Population and Demographics of Belgium
An aging population · 20.56% aged 65 or older in 2024
Compared with 2000, the 2024 population is 14.5% larger, showing the scale of the longer shift. By 2050, the medium path points to 11.87 million, equivalent to a +1.1% change from the 2024 estimate.
Population Over Time in Belgium
Belgium's population stood at 10.252M in 2000 and 11.739M in 2024, equivalent to a +14.5% change over that period. For 2050, the medium projection is 11.871M. That is a difference of about 0.13 million people from the 2024 estimate. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
The 2024 age structure gives Belgium a older population profile. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close at 16.00% and 20.56%, while 63.44% are 15 to 64. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close in size.
Population by broad age group
The 2024 World Bank sex-share indicator gives Belgium a female share of 50.7% and a male share of 49.3%. Females exceed males by 1.4 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 50.7% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.3% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
The 2024 population series for Belgium records +0.22% annual change and a fertility rate of 1.4, with younger residents at 16.00% and older residents at 20.56% of the total.
The difference between the 2000 and 2024 population points is +14.5% in Belgium, before the medium projection moves another +1.1% to 2050; component causes are not assigned without separate births, deaths and migration data.
2024 estimate for Belgium. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Belgium vs. World
The comparison puts Belgium's +0.22% annual change beside a world rate of +0.87%, a fertility rate of 1.4 beside 2.25, and a median age of 42 years beside 30.6 globally.
| Indicator | Belgium | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +0.22% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.4 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 42 | 30.6 | 2024 |
This comparison avoids mixed-year arithmetic by keeping Belgium and the world on the same 2024 harmonized demographic table.
Key Takeaways
At 11.739M, the 2024 population is paired with an annual change rate of +0.22%.
The 2024 age structure is 16.00% under 15, 63.44% aged 15 to 64 and 20.56% aged 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 50.7% female and 49.3% male.
By 2050, the medium projection is 11.871M, differing from 2024 by roughly 0.13 million people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Belgium?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Belgium is 11,738,763 people.
Is the population of Belgium growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Belgium's population is growing, with annual change of +0.22%.
What percentage of the population of Belgium is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 20.56% of Belgium's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Belgium in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Belgium's 2050 population at 11,870,906.
What is the fertility rate in Belgium?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Belgium is 1.4 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.