Urban population growth (annual %) in Belgium
Belgium: Urban population growth (annual %) was 0.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Belgium, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in Belgium stood at 0.8%.
The figure is up 4.3% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Belgium peaked at 1.7% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1982.
Belgium ranks 137th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth (annual %) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.9% | — |
| 1962 | 0.9% | +8.7% |
| 1963 | 1.4% | +45.6% |
| 1964 | 1.7% | +20.2% |
| 1965 | 1.7% | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 1.5% | -12.2% |
| 1967 | 1.4% | -7.8% |
| 1968 | 1.2% | -13.5% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | -13.0% |
| 1970 | 0.8% | -24.5% |
| 1971 | 0.8% | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 1.0% | +24.0% |
| 1973 | 0.9% | -8.2% |
| 1974 | 0.9% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 0.9% | -3.5% |
| 1976 | 0.7% | -13.6% |
| 1977 | 0.7% | -8.3% |
| 1978 | 0.6% | -5.3% |
| 1979 | 0.6% | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 0.5% | -18.4% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -5.8% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | +4.9% |
| 1986 | 0.5% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | +8.1% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | +39.2% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | +8.6% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | -10.7% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | -14.1% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | +6.3% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | -5.4% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | +14.6% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | +13.2% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +13.7% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +11.2% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | +6.6% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | +8.9% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | +30.8% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -42.8% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -17.1% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | +17.4% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -9.6% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -16.8% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | +9.5% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | +10.8% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -15.2% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -14.5% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | +54.9% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | +5.3% |
| 2024 | 0.7% | -20.2% |
| 2025 | 0.8% | +4.3% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 0.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.6%, 1.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 0.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5%, 1.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 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 urban population growth in Belgium?
- Urban population growth in Belgium was 0.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1965.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1982.
- How does Belgium rank for urban population growth?
- Belgium ranks 137th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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 urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.