BEL · BE · United Nations WPP 2024 · 2026
Belgium
Belgium had a population of 11,774,642 people in 2026, ranking 83 of 237 countries and areas. Explore its age pyramid, trends and demographic indicators.
Source: United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant.
- Total population
- 11,774,642 people 2026 · Projection
- Rank
- #83/ 237 Europe #11 / 50
- Share of world population
- 0.14% 2026
- Density
- 388.9 people/km² 2026
- Median age
- 42.1 years
- Life expectancy
- 82.59 years
Country or area overview
Belgium is in Europe. In 2026, its population was 11,774,642 people, about 0.14% of the world total. It ranks #83 of 237 countries and areas worldwide. The population was 8,617,441 people in 1950 and is projected to reach 11,060,848 people in 2100. The annual population growth rate in 2026 is 0.12%. The median age is 42.1. 15.4% of the population is under 15 and 21.4% is 65 or older. Life expectancy is 82.59 and the total fertility rate is 1.40. Within Europe, it ranks #11 of 50 by population and #9 of 50 by population density. Data note This page uses the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium variant. Data for 1950–2023 are estimates; 2024 onward, including 2026, are projections. Values for 2100 are long-range projections.
Belgium map
Country outline and its location in the world.
World location
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:50m.
Population history and projection
Population from 1950 to 2100. The dashed section shows the UN medium-variant projection from 2024 onward.
Age group · 2026
Population age pyramid
Male and female population by five-year age group. Move the year slider to compare 1950, today and the 2100 projection.
Age-group data
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 274,377 | 261,747 | 536,124 | 4.55% |
| 5–9 | 313,018 | 299,904 | 612,922 | 5.21% |
| 10–14 | 340,526 | 325,202 | 665,728 | 5.65% |
| 15–19 | 359,563 | 343,507 | 703,070 | 5.97% |
| 20–24 | 353,813 | 337,853 | 691,666 | 5.87% |
| 25–29 | 353,248 | 343,385 | 696,633 | 5.92% |
| 30–34 | 372,176 | 369,029 | 741,205 | 6.29% |
| 35–39 | 384,548 | 385,966 | 770,514 | 6.54% |
| 40–44 | 376,082 | 377,838 | 753,920 | 6.40% |
| 45–49 | 381,099 | 379,870 | 760,969 | 6.46% |
| 50–54 | 378,779 | 372,651 | 751,430 | 6.38% |
| 55–59 | 394,373 | 387,917 | 782,290 | 6.64% |
| 60–64 | 394,916 | 396,486 | 791,402 | 6.72% |
| 65–69 | 349,608 | 366,245 | 715,853 | 6.08% |
| 70–74 | 285,644 | 316,472 | 602,116 | 5.11% |
| 75–79 | 229,994 | 274,575 | 504,569 | 4.29% |
| 80–84 | 143,875 | 192,685 | 336,560 | 2.86% |
| 85–89 | 82,675 | 134,387 | 217,062 | 1.84% |
| 90–94 | 34,828 | 73,011 | 107,839 | 0.92% |
| 95–99 | 7,519 | 21,839 | 29,358 | 0.25% |
| 100+ | 648 | 2,761 | 3,409 | 0.03% |
Demographic indicators
UN WPP 2024 indicators for 2026.
| Indicator | 2026 | Projection for 2100 | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 11,774,642 people | 11,060,848 people | people |
| Male population | 5,811,311 people | 5,562,554 people | people |
| Female population | 5,963,332 people | 5,498,294 people | people |
| Population density | 388.9 people/km² | 365.3 people/km² | people/km² |
| Sex ratio | 97.5 | 101.2 | males per 100 females |
| Median age | 42.1 | 49.0 | years |
| Natural change | -15,044 | -40,606 | people |
| Natural change rate | -1.28 ‰ | -3.67 ‰ | ‰ |
| Population change | 14,563 | -18,366 | people |
| Population growth rate | 0.12% | -0.17% | % |
| Population doubling time | — | — | years |
| Births | 100,860 people | 90,877 people | people |
| Births to women aged 15–19 | 1,135 | 787 | people |
| Birth rate | 8.57 ‰ | 8.22 ‰ | ‰ |
| Total fertility rate | 1.40 | 1.55 | children per woman |
| Net reproduction rate | 0.677 | 0.756 | |
| Mean age at childbearing | 31.25 | 31.55 | years |
| Sex ratio at birth | 105.0 | 105.2 | males per 100 females |
| Deaths | 115,904 people | 131,483 people | people |
| Male deaths | 57,456 | 67,732 | people |
| Female deaths | 58,449 | 63,751 | people |
| Death rate | 9.84 ‰ | 11.89 ‰ | ‰ |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.59 | 91.42 | years |
| Male life expectancy at birth | 80.46 | 89.81 | years |
| Female life expectancy at birth | 84.69 | 93.10 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 15 | 67.90 | 76.50 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 65 | 20.88 | 27.67 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 80 | 9.73 | 14.03 | years |
| Infant deaths | 273 | 59 | people |
| Infant mortality rate | 2.70 ‰ | 0.65 ‰ | ‰ |
| Survivors to age 1 | 100,627 | 90,826 | people |
| Deaths under age 5 | 328 | 71 | people |
| Under-5 mortality rate | 3.22 ‰ | 0.78 ‰ | ‰ |
| Net migration | 29,607 | 22,237 | people |
| Net migration rate | 2.51 ‰ | 2.01 ‰ | ‰ |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Belgium?
- In 2026, Belgium had a population of 11,774,642 people. It ranks #83 of 237 countries and areas worldwide.
- How has the population of Belgium changed?
- The population was 8,617,441 people in 1950 and is projected to reach 11,060,848 people in 2100.
- What is the age structure of Belgium?
- The median age is 42.1. 15.4% of the population is under 15 and 21.4% is 65 or older.
- How does Belgium compare within Europe?
- By total population, Belgium ranks #11 of 50 in Europe and #83 of 237 worldwide.
Estimates cover 1950–2023; 2024 and later are UN medium-variant projections. Rankings use the latest available value for the selected year. The world total is the sum of all countries and areas in the dataset.