Two-thirds (65.5%) of Belgium’s population consisted of Belgians of Belgian origin as at 1 January 2023 , according to data published on Thursday by national statistics office Statbel.
About one-fifth (21%) were Belgians of foreign origin and just over one in eight (13.4%) were non-Belgians.
Of the 11,697,557 inhabitants counted in the country on 1 January, 7,665,100 were citizens of Belgian origin, 2,459,184 were Belgians of foreign origin and 1,573,273 were non-citizens.
The distribution of the population varied greatly between the three regions. Flanders had the highest proportion of Belgians of Belgian origin (three out of four people). Wallonia was in line with the national average at two out of three, while the capital offered the most diverse profile, with one in four Brussels residents being Belgians of Belgian origin.
At the same time, the proportion of Belgians of foreign origin was lower in Flanders (15.8%) than in Wallonia (24.4%) and Brussels (39.7%). The capital also had a higher proportion of non-Belgians (36.9%) than its northern and southern neighbours (11%).
On the other hand, Flanders had a larger share of persons whose nationality of origin was from outside the EU (58.3%) than Wallonia (39.6%). Brussels holds the prize for diversity, though: 61% of its population was originally from outside the EU.
However, Statbel notes that nationality is no indication of whether a person had migrated or not: a large majority (69.4%) of Belgians of foreign origin were born in Belgium, and 15.1% of non-Belgians were also born here. Virtually all Belgians of Belgian origin (98.4%) gave their first cry in the Flat Country.
The proportion of Belgians of Belgian origin clearly increases with age, notes Statbel: they were 52.3% among 0-17 year olds, 63.2% among 18-64 year olds and 85.9% among the over 65s.
Diversity has come to colour Belgium a little more over the last two decades. Thus, the proportion of Belgians of Belgian origin was 80.5% in 2003 but 72.7% in 2013. Belgians of foreign origin were 11.3% in 2003 and 16.5% in 2013. Non-Belgians went from 8.2% in 2003 to 10.8% in 2013.
