The Brussels Region is the fastest-growing region in the country, and the City of Brussels is the third-fastest-growing municipality in Belgium. Migration, in particular, is the driving force behind this growth. Earlier, Brussels experienced urban flight, but today there is now no sign of this.
The figures speak for themselves. European data clearly show that the population of most Brussels municipalities has risen sharply since the year 2000.
The City of Brussels stands out. Between 2001 and 2024, its population grew by 48.6 per cent. Evere and Anderlecht also saw strong growth of around 45 per cent.
Urban exodus due to more cars and small-scale industry
Before the turn of the century, however, things looked bleak for Brussels. Between 1961 and 2001, we see almost the opposite picture to today. Urban decay and a decline in quality of life led to urban flight. In the City of Brussels, the population fell by more than 20 per cent.
“During that period, the Brussels Region had very few powers of its own. As a result, the options for urban planning were limited,” explains demographer Patrick Deboosere of the Flemish Free University of Brussels, the VUB.
“The car was given top priority. Brussels really became a car-centric city. For example, a viaduct was built on the Leopold II laan allowing motorists to look into people’s bedrooms. House prices fell. Many people fled to the outskirts.”
Migration and better urban planning
This began to change from the 1990s onwards. The region gradually gained more powers, and politicians set about creating a ‘liveable city’ and encouraged greater involvement from residents.
Nevertheless, the main cause of population growth this century has been migration. In the early 1990s, many people from the former Soviet bloc fled to Western European cities, very often to capital cities such as Brussels.
This was made possible by the EU’s Maastricht Treaty, which allowed the free movement of people and services throughout the European Union.
Alongside this economic migration, there were also a great many conflicts that triggered migrant flows: the war in the Balkans, in Rwanda, and subsequently those in Iraq and Syria.
“This migration consists mainly of young people in their twenties. They are seeking a better life,” says Deboosere. “This automatically leads to a rejuvenation of the population, and young people have children.”
Due to this high birth rate and the influx of young people, the Brussels Region is the youngest region in Belgium. This presents opportunities, but also major challenges, such as sky-high youth unemployment.
This analysis is based on new data from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. The data show how the population has changed since 1961 in each municipality in the European Union, the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.