Belgium has a population of 11,763,650 people (it is only growing due to immigration)

Population growth in 2023 is the result of a positive international migration balance (+66,349), which is the difference between the number of immigrants and immigration. The natural equilibrium, i.e. the difference between the number of births and deaths, was negative again in 2023 (-1057). Population growth in 2023 was slightly higher than the average of the past 10 years (+0.53%).

“The war in Ukraine will still have a positive impact on the balance of international migration in 2023, although this will be much less pronounced than in 2022,” Stapel said. He added, “The natural balance has shown a downward trend for several years, and as a result it appears that the negative natural balance has become the new normal.”

The negative natural balance reappeared for the first time in nearly 80 years in 2020 (-13,111). “That year was marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, which led in particular to a high number of deaths,” said Stapel. After that, a negative natural balance is observed again in 2022 (-2,787).

The downward trend in natural equilibrium is explained mainly by the downward trend in the number of births, but also by the increasing trend in the number of deaths due to population aging. In 2023, 110,198 births and 111,255 deaths were recorded.