Built-up land and related areas

At the start of 2024, 3,973 km² of the Flemish Region was occupied by built-up land and related areas, which corresponds to 29.2% of the total surface area (13,626 km²). This mainly concerns plots occupied by dwellings and roads, including adjacent spaces used for human activities like city parks and gardens.

The share of built-up land is increasing every year. In 2000, 24.4 per cent of the total area was occupied by built-up land; in 2024, the share was almost 5 percentage points higher.

The main space user among built-up land is the residential function: in 2024, 44.2% of built-up land was connected to housing. Land for transport and telecommunications also accounted for a significant proportion of the built-up area. In 2024, it amounted to 29.6%.

In 36 municipalities of the Flemish Region, the area occupied by built-up land and related areas in 2024 was 50% or more. This was the case in the major cities of Antwerp and Ghent, in some of their peripheral municipalities and in some municipalities in the north-eastern periphery around Brussels. It was also higher than 50% in the central cities of Ostend, Leuven, Genk, Bruges and Roeselare. The Roeselare - Kortrijk - Waregem region is also remarkably more densely built-up than average. In the Westhoek, the Meetjesland, the Kempen and Zuid-Limburg regions, the share of land occupied by built-up areas is lowest.

The proportion of area occupied by built-up land and related areas is by far the highest in the Brussels Capital Region. In 2024, 80.5% of the area of the Brussels Region was occupied by built-up land. The Walloon Region had the lowest proportion, at 15.8%.

In all regions, the share of area occupied by built-up land and related areas increased between 1990 and 2024. In relative terms, this increase was strongest in the Flemish Region.