Belgium's population tops 11.8 million, driven by migration
Belgium's population stood at 11,867,634 on 1 January 2026, up 42,083 on the year before, a rise of 0.36 per cent. The figures, published by the Belgian statistical office Statbel, show that population growth is attributable to migration.
2025 was the fourth consecutive year in which more people died than were born. An ageing population is a key factor, as there are fewer women of childbearing age and the average number of children per woman continues to decline. This produced a negative natural increase of 4,890.
Still, Belgium's population grew thanks to migration, with 47,562 more arrivals than departures last year. This is lower than in the years 2021 to 2024, when international migration flows were exceptionally high. Statbel attributes that earlier peak to a post-pandemic catch-up effect combined with a sharp rise in migration linked to the geopolitical context, in particular the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Among the three regions, Flanders recorded the strongest growth, up 0.49 per cent to 6,898,350 inhabitants. Wallonia grew by 0.23 per cent to 3,713,450. The Brussels-Capital Region was virtually stagnant, gaining just 39 inhabitants to reach 1,255,834 - though Brussels remained the only region where births outnumbered deaths.
Record number of naturalisations
Statbel also reported a total of 69,017 residents acquiring the Belgian nationality in 2025, the highest figure since records began in 1992 and an increase of almost 15 per cent on 2024. The previous peak was in 2001, when 62,994 people became Belgian citizens. After that, naturalisations declined steadily, before rising again from 2020 onwards.
Moroccans made up the largest single group of new Belgians, with 6,502 naturalisations, followed by Romanians (4,366), Syrians (4,200), Poles (2,989) and Italians (2,848). For virtually all major countries of origin, the 2025 figure exceeded that of 2024.
The long-term trend among Syrians is particularly striking: in 2015, only 185 Syrians were granted Belgian nationality; a decade on, that figure stands at 4,200, reflecting the large wave of asylum seekers who arrived in the mid-2010s.
Europeans remained the largest group overall, accounting for 27,731 new Belgians. Africans followed with 19,073 naturalisations, and Asians — including people from Middle Eastern countries — with 15,922.
© BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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