Population growth in Belgium
Belgium: Population growth was 0.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Belgium, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 0.7% for population growth in 2025.
The figure is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 20.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Belgium peaked at 1.3% in 2011 and was at its lowest, -0.0%, in 1982.
Belgium ranks 121st of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth in Belgium, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.3% | — |
| 1962 | 0.4% | +19.8% |
| 1963 | 0.7% | +87.8% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | +26.6% |
| 1965 | 0.9% | -4.1% |
| 1966 | 0.7% | -25.6% |
| 1967 | 0.6% | -17.6% |
| 1968 | 0.4% | -29.3% |
| 1969 | 0.3% | -28.0% |
| 1970 | 0.1% | -65.2% |
| 1971 | 0.2% | +84.8% |
| 1972 | 0.4% | +114.9% |
| 1973 | 0.3% | -19.6% |
| 1974 | 0.3% | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.3% | -8.2% |
| 1976 | 0.2% | -38.2% |
| 1977 | 0.1% | -30.9% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | -24.4% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | -3.7% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | +22.6% |
| 1981 | -0.0% | -102.4% |
| 1982 | -0.0% | +930.5% |
| 1983 | -0.0% | -70.8% |
| 1984 | -0.0% | -81.1% |
| 1985 | 0.0% | -2083.5% |
| 1986 | 0.0% | +19.7% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | +139.1% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | +272.9% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | +14.3% |
| 1990 | 0.3% | -17.9% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | +24.6% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | +9.2% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | -21.1% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | -32.0% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -6.7% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | +23.8% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | -11.8% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | +7.3% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | +5.8% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | +41.8% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | +30.3% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -6.6% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +27.1% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | +19.9% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | +11.3% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | +7.6% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | +13.6% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | +42.4% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | -52.3% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -24.0% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -5.8% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | +30.5% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -12.6% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -23.9% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | +18.2% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | +18.7% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -20.3% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | +96.3% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 0.7% | -21.7% |
| 2025 | 0.7% | +5.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 0.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 1.6× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 0.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.3%, 2.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +2083.5% | -0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1982 | -930.5% | -0.0% | -0.0% |
| 1988 | +272.9% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | -0.0% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More climate change data for Belgium
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 143.51 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 8,360 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,763 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 6,597 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.65 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 235.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,004 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 993.72 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 10.01 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3.75 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Belgium?
- Population growth in Belgium was 0.7% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 2011.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.0% in 1982.
- How does Belgium rank for population growth?
- Belgium ranks 121st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.