Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Belgium
Belgium: Share of children, working-age adults, and older people was 1.91 million people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.91 million people
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
103rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.28 million people
in 1968
All-time low
1.80 million people
in 2005
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Belgium, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Belgium is 1.91 million people, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Belgium peaked at 2.28 million people in 1968 and was at its lowest, 1.80 million people, in 2005.
That places Belgium 103rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Belgium, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.81 million people | — |
| 1951 | 1.83 million people | +1.3% |
| 1952 | 1.85 million people | +1.3% |
| 1953 | 1.88 million people | +1.3% |
| 1954 | 1.90 million people | +1.4% |
| 1955 | 1.94 million people | +1.8% |
| 1956 | 1.99 million people | +2.4% |
| 1957 | 2.04 million people | +2.6% |
| 1958 | 2.08 million people | +2.2% |
| 1959 | 2.12 million people | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 2.16 million people | +1.7% |
| 1961 | 2.18 million people | +1.2% |
| 1962 | 2.20 million people | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 2.21 million people | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 2.23 million people | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 2.25 million people | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 2.27 million people | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 2.28 million people | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 2.28 million people | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 2.28 million people | -0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.27 million people | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 2.27 million people | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 2.26 million people | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 2.23 million people | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 2.20 million people | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 2.17 million people | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 2.13 million people | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 2.09 million people | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 2.06 million people | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 2.02 million people | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 1.99 million people | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 1.96 million people | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 1.94 million people | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 1.91 million people | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 1.89 million people | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 1.86 million people | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 1.83 million people | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 1.82 million people | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 1.80 million people | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 1.80 million people | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 1.81 million people | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 1.82 million people | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 1.83 million people | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 1.83 million people | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 1.83 million people | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 1.82 million people | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 1.81 million people | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 1.81 million people | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 1.81 million people | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 1.81 million people | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 1.80 million people | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.81 million people | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.80 million people | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 1.80 million people | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 1.80 million people | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 1.80 million people | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.80 million people | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.80 million people | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 1.81 million people | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 1.83 million people | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 1.85 million people | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 1.87 million people | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 1.89 million people | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.90 million people | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 1.91 million people | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 1.92 million people | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.92 million people | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.93 million people | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 1.94 million people | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 1.94 million people | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 1.94 million people | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 1.93 million people | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 1.92 million people | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 1.91 million people | -0.8% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.91 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 424,895 people, 4.5× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.91 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 979,980 people, 1.9× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.94 million people | 1.81 million people | 2.12 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.23 million people | 2.16 million people | 2.28 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.17 million people | 2.02 million people | 2.27 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.88 million people | 1.80 million people | 1.99 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.82 million people | 1.81 million people | 1.83 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.80 million people | 1.80 million people | 1.83 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.91 million people | 1.85 million people | 1.94 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.93 million people | 1.91 million people | 1.94 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More population data for Belgium
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0945 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1652 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.1094 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1652 % change on previous year (2100)
- 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)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.0085 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.2011 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Belgium?
- Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Belgium was 1.91 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 2.28 million people in 1968.
- What is the lowest share of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.80 million people in 2005.
- How does Belgium rank for share of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- Belgium ranks 103rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children, working-age adults, and older people rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. 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 Share of children, working-age adults, and older people. 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
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-14.