Figures from the National Population Register show that on 1 January 2024 the Brussels-Capital Region had a population of 1,244,015. The provisional figures that will be revised in June give an indication of population growth in the capital. During the past decade the number of people living in the 19 municipalities that make up the Brussels-Capital Region has increased by almost 90,000. Although significant, the increase is much less sharp than the very sharp growth in population seen in Brussels during the previous decade.
Big population increase in the City of Brussels and Evere, population falls in Sint-Gillis and Sint-Joost-ten-Node
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The figures for the past ten years show very pronounced differences between the various municipalities. Evere, in the northeast of Brussels saw the sharp rise in population (19%).
There are currently more than 7,000 more people living in Evere than was the case 10 years ago. The City of Brussels saw a 16% increase in its population, while the population of Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe increased by 14%. In the west of Brussels Anderlecht has seen its population increase by 10% since 2014. Not all the capital’s municipalities have seen such dramatic increases in their population though.
The leafy southern suburb of Watermaal-Bosvoorde has seen its population increase by just 3% since 2014 while the population of Schaarbeek has remained the same. Two municipalities, Sint-Gillis and Sint-Joost-ten-Node have seen their population decrease (by 2%) since 2014.
Why such big differences between the municipalities?
The demographer Patrick Deboosere of Brussels’ Dutch-medium Free University (VUB) told the regional news platform Bruzz that
“The most important factor is housing stock. New-builds or empty property that becomes occupied again. This is what normally has the biggest impact. This is something that you see very clearly on the streets of Evere. New residential areas have been built in Sint-Lambrechts Woluwe and the City of Brussels too”.
The acting Mayor of Evere Ridouane Chahid (Francophone socialist) confirms this this “A lot of new housing has been built in amongst other places the Maquis area. In addition to this a lot of offices have been converted into flats, for example around the Kolonel Bourgstraat and in the area around the Leopold III-laan.
The offices that have been converted had become more difficult to let as commercial premises in recent years, not least because they were relatively poorly served by public transport.
Mr Chadid went on to say that the big increase in population in Evere has brought with it challenges for the municipal authorities there. Extra facilities such as new schools and sport infrastructure have been provided while at the same time ensuring that there is still enough green open space for residents to enjoy.
Population decrease
But why has the population in some Brussels municipality decreased? Jean-Pierre Hermia of the Brussels Institute of Statistics Bisa told Bruzz that “The figures tell us that the number of people per household in Sint-Gillis, Sint-Joost-ten-Node and Schaarbeek has decreased, while at the same time the size of the homes they live in has not”.
Willem Stevens (Flemish socialist) is the Alderman responsible for urban renewal in Sint-Gillis. He told Bruzz that “We are seeing the size of household decreasing more and more with one parent living in a flat with one or two children, for example. We also have a particularly high number of single-person households. These account for about 60% of all households."
Mr Stevens is keen to stress that Sint-Gillis is also keen to ensure that its resident live in quality housing. "Where you used to see six names on the bell at a house, now there are often only three. This is something we pay attention to when we consider planning applications".
Airbnb
The use of a growing number of properties as Airbnb holiday lets is also playing a role. The Mayor of Sint-Joost-ten-Node Emir Kir (independent, photo above) told Bruzz that “As in Sint-Gillis we have a lot of them. These are residential properties that are no longer available as homes. The legislation on this is far too lax”. Mr Kir is in favour of increased population density. He believes that the construction of high-rise flats is the the way forward. However, he says that the regional authorities often prevent the owners of buildings from added a couple of floors to the top of their properties.
Meanwhile, Patrick Deboosere points to another factor. The municipalities that are seeing their population decrease were among the most densely populated in Brussels and even in the whole of Belgium. “There wasn’t much room for further growth and also barely room for the construction of new homes. If people from higher income groups go and live there it isn’t really surprising that there is some population decrease”.