The statistic displays the results of a survey conducted by Ipsos of the perceived and actual immigrant population share in the Netherlands and Belgium in 2018. The survey results show that as of 2018, there was a significant gap between the public perception and actual share of immigrants in the Netherlands and in Belgium.

Survey respondents in the Netherlands estimated that roughly a quarter of the population were immigrants, whereas in Belgium this figure rose to nearly 30 percent. In reality, immigrants made up just over ten percent of the general population in both the Netherlands and Belgium in 2018.

The statistic displays the results of a survey conducted by Ipsos of the perceived and actual Muslim population share in the Netherlands and Belgium in 2018. The survey results show that as of 2018, there was a significant gap between the public perception and actual share of the population who were Muslim in the Netherlands and in Belgium.

Survey respondents in the Netherlands estimated that one fifth of the population were Muslim, whereas this figure increased to over 25 percent among Belgian survey participants. In reality, just five percent of the population in the Netherlands and in Belgium was Muslim in 2018.

Belgium - Proportion of population aged 0-14 years was 16.30% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Belgium - Proportion of population aged 0-14 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on March of 2025. Historically, Belgium - Proportion of population aged 0-14 years reached a record high of 17.00% in December of 2018 and a record low of 16.30% in December of 2024.

From 2009 to 2022, the average duration of marriage was on an overall rise in Belgium. In 2022, the average duration of a marriage in Belgium was 15.2 years. Although the rise was modest, similar figures were found in the Netherlands, thus showing a similar tendency. From a regional perspective, marriage duration was higher in the region of Wallonia than in Flanders. However, the Brussels-Capital region registered the lowest average duration of marriages. Regardless of duration, Belgium’s townhalls registered around 33 thousand marriages in 2020.

What are the terms of marriage in Belgium?

There are four conditions regulating marriage in Belgium. Firstly, regarding the maturity required to perform this important act, the minimum age to get married is 18 years of age. Secondly, both partners must clearly express their consent. Although a person under protected status cannot legally give consent, a judge can still allow the marriage. Thirdly, future spouses must not be closely related. Therefore, they must not be relatives in a direct ascending or descending line (parents and children). Moreover, they must not be relatives in a collateral line to the third degree (siblings, uncles and aunts with nieces and nephews, first-grade cousins). Finally, Belgium strictly prohibits bigamy, a person may not get married if he or she is already married. This rule also applies to foreigners marrying in Belgium who come from a country where this is legal. Furthermore, either one of the future spouses must be Belgian or living in the country for over three months, with proof. Since June 2003, marriages are authorized between same-sex couples.

Rights and obligations concerning marriage in Belgium

In 2018, more than half of Belgians felt that marriage was simply not for them or just a piece of paper. Nonetheless, getting married in Belgium comes with certain rights and obligations. These duties relate to cohabitation, fidelity, and from a moral perspective, care and assistance. Although a decline was registered in the country from 2007 to 2020 over 21.3 thousand divorces were pronounced in 2020. In Belgium, spouses can file for divorce by mutual consent. Divorce can also be introduced on the grounds of inconsolable differences. Such differences are deemed inconsolable when it is reasonably impossible for the spouses to live together.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is an index that evaluates the bodyweight of an adult. In Belgium, according to the results of this study (who have been weighted to represent the entire population), the BMI was steadily increasing from 1997 to 2018. For instance, the BMI of the Belgian population was 24.8 in 1997, whereas the BMI reached 25.5 in 2018. According to the classifications from the World Health Organization, a BMI ranging from 25 to 29.9 falls into the "pre-obesity" group. In other words, the average BMI in Belgium was over the recommendations in 2018 and has been since 2004.

Like any other measure, BMI is not a flawless indicator, especially because it only takes into consideration the weight and height and does not reflect the level of adiposity based on the exact age, physical activity, and gender. Nonetheless, a high BMI is correlated to various health conditions such as premature death, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, cancers, and diabetes.

Between 2010 and 2021 in the Netherlands, the percentage of people who do not identify with any religion increased from 45 percent to 57 percent. The largest religious group in 2021 was the Roman Catholic group, with 18 percent of Dutch people identifying as Roman Catholic. In 2021, 14 percent of the Dutch population considered themselves a member of the three main protestant churches, the Dutch Reformed Church, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, and the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. The percentage of people who identify as Muslim has remained the same at five percent over the years.

Do the people who identify with a religion always participate?

The percentage of people in the Netherlands who participate in a religion is not necessarily the same as that of people who identify with a religion. The most prominent religious group, the Roman Catholics, only saw a participation of three percent, the same as those identifying with the Protestant Church, despite only six percent identifying with that denomination. The highest participation rate is in the group 'other' with four percent, despite only 10 percent identifying in those religions. It shows, therefore, that some religions see significantly higher participation rates despite a lower percentage identifying with it.

Does the percentage of Muslims in the Netherlands align with the perceived percentage of Muslims?

In 2018, the Dutch population believed that 20 percent of the population was Muslim, even though only five percent were Muslim. This overestimation of the Muslim population is in line with the rest of Europe. Germany, for example, predicted a Muslim population of 21 percent while the actual Muslim population was four percent. In Belgium, residents believed that 27 percent of the population was Muslim, while in reality, it was only five percent.