Urban population in Belgium
Belgium: Urban population was 87.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Belgium, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Belgium is 87.7%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Belgium peaked at 87.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 65.9%, in 1960.
Belgium ranks 42nd of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 65.9% | — |
| 1961 | 66.2% | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 66.6% | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 67.0% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 67.5% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 68.0% | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 68.6% | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 69.1% | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 69.6% | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 70.2% | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 70.6% | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 71.1% | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 71.5% | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 71.9% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 72.3% | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 72.7% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 73.1% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 73.5% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 73.9% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 74.3% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 74.7% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 75.1% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 75.5% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 75.9% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 76.3% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 76.7% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 77.1% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 77.4% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 77.8% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 78.2% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 78.6% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 78.9% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 79.3% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 79.6% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 80.0% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 80.3% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 80.7% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 81.0% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 81.4% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 81.7% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 82.0% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 82.3% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 82.7% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 83.0% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 83.3% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 83.6% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 83.9% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 84.1% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 84.4% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 84.7% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 85.0% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 85.2% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 85.5% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 85.7% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 86.0% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 86.2% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 86.5% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 86.7% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 86.9% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 87.1% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 87.3% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 87.4% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 87.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 87.6% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 87.6% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 87.7% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 67.9% | 65.9% | 70.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.5% | 70.6% | 74.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 76.5% | 74.7% | 78.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 80.1% | 78.6% | 81.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 83.4% | 82.0% | 84.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.1% | 85.0% | 87.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.5% | 87.3% | 87.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 39 Brazil 88.2% compare
- 40 Libya 87.9% compare
- 41 Australia 87.7% compare
- 43 Palestine, State of 87.4% compare
- 44 United Arab Emirates 86.0% compare
- 45 Switzerland 85.7% compare
More climate change data for Belgium
- 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)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.3575 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Belgium?
- Urban population in Belgium was 87.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 87.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.9% in 1960.
- How does Belgium rank for urban population?
- Belgium ranks 42nd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.