The number of inhabitants in Belgium rose to 11,697,557 last year according to the latest data from statistics agency Statbel. With an increase of 113,000 inhabitants or almost 1 per cent, the population growth is a lot higher than normal. This is mainly due to migration, and particularly due to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Looking at the 2022 migration figures, you easily see an explanation for last year's strong population growth. A total of 233,629 people came to live in Belgium, including a large number of Ukrainians (57,514). 117,085 people, in turn, left Belgium. In total many more people settled here (+116,554) than left.
Births and deaths
Last year more people died than were born resulting in a population loss of -2,787). More deaths than births is exceptional. Only in 2020, the year when the pandemic started in Belgium did this also happen with a population loss of -13,111. Statbel had to go back to 1940 to find another negative figure.
The explanation lies in both the lower number of births and the higher number of deaths than other years. In 2022, 113,593 births were recorded, the lowest number in at least six years. The number of deaths stood at 116,380. This is the highest number in recent years, with the exception of 2020, at the height of the pandemic.
According to Statbel, this is due to an ageing population, significant excess mortality during the summer months and the flu virus that circulated twice (in April and in December). December was also marked by a cold snap with poorer air quality and the presence of the RSV virus.
By region
Broken down by region, the largest population growth in absolute terms occurred in the Flemish Region. It added 75,931 people to its records, an increase of 1.13 per cent. Again, there were more deaths (67,528) than births (63,284), but this was offset by the large number of migrants (118,704) versus emigrants (54,115). And more people also moved to the Flemish Region (+15,781) from other Belgian regions.
In percentage terms, Brussels had the highest population growth: 1.52 per cent or in absolute numbers +18,538 inhabitants. The fastest growing Flemish province is Antwerp (+1.29 per cent), followed by Flemish Brabant (1.20 per cent) and East Flanders (1.13 per cent). Limburg (+1.02 %) and West Flanders (0.91 %) complete the top five.