Flanders now has almost 500 inhabitants per square kilometre

Flanders has more inhabitants every year, and the average number of inhabitants per square kilometre is increasing steadily. At the beginning of this year, the population density had risen to 492 people per square kilometre, according to a brochure published by Statistics Flanders on Tuesday.

In 2000, the average population in Flanders was 436 people per square kilometre. Since then, on average more than 50 inhabitants per square kilometre were added, an increase of almost 13%. 

Naturally, population density varies from place to place. On the whole, it is highest in Flanders, particularly in the area between Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven and Brussel, in some coastal municipalities, around Kortrijk and Roeselare in south-west Flanders and in the cities of Hasselt and Genk in Limburg.

According to the most recent figures (from early 2021), the population density in Flanders is highest in the Antwerp town of Mortsel, with 3,362 inhabitants per square kilometre. The highest population density in the whole of Belgium was recorded in early 2021 in the Brussels commune of Sint-Joost-ten-Node: 23,371 inhabitants per square kilometre.

At the beginning of this year, Flanders had just under 6.7 million inhabitants (6,689,876). 

(TOM)

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An aerial view of the town of Mortsel. - © BELGA PHOTO YORICK JANSENS