The number of immigrants in Belgium amounted to ****** men and ****** women in 2021. Whilst immigration has fluctuated over the past years, the difference between that of men and women has remained stable, with more men immigrating into Belgium than women consistently.

In 2022, the migration balance in Belgium stood at 116,500, meaning that the number of immigrants moving to Belgium outnumbered the number of people leaving the country by about 116,500. This was an increase in comparison to the previous year and was the highest in this time period. It was also similar compared to neighboring country the Netherlands, which in 2021 had a positive migration balance of 107,200.

 Regional differences in Belgium  

Within Belgium, there were marked regional differences as well. The Flemish Region, the Dutch-speaking part of the country, had a migration balance of around 20,098 in 2020. By comparison, the migration balance of the French-speaking Walloon Region was roughly one third of this, at just over 8,000.

Opinions on immigration in Belgium  

Between 2011 and 2018, Ipsos surveyed opinions on immigration in Belgium multiple times. The share of respondents who believe immigration has a positive impact on the country was continuously low though, never reaching above 16 percent. On a more positive note though, this peak was reached in the most recent survey, held at the end of 2018. Surveys from 2011 and 2013 saw considerable fewer positive responses of nine and eight percent respectively. After 2013, the share of respondents positive about immigration remained above ten percent in all years, until it reached its peak in 2018.

Belgium has a multicultural landscape; a variety of nationalities coexist in the country. Brussels houses most of the European Union institutions. This is the reason behind the nickname "capital of Europe". In 2020, over one million foreigners were living in the country. Of the variety of nationalities in Belgium, three main origins were present on its soil. In 2020, around 485,340 people originated from France, Italy, or the Netherlands.

The migration flow in Belgium

Migration has always been part of human history. However, it is still one of society's most controversial topics. Nowadays, immigration within the European Union is primarily influenced by economic reasons. In 2020, the migration flow amounted to about 117,500 people coming to Belgium. Meanwhile, 55,769 nationals emigrated abroad.

Belgian’s views on immigration

Although Belgium has known many migration waves in its past, views on the matter still divide. In 2017, opinions in Belgium on immigrants coming from outside the EU were varied. Nonetheless, the fifth most common origin of foreigners in Belgium was Moroccan. In recent years, more than 60 percent of Belgians believed too many immigrants lived in the country. However, Belgians regarded EU citizens immigrating to their country positively.

Belgium BE: Net Migration data was reported at 36,243.000 Person in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 41,679.000 Person for 2023. Belgium BE: Net Migration data is updated yearly, averaging 18,243.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 118,615.000 Person in 2022 and a record low of 1,100.000 Person in 1982. Belgium BE: Net Migration data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Belgium – Table BE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens.;United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision.;Sum;

Belgium Change of Nationality: Foreign to Belgian data was reported at 55,213.000 Person in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 48,482.000 Person for 2022. Belgium Change of Nationality: Foreign to Belgian data is updated yearly, averaging 33,812.000 Person from Dec 1988 (Median) to 2023, with 36 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 62,982.000 Person in 2001 and a record low of 8,366.000 Person in 1988. Belgium Change of Nationality: Foreign to Belgian data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Directorate-General Statistics - Statistics Belgium. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Belgium – Table BE.G005: Number of Emigrants and Immigrants.

Historical dataset showing Belgium immigration statistics by year from 1960 to 2015.

The public opinion regarding the contribution of immigrants in Belgium was quite contrasted in August 2020. During that time, 46 percent of the Belgian respondents tended to agree with the statement that immigrants contribute a lot to Belgium, whereas 28 percent tended to disagree with it. Furthermore, a significant part of the respondents totally disagreed with the statement.

Belgium - Foreign-born population was 2324053.00 in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Belgium - Foreign-born population - last updated from the EUROSTAT on September of 2025. Historically, Belgium - Foreign-born population reached a record high of 2324053.00 in December of 2024 and a record low of 1503806.00 in December of 2010.

Belgium Change of Nationality: Belgian to Foreign data was reported at 51.000 Person in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 39.000 Person for 2022. Belgium Change of Nationality: Belgian to Foreign data is updated yearly, averaging 49.500 Person from Dec 1988 (Median) to 2023, with 36 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 118.000 Person in 2007 and a record low of 20.000 Person in 1995. Belgium Change of Nationality: Belgian to Foreign data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Directorate-General Statistics - Statistics Belgium. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Belgium – Table BE.G005: Number of Emigrants and Immigrants.

Norway Immigration: Europe: Belgium data was reported at 203.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 225.000 Person for 2016. Norway Immigration: Europe: Belgium data is updated yearly, averaging 186.000 Person from Dec 1967 (Median) to 2017, with 51 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 263.000 Person in 2015 and a record low of 81.000 Person in 1982. Norway Immigration: Europe: Belgium data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Norway. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Norway – Table NO.G006: Immigration: by Country.

The project aims at providing the data required to study the descriptive representation of citizens of immigrant origin (CIOs). The main aim is to provide an overview of the social and political profile of Member of Parliament (MPs), with a particular focus on identifying MPs of immigrant origin. In addition to the national level dataset described below, a corresponding regional level dataset is available.

Identification variables: Political level (regional, national); country-ID (NUTS); name of region; region-id (NUTS); date of relevant election; full name of district in which elected; level of electoral tier (first / Lower (or single tier); identifier for tier 1 to 3 districts at national level; number of legislatures in the country, as recorded by the parliament itself; date in which the legislature begins and ends; first name, first (second) surname of MP; MP-ID; national MP is also simultaneously a regional MP; which regional MP.

Demography: sex of MP; year of birth of MP; highest level of education (ISCED 1997); last occupation /profession of the MP before first ever becoming an MP (ISCO 2008); occupation sector when first elected; current occupation/ profession of the MP (ISCO 2008); current occupation sector.

Electoral and parliamentary tenure variables: number of times the MP has been previously elected to parliament in this district; type of electoral district; number of times the MP has been previously elected to parliament in this tier; Rookie: MP elected for the first time in this term; number of times the MP has been elected to parliament; number of times the MP has taken up the seat in parliament once elected; year when the MP was first elected to national/regional parliament; total number of years spent in national/regional parliament as MP, prior to this legislature (seniority); when was the MP elected for the last time prior to this legislature (continuity); MP was elected to chamber from inauguration; MP stayed continuously with no interruptions from the moment of taking up the seat until the end of the legislative term; number of months the MP did serve (if he did not serve a full legislative term); MP came back to reclaim the seat if MP left seat at some point; position in party list; rank position in which the MP was elected in district; double candidacy in another tier; MP won seat as incumbent, or as contender; parliamentary group the MP joined at the beginning and at the end of his/her term; full name and acronym of party or list in which elected; party code according to the CMP (Comparative Manifesto Project) dataset; party-ID.

Immigrant origin variables (corresponding coding for MPs mother and father): MP was born in the country of parliament; country (ISO 3166-1), world region (UN Classification for ‘Composition of macro geographical regions’), and country region (NUTS) in which the MP was born; data sources for country of birth (e.g. official parliamentary source, personal blogs, etc.); specific sources for country of birth; reliability of the data regarding the country of birth of the MP (as judged by the coder); year of immigration; born as a national citizen of the country of parliament; country of nationality at birth; data sources country of nationality at birth; specific sources for country of citizenship at birth; reliability of the data regarding citizenship at birth; year in which naturalized as a citizen; data sources year of naturalization; specific sources for date of naturalization; reliability of the data regarding naturalization.

Variables relating to aspects potentially related to discrimination: the MP is a native speaker of an official country language and data sources; specific sources for native language of MP; MP can be perceived by voters as a member of an ‘identifiable’ minority; source where picture found; specific sources for picture of MP; does the MP self-identify as a member of an ethnic minority; ethnicity; sources and specific sources for information on ethnic self-identification of MP; self-identification as a member of a certain religion; religion the MP identifies with.

Party career and committee membership variables: year in which the MP joined the party for which she/he was elected in this legislative term; highest position within the party; MP changed party affiliation during the legislative term; date of change; full name and party acronym of the new party joined, CMP code of the new party and Pathways identifier for party; (corresponding co...

A standard assumption in realistic threat theories is that the presence of ethnic minorities is associated with a rise of anti-immigrant sentiments. However, we do not know whether this presence has a specific local effect, or whether one can detect a more general nationwide perception of threat. Using data from a recent Belgian population survey, we assess the association between ethnic diversity within the local community and anti-immigrant sentiments. Results suggest a strong negative association between the level of ethnic diversity and anti-immigrant sentiments. Furthermore, while we do not find evidence for an association between ethnic diversity and radical right voting on the individual level, there is a strong negative correlation on the aggregate level. We conclude with some speculation about how anti-immigrant sentiments are created in areas with a very low levels of ethnic diversity, and what this implies for the electoral potential of radical-right parties.

This statistic shows the population of Belgium from 2009 to 2023, by origin. Since 2009, the number of foreign nationals living in Belgium has increased by over 500,000. In 2009, just over one million people living in Belgium were foreign nationals, while in 2023, over 1.57 million people living in Belgium were foreign nationals.

Luxembourg Number of Immigrants: Male: Belgium data was reported at 781.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 762.000 Person for 2016. Luxembourg Number of Immigrants: Male: Belgium data is updated yearly, averaging 500.000 Person from Dec 1956 (Median) to 2017, with 62 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 937.000 Person in 2014 and a record low of 201.000 Person in 1977. Luxembourg Number of Immigrants: Male: Belgium data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Portal of Statistics of Luxembourg. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Luxembourg – Table LU.G003: Number of Immigrants and Emigrants: by Sex.

Luxembourg Number of Immigrants: Female: Belgium data was reported at 575.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 558.000 Person for 2016. Luxembourg Number of Immigrants: Female: Belgium data is updated yearly, averaging 413.500 Person from Dec 1956 (Median) to 2017, with 62 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 655.000 Person in 2014 and a record low of 207.000 Person in 1977. Luxembourg Number of Immigrants: Female: Belgium data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Portal of Statistics of Luxembourg. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Luxembourg – Table LU.G003: Number of Immigrants and Emigrants: by Sex.

The data presented in this data project were collected in the context of two H2020 research projects: ‘Enhanced migration measures from a multidimensional perspective’(HumMingBird) and ‘Crises as opportunities: Towards a level telling field on migration and a new narrative of successful integration’(OPPORTUNITIES). The current survey was fielded to investigate the dynamic interplay between media representations of different migrant groups and the governmental and societal (re)actions to immigration. With these data, we provide more insight into these societal reactions by investigating attitudes rooted in values and worldviews. Through an online survey, we collected quantitative data on attitudes towards: Immigrants, Refugees, Muslims, Hispanics, Venezuelans News Media Consumption Trust in News Media and Societal Institutions Frequency and Valence of Intergroup Contact Realistic and Symbolic Intergroup Threat Right-wing Authoritarianism Social Dominance Orientation Political Efficacy Personality Characteristics Perceived COVID-threat, and Socio-demographic Characteristics For the adult population aged 25 to 65 in seven European countries: Austria Belgium Germany Hungary Italy Spain Sweden And for ages ranged from 18 to 65 for: United States of America Colombia The survey in the United States and Colombia was identical to the one in the European countries, although a few extra questions regarding COVID-19 and some region-specific migrant groups (e.g. Venezuelans) were added. We collected the data in cooperation with Bilendi, a Belgian polling agency, and selected the methodology for its cost-effectiveness in cross-country research. Respondents received an e-mail asking them to participate in a survey without specifying the subject matter, which was essential to avoid priming. Three weeks of fieldwork in May and June of 2021 resulted in a dataset of 13,645 respondents (a little over 1500 per country). Sample weights are included in the dataset and can be applied to ensure that the sample is representative for gender and age in each country. The cooperation rate ranged between 12% and 31%, in line with similar online data collections.

Iceland Number of Immigrants: Belgium data was reported at 42.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 40.000 Person for 2016. Iceland Number of Immigrants: Belgium data is updated yearly, averaging 22.000 Person from Dec 1986 (Median) to 2017, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 42.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 1.000 Person in 1986. Iceland Number of Immigrants: Belgium data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Iceland . The data is categorized under Global Database’s Iceland – Table IS.G006: Number of Immigrants.

Résumé

Le projet de recherche MAFE est une initiative de grande ampleur dont l'objectif est d'étudier les migrations entre l'Afrique subsaharienne et l'Europe. - Attention, la documentation des enquêtes MAFE est en langue anglaise. -

The MAFE project is a major research initiative focused on migration between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. It brings together ten European and African research centres working on international migration.

In the early XXIth Century, international migration from Sub-Saharan Africa to Europe has generated increasing public and policy attention. The flotilla of boats bringing would-be migrants to the Canary Islands, and attempts to reach Spanish territory in Ceuta and Mellila have drawn a rapid response from Europe in the form of new policy measures. Yet the scope, nature and likely development of Sub-Saharan African migration to Europe remained poorly understood, and, as a result, European polices may be ineffective. A major cause of this lack of understanding was the absence of comprehensive data on the causes of migration and circulation between Africa and Europe.

The MAFE project aimed at overcoming this lack of understanding by collecting unique data on the characteristics and behavior of migrants from Sub-Saharan countries to Europe. The key notion underpinning the project was that migration must not only be seen as a one-way flow from Africa to Europe. The argument was that return migration, circulation and transnational practices are significant and must be understood in order to design better migration policy.

The MAFE project focused on migration flows between Europe (Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK) and Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana, which together accounted for over a quarter of all African migration to the EU at the time of the survey. In each of these "migration systems", the survey was designed to document four key areas: - Patterns of migration : *the socio-demographic characteristics of migrants, *the routes of migration from Africa to Europe, and *the patterns of return migration and circulation. - Determinants of migration: looking at departure, but also return and circulation and taking into account the whole set of possible destinations. - Migration and Development: MAFE documents some of the socio-economic changes driven by international migration, looking as often as possible at both ends of the Afro-European migration system, at the individual level. - Migrations and Families: the data collected by the MAFE project can be used to study all sorts of interactions between family formation and international migration. Although the survey was primarily designed to study international migration, it can also be used to study other phenomena, especially in Africa: domestic mobility, labor market participation, family formation, etc. Comparable data was collected in both 3 sending and 6 destination countries, i.e. in sub-Saharan Africa and in Europe. The data are longitudinal - including retrospective migration, education, work and family histories for individuals - and multi-level - (with data collected at the individual and household levels, in addition of macro-contextual data).

Please consult the official MAFE website for further details : https://mafeproject.site.ined.fr/en/

Geographic coverage

Six European countries and three African countries participated in the MAFE surveys. Data collection was carried out in both sending countries in Africa and destination countries in Europe, in order to constitute transnational samples. For MAFE DR Congo, data was collected in the Demogratic Republic of Congo (African part), and Belgium and United Kingdom (European part).

Analysis unit

Individual Household

Univers

DR CONGO Household: Households selected randomly from the updated list of households in the selected primary sampling units. Three strata were distinguished: households with return migrants, with migrants abroad, and without migrants. Individual: People aged 25-75, born in DR Congo. This lower age limit was set in order to obtain informative life histories. By not including respondents younger than 25, the resources were used more effectively. The place of birth criterion was used to exclude people who were born out of their country of origin in order to exclude second generation migrants in Europe and to increase the homogeneity of sample. All the return migrants and partners of migrants, and one randomly selected other eligible person. Return migrants were eligible if their first departure was above at 18 or over.

EUROPE In all the European countries, the surveys were conducted among males and females who were aged 25 and over at the time of the surveys, and who were 18 or over when they had left Africa for the first time for at least one year. Migrants from only DR Congo were interviewed.

Kind of data

survey data

Frequency of data collection

DR CONGO In DR Congo, the survey preparation started in March 2009. A pilot survey was organized in May-June 2009. The selection of the survey sites was done in June 2009, and the listing of the households in the selected sites started in June and ended in July 2009. Data collection started in early August, soon after the training of interviewers and the sampling of households. It lasted for about 4 months, until mid November. Like in Ghana, both the household and biographic surveys were conducted at the same time. Editing and coding was also done during the fieldwork and ended a few weeks after the fieldwork. Because of administrative problems with money transfer, data entry started a little bit later.

EUROPE In Belgium and United Kingdom, data collection was conducted in 2009-2010. Data collection lasted about five months in the UK and seven months in Belgium. Editing was done along data collection. Data entry was done between October and December 2009 in the UK, and between December 2009 and March 2010 in Belgium.

Sampling procedure

Probability: Stratified

  DR CONGO

A three-stage stratified random sample was used. At the first stage, primary sampling units (census district) were selected randomly with varying probabilities. At the second stage, households were selected randomly in each of the selected primary sampling units (PSUs). At the third stage, individuals were selected within the households. a) Selection of primary sampling units (first stage) For DR Congo, the target area was the city of Kinshasa. In this city, a sampling frame of primary sampling units was prepared. No recent census was available, so the sampling frame of the 2007 DHS was used to select neighbourhoods, and in each selected neighbourhoods, a sampling frame of streets was prepared. In DR Congo, a sample of 29 neighbourhoods (out of 324) was selected randomly with a probability proportional to size, and 3 streets were selected randomly with a probability proportional to size in each neighbourhood (87 sampling units). The sample was stratified at the first stage in DR Congo (3 strata). b) Selection of households (second stage) A listing operation was carried out in each of the selected survey sites to prepare the sampling frame of households. The listing consisted in enumerating all the households in the selected sites, and in identifying whether these households included migrants of not. In DR Congo and Ghana, three categories of households were distinguished (households with return migrants, with migrants abroad, and without migrants). 7 households were selected in each of the 3 strata (if less than 7 households were available in one or several strata, the remaining households were selected in the other stratum). The sampling rate was higher in strata of households with migrants, in order to get a sufficient sample of such households. c) Selection of individuals (third stage) In each of the selected households, one or several respondents were selected among the eligible people (people aged between 25 and 75, and born in the origin country). In DR Congo and Ghana, all the return migrants and partners of migrants currently abroad were selected. In addition, one other eligible member was randomly selected. A special tool had been designed so that the interviewers could randomly select the people during the fieldwork. Two types of questionnaires were used in the departure countries: the household questionnaire and the individual life history questionnaire. - The first questionnaire was used among a representative sample of households in the target region. - The second questionnaire was used among a sample of individuals in the selected households, targeting both return migrants and non-migrants. The household questionnaire was thus used as the sampling frame for the selection of individual respondents.

EUROPE The objective of the survey was to obtain a sample 'as representative as possible' of the African populations (Congolese, Ghanaian, Senegalese) in the destination countries (150 individuals per origin and destination country). The way the sample was constituted may vary across countries, but some common principles were respected: - The composition of the sample should be as close as possible to the population of (Congolese, Ghanaian, Senegalese) migrants in the country in terms of gender, geographic distribution, age, socio-economic category or occupation. - One exception: the sample should be gender balanced. Males and females should be equally represented in order to allow gender analyses. - Samples in origin and destination may be linked, but migrants with weak or no relationships at origin should not be excluded from the sample. - Both documented and

In 2022, 196,000 people migrated to Belgium, while 66,000 people migrated from Belgium to another country. For both immigration and emigration, there was an increase from 2021 levels.

Belgium BE: Number of Migrants: Net data was reported at 35,251.000 Person in 2050. This records an increase from the previous number of 35,215.000 Person for 2049. Belgium BE: Number of Migrants: Net data is updated yearly, averaging 35,273.500 Person from Jun 1991 (Median) to 2050, with 60 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 77,176.000 Person in 2011 and a record low of 6,018.000 Person in 1997. Belgium BE: Number of Migrants: Net data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Belgium – Table BE.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.