If Brussels were a village of 100…

The demography of the Brussels-Capital Region is forever evolving. According to the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis (BISA), the region’s population is up by 9,816 from last year with a total of 1,208,542 as of July 2019.

Now if we were to imagine Brussels as a village with 100 inhabitants, this is what the demographic profile would look like. Where would you belong?

65 Belgians, 35 non-Belgians

Our little multicultural village would be composed of 35 non-Belgians belonging to more than 180 different nationalities. Among them, 23 are from countries within the European Union while 12 are non-EU citizens.

Of the 23 EU citizens living in the village, 5 or 6 are French, 3 are Romanians, and 2 are Italians. Together they produce the highest tally within the non-Belgian European population of Brussels.

Majority of those coming from outside the EU are from African countries. They would amount to about 8 of the 12 non-EU citizens in the village.

Actual figures from 2018: 781,619 Belgians and 417,107 non-Belgians   residing in Brussels.

2 more women than men

There would be 51 women and 49 men. Since the establishment of the Brussels Region in 1989, its female population has consistently outnumbered its male population. 

Actual figures from 2019: 592,429 men; 616,113 women

Most residents are within 18-64 years old

Sixty four of the villagers would be 18-64 years of age, 13 would be 65 and above, and 23 would be under 18 years old. Majority of the people within the 18-64 age bracket are 25 to 34 years old. They would constitute about 20 of the village’s population.

Actual figures from 2018:  274,889 (17 years old and below); 766,155 (18-64 y/o); 157,682 (65 and above)

21 people living alone

There is more or less an equal number of men and women who are living on their own. Among the 79 villagers who belong to a household with two or more members, most are married couples with kids or single parents.

Only 6 without a job

Brussels as a village of 100 would consist of 39 workers, 12 retirees, and 14 inactive residents or those not actively looking for a job.

The rest of the population would comprise 9 students, 20 people aged 15 or below, and 6 job-seekers. In actual figures, more than 93,000 of Brussels’ 1.2 million inhabitants are looking for employment.