Belgium recorded just 108,150 births in 2024, the lowest number seen since 1942. New figures from Statbel show births fell by 1.9 per cent on the previous year, continuing a decline that began after a peak in 2010.
Only five years in Belgian history have seen fewer births than 2024: 1916, 1917, 1918, 1941 and 1942. All were wartime years.
Births fell across the country, but Wallonia was hit hardest with a 3.9 per cent decline from the previous year. Brussels slipped by 1.1 per cent, while Flanders dropped just 0.9 per cent.
Belgium's total fertility rate is now 1.44 children per woman, down from 1.47 in 2023. Belgian women have a fertility rate of 1.33, compared with 1.89 for women of foreign nationality. Brussels has the lowest fertility rate at 1.34, while Wallonia sits at 1.43 and Flanders at 1.48.
Parents getting older
The average age of mothers reached 31.4 in 2024. Fathers or co-parents averaged 34.3.
Brussels recorded the oldest mothers at 32.3 and the oldest fathers at 36.4. Wallonia followed, with fathers averaging 34.1. Flanders had the youngest fathers at 34.0 and mothers at 31.3.
The figures underline Belgium's growing demographic challenge, with fewer births, older parents and a population ageing faster than ever.
