Belgium's affection for cars is well known. Often encouraged as a means of benefitting from tax breaks, the more recent imperative to reduce journeys made in fossil-fuelled vehicles hasn't necessarily resulted in an uptake in public transport.
Many households have simply swapped their older combustion engines for electric vehicles (EVs). But whilst there is still a strong case for having a car for those living in the countryside, city residents are serviced by public transport networks that lower the need for personal vehicles.
Following analysis of figures for 2022, Belgium's statistics office Statbel found that nationwide the average number of cars per household is 1.06 – the same as in 2021. However this number fluctuates considerably depending on where you live and, of course, how wealthy you are.
In Brussels, the average drops to 0.57 cars per household, noteworthy for having fallen 2% since 2021. Meanwhile in Wallonia the average rises to 1.11 whilst in Flanders it is 1.13.
In particular, analysts found that people who are single or couples without children are far more likely to go without a car; perhaps unsurprising. Indeed, as soon as a children come into the picture it is far more likely that you will own a car.
The report noted that the Brussels municipality of Saint Josse has the lowest number of cars per household, with an average of just 0.33. By contrast, Lasne (south of Brussels) has the highest number at 1.69.
