What is the population of Belgium in 2026?
Belgium has a population of 11,941,781 people (2025 estimate), which is 82nd in the world and about 0.14% of the global total.
Officially Kingdom of Belgium
Population 2025
11,941,781
0.14% of world population
World Bank, 2025Annual Growth
+0.70%
+83,473 people a year
World Bank, 2025Density
386/km²
30,494 km² land area
World Bank, 2023Median Age
41.9 years
Life expectancy 82.3 years
Our World in Data, 2025About Belgium
With a population of 11.9 million spread across 30,494 km², Belgium ranks 82nd globally and supports a notably dense 386 people per km². The country's median age of 41.9 years reflects an aging population, while life expectancy reaches 82.3 years. Urban areas account for 88% of inhabitants, and annual growth stands at 0.7%. A fertility rate of 1.4 births per woman contributes to the slow expansion.
Established as an independent kingdom in 1830, Belgium functions as a federation bordered by France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The capital is Brussels. Citizens speak German, French, and Dutch, and use the Euro as currency. The economy generates a per capita GDP of $60,750, indicating relatively high income per resident.
This summary is AI-generated from the indicators on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.
Country Facts
- Capital
- Brussels
- Continent
- Europe
- ISO codes
- BE · BEL
- Demonym
- Belgian
- Currency
- Euro (EUR €)
- Government
- Federation, Federal parliamentary monarchy
- State inception
- 1830
- Time zone
- UTC+01:00
- Driving side
- Right
- Calling code
- +32
- Internet TLD
- .be
- Land neighbours
- 4
Languages
- German
- French
- Dutch
Demographics
Economy
Health
Education
Not published for Belgium: Literacy Rate.
Environment
Infrastructure
Quality of Life
Geography
Military
Age & Gender Distribution
Population by five-year age band, UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Male Female
- Age 0–14
- 16.0%
- Age 15–64
- 63.4%
- Age 65+
- 20.6%
| Age band | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 100+ | 555 | 2,527 |
| 95-99 | 6,473 | 20,293 |
| 90-94 | 33,633 | 73,674 |
| 85-89 | 83,308 | 138,328 |
| 80-84 | 129,583 | 177,632 |
| 75-79 | 218,241 | 263,031 |
| 70-74 | 273,673 | 304,381 |
| 65-69 | 334,450 | 353,483 |
| 60-64 | 388,373 | 392,913 |
| 55-59 | 400,764 | 393,928 |
| 50-54 | 393,216 | 385,494 |
| 45-49 | 374,723 | 370,765 |
| 40-44 | 383,046 | 383,424 |
| 35-39 | 378,622 | 380,769 |
| 30-34 | 384,596 | 383,636 |
| 25-29 | 355,500 | 349,346 |
| 20-24 | 340,820 | 326,070 |
| 15-19 | 348,969 | 332,781 |
| 10-14 | 348,875 | 333,354 |
| 5-9 | 321,860 | 307,988 |
| 0-4 | 289,178 | 276,493 |
Population History & Projection (1950–2100)
Observed population to 2024, then the UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 8,617,441 |
| 1960 | 9,102,171 |
| 1970 | 9,630,504 |
| 1980 | 9,833,093 |
| 1990 | 9,960,968 |
| 2000 | 10,251,717 |
| 2010 | 10,936,626 |
| 2020 | 11,540,107 |
| 2030 | 11,824,141 |
| 2040 | 11,892,204 |
| 2050 | 11,870,906 |
| 2060 | 11,684,663 |
| 2070 | 11,490,796 |
| 2080 | 11,361,055 |
| 2090 | 11,221,816 |
| 2100 | 11,060,848 |
How Belgium Compares
Population against the ten most populous countries.
| Name | Population |
|---|---|
| India | 1.46B |
| China | 1.41B |
| United States | 341.8M |
| Indonesia | 285.7M |
| Pakistan | 255.2M |
| Nigeria | 237.5M |
| Brazil | 212.8M |
| Bangladesh | 175.7M |
| Russia | 143.5M |
| Ethiopia | 135.5M |
| Belgium | 11.9M |
Major Cities in Belgium
1 metropolitan area in our city dataset.
- Brussels2.11M · +0.45%
Countries Bordering Belgium
4 land borders.
- France68.7M · +0.25%
- Germany83.5M · −0.03%
- Luxembourg687K · +1.46%
- Netherlands18.1M · +0.52%
Belgium Population FAQ
Is the population of Belgium growing or shrinking?
Belgium's population is growing at +0.70% per year, a change of roughly 83,473 people annually.
What is the capital of Belgium?
The capital of Belgium is Brussels.
What is the largest city in Belgium?
Brussels is the largest metropolitan area in Belgium, with about 2.11M people.
How densely populated is Belgium?
Belgium has 386/km² across 30,494 km² of land area.
What is life expectancy in Belgium?
Life expectancy at birth in Belgium is 82.3 years (2024).
What is the median age in Belgium?
The median age in Belgium is 41.9 years, meaning half the population is younger than that and half older.
Which continent is Belgium in?
Belgium is in Europe.