In the Brussels Region, just under 15,600 births were registered in 2021, making it the only region in Belgium to see the number of births decrease, according to the preliminary birth figures from the Belgian statistical office Statbel.
Births fell by about 300 in Brussels compared to 2020, whereas Flanders and Wallonia saw increases of 3,000 and 1,600, respectively.
“In Brussels, the number of births does not therefore seem to be recovering in 2021, but rather continuing to fall,” Statbel’s analysis found.
Just over 118,100 births were provisionally recorded across the whole of Belgium in 2021, a figure that’s around 4,400 more births than in 2020.
Related News
- Belgian population almost 13 million by 2070, life expectancy almost 90
- Russia registers record population loss of over 1 million in 2021
But 2020 saw an unusually low birth rate, and the number of registered births in 2021 is in line with the average number of births in the period 2017-2019.
Differences by Region
In Flanders, about 65,800 births were registered— around 3,000 more than in 2020 and about 1,700 more than the average number of births in 2017-2019, indicating that the birth rate seems to be not only recovering, but also offsetting the low number of births in 2020.
In Wallonia, just over 36,700 births were recorded in 2021. This is around 1,600 more than in 2020, but in line with the average birth rate in the period 2017-2019, according to Statbel. The Walloon Region therefore seems to be experiencing a recovery in the birth rate.
Changes in the number of women of childbearing age and the population structure were not taken into account during this preliminary analysis. A more detailed analysis will be published in June after the final birth rates are calculated.
