In the first quarter of 2022, over half (56.3%) of births were recorded in Flanders, according to statistics from Statbel, the Belgian statistics agency.
Using data gathered from the National Register, Statbel recorded a total of 27,957 births in the first three months of the year, down slightly from the year before. 31.3% of births took place in Wallonia, and 12.4% in the Brussels-Capital region.
According to provincial statistics, the highest birth rates were recorded in the provinces of Antwerp (17%), East Flanders (13.2%) and Hainaut (11.5%). The lowest birth rates were recorded in the provinces of Luxembourg (2.9%), Walloon Brabant (3.2%), and Namur (4.2%).
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The birth rate in Belgium has been steadily declining since the start of the twentieth century. Since 1946, birth rates have declined by 21%. Fertility rates across Belgium are 40% less than what they were in 1961.
Figures show that Belgian women are having their children much later than they did just 20 years ago. In 2019, the average age of a Belgian mother was 31, up 6.9% from 1998, where mothers were typically 29 years old. This is particularly pronounced in the capital, where on average, mothers have children at 32 years old.
The data suggest that, in terms of demographics, Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital region are lagging behind Flanders. Last year, just under 15,600 births were registered in the Brussels region last year, a decrease from the year before, when there was an unusually low birth rate across the country.
