Belgium: cities by population
Belgium has a population of 11,774,642 (UN estimate, 2026), with Brussels as its capital. The 50 largest of its 2,249 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+15%
since 2000 (10,251,717)
+1%
projected by 2050 (11,870,906)
389
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Belgium
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels | Brussels Capital | 1,019,022 |
| 2 | Antwerp | Flanders | 529,247 |
| 3 | Gent | Flanders | 265,086 |
| 4 | Charleroi | Wallonia | 200,132 |
| 5 | Liège | Wallonia | 195,278 |
| 6 | Anderlecht | Brussels Capital | 160,553 |
| 7 | Schaerbeek | Brussels Capital | 132,761 |
| 8 | Brugge | Flanders | 118,509 |
| 9 | Namur | Wallonia | 110,939 |
| 10 | Leuven | Flanders | 101,032 |
| 11 | Molenbeek-Saint-Jean | Brussels Capital | 97,037 |
| 12 | Mons | Wallonia | 95,299 |
| 13 | Ixelles | Brussels Capital | 86,671 |
| 14 | Uccle | Brussels Capital | 82,929 |
| 15 | Deurne | Flanders | 78,747 |
| 16 | Hasselt | Flanders | 77,651 |
| 17 | Aalst | Flanders | 77,534 |
| 18 | Mechelen | Flanders | 77,530 |
| 19 | La Louvière | Wallonia | 76,668 |
| 20 | Kortrijk | Flanders | 73,879 |
| 21 | Tournai | Wallonia | 69,554 |
| 22 | Ostend | Flanders | 69,011 |
| 23 | Sint-Niklaas | Flanders | 69,010 |
| 24 | Genk | Flanders | 63,666 |
| 25 | Seraing | Wallonia | 60,737 |
| 26 | Woluwe-Saint-Lambert | Brussels Capital | 56,584 |
| 27 | Forest | Brussels Capital | 56,254 |
| 28 | Roeselare | Flanders | 56,016 |
| 29 | Verviers | Wallonia | 52,824 |
| 30 | Jette | Brussels Capital | 52,490 |
| 31 | Mouscron | Wallonia | 52,069 |
| 32 | Saint-Gilles | Brussels Capital | 50,221 |
| 33 | Etterbeek | Brussels Capital | 48,344 |
| 34 | Borgerhout | Flanders | 46,087 |
| 35 | Dendermonde | Flanders | 45,673 |
| 36 | Beveren | Flanders | 45,179 |
| 37 | Merksem | Flanders | 44,435 |
| 38 | Turnhout | Flanders | 44,000 |
| 39 | Berchem | Flanders | 43,511 |
| 40 | Evere | Brussels Capital | 41,667 |
| 41 | Lokeren | Flanders | 41,438 |
| 42 | Wilrijk | Flanders | 41,403 |
| 43 | Beringen | Flanders | 40,930 |
| 44 | Dilbeek | Flanders | 39,482 |
| 45 | Heist-op-den-Berg | Flanders | 37,873 |
| 46 | Sint-Truiden | Flanders | 37,859 |
| 47 | Braine-l'Alleud | Wallonia | 37,512 |
| 48 | Brasschaat | Flanders | 37,040 |
| 49 | Grimbergen | Flanders | 37,000 |
| 50 | Vilvoorde | Flanders | 36,955 |
Twenty years earlier: Belgium in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 10,443,012.
Common questions
What is the population of Belgium?
Belgium has a population of 11,774,642, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 11,870,906 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Belgium?
Brussels.