Birth rate in Belgium
Belgium: Birth rate was 8.68 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Birth rate in Belgium, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, birth rate in Belgium stood at 8.68 births per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.2% on the previous year and down 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Belgium peaked at 17.37 births per 1,000 people in 1959 and was at its lowest, 8.68 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Belgium ranks 196th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 16.82 births per 1,000 people | 16.31 births per 1,000 people | 17.37 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 16.2 births per 1,000 people | 14.67 births per 1,000 people | 17.27 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.1 births per 1,000 people | 12.2 births per 1,000 people | 14.7 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.05 births per 1,000 people | 11.57 births per 1,000 people | 12.56 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.73 births per 1,000 people | 11.12 births per 1,000 people | 12.54 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.33 births per 1,000 people | 10.88 births per 1,000 people | 11.76 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.92 births per 1,000 people | 10.22 births per 1,000 people | 11.76 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.66 births per 1,000 people | 8.68 births per 1,000 people | 10.17 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More population data for Belgium
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 461,216 people (2100)
- Population density 365.29 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.44 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 183,551 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.44 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.44 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate -0.1% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.38 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Belgium?
- Birth rate in Belgium was 8.68 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 17.37 births per 1,000 people in 1959.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.68 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Belgium rank for birth rate?
- Belgium ranks 196th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.