Over one in three people in Belgium have a non-Belgian background
Belgium’s population is more than a third non-Belgian, according to new data from Statbel, the country’s official statistics agency. Of the 11.82 million people living in Belgium in 2025, 4.25 million either have a background in another country or are not Belgian citizens.
The figures show that 22.1 per cent of residents have a foreign background, while 13.8 per cent are not Belgian citizens. Among those with foreign roots, half were born abroad and later naturalised, while the other half were born in Belgium to at least one foreign-born parent.
The demographic makeup varies significantly by region. In Brussels, for example, only 22 percent of the population has a fully Belgian background, compared to 64 percent in Wallonia and 72 percent in Flanders. Brussels also has the highest proportion of non-Belgians, at 37 per cent.
Steady increase
The diversity of Belgium's population has increased steadily over the past two decades. While 79 per cent of the population had a fully Belgian background in 2005, this figure had dropped to 64 per cent. Meanwhile, the proportion of Belgians with foreign roots increased from 12.4 to 22 percent, and the non-Belgian population almost doubled.
This shift is most clearly reflected in younger age groups: just 51 percent of children and teenagers have a fully Belgian background, compared to 85 percent of seniors. The majority of people without Belgian roots (54 per cent) originate from outside the EU.
© BELGIAN_FREELANCE
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