New figures relating to population numbers in the Belgian and Flemish capital have been released. On 1 January 2024, the Brussels Region counted 1,255,795 inhabitants. The figure is up 6,198 on the year. The figures are contained in a new report from the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis (BISA). According to the BISA, this is the 29th consecutive year that the capital's population has grown.
Never before have so many people lived in the Brussels Region. In 2024, the population grew by 0.50 per cent, a rate that is higher than in Wallonia (0.34 per cent), but lower than in Flanders (0.63 per cent).
The increase in Brussels was less pronounced than in 2023 and especially 2022, when the war in Ukraine and strong international immigration had an impact on the figures.
Births and deaths
In 2024, 13,830 babies were born in Brussels. The number of births in the capital has also been declining for years, but last year's birth rate of 11 births per 1,000 inhabitants was still higher than in Flanders or Wallonia.
8,500 deaths in 2024 means the mortality rate in Brussels has also never been so low. However, the mortality rate in the region is considerably lower than in Flanders or Brussels.
People in their 30s and their children are quitting Brussels
Last year, 43,000 people left the capital to settle in Flanders or Wallonia. Only 25,100 people made the opposite move. It is mainly people in their thirties and their children who are leaving Brussels.
The main driver of demographic growth remains international migration. Last year, there was a net increase of 19,398 people, which is less than in 2023 (21,443) and 2022 (31,685).