.5% |
Belgium from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Belgium at about 3,250,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 11,758,601 in 2025 (4× 1800) and projects 11,060,849 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2044 at 11,901,549 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 3,250,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 4,443,056 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 6,705,987 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 8,617,442 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 10,251,719 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 11,758,601 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 11,870,903 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 11,424,659 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 11,060,849 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Belgium
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 11,941,781. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels | 1,406,499 | UN urban centre | 11.78% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Antwerp | 652,506 | UN urban centre | 5.46% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Liège | 375,138 | UN urban centre | 3.14% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Gent | 265,086 | GeoNames settlement | 2.22% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Charleroi | 227,157 | UN urban centre | 1.90% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Anderlecht | 160,553 | GeoNames settlement | 1.34% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Schaerbeek | 132,761 | GeoNames settlement | 1.11% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Brugge | 118,509 | GeoNames settlement | 0.99% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Molenbeek-Saint-Jean | 97,037 | GeoNames settlement | 0.81% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Mons | 95,299 | GeoNames settlement | 0.80% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Belgium compares
Belgium has almost the same population as Haiti (11,906,095).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Belgium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #79 |  Tunisia | 12,348,573 | +3% | compare → |
| #80 |  South Sudan | 12,188,788 | +2% | compare → |
| #82 |  Haiti | 11,906,095 | −0% | compare → |
| #83 |  Jordan | 11,520,684 | −4% | compare → |
Compare Belgium with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Belgium
Land neighbours (4)
Germany 83,491,249 · 7.0× the population · compare
France 68,720,337 · 5.8× the population · compare
Netherlands 18,087,633 · 1.5× the population · compare
Luxembourg 686,970 · 17.4× smaller · compare
Belgium's 4 neighbours together hold 170,986,189 people — 14.3× Belgium's population. The most populous is Germany (83,491,249).
In its region
Belgium is the 14th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 1.3% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Belgium
Cities
Brussels, Antwerp, Liège, Gent, Charleroi, Anderlecht, Schaerbeek, Brugge — all Belgium's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Belgium when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.