International migration

The Flemish Region experienced nearly 94,400 immigrations from abroad and nearly 61,400 emigrations abroad during 2024. This results in a positive international migration balance (open definition) (open definition) of approximately 33,000 units. Both the number of immigrations and the migration balance were lower in 2024 than in 2022 and 2023. This is largely attributable to the war in Ukraine, which led to a flow of refugees to Belgium and the rest of Europe in 2022 and 2023.

For many years, international migration to and from the Flemish Region has shown a positive balance. In the 1990s, this was still quite limited (with balances around +5,000). Since 2001, the balance has risen sharply. In 2010, the counting method was adjusted, resulting in a high positive balance for international migration that year (+34,400). In recent years, both international immigration and emigration have increased, with a dip in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and a sharp spike in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine.

Total international immigration (or immigration) can be divided into three groups:

• Immigration from abroad (outside Belgium) in the strict sense
• Re-registrations (open definition) (open definition) in the population register after a previous official deletion (open definition) (open definition)
• Transfers from a waiting register (open definition) (open definition) to a regular population register.

International immigration in the strict sense accounted for the largest share of total international immigration to the Flemish Region in 2024 (80%). This was followed by transfers from the waiting register (11%) and re-registrations (9%).

• Total international emigration (or emigration) also includes three components:
• Emigrations to abroad (outside Belgium) in the strict sense
• Official deletions from the population register

Transfers from a regular population register to a waiting register. In 2024, emigrations in the strict sense accounted for 53% of the total number of international emigration movements, and official deletions accounted for 47%. The share of transfers to a waiting register was very limited (0.3%).

With regard to international immigration, a distinction can be made between migrations of people with Belgian nationality, EU27 nationalities (without Belgian nationality), and non-EU nationalities. Nearly half of international immigration in 2024 was by non-EU nationals (48%). 42% of immigration was by EU nationals and 10% by Belgian nationals.

The international migration balance in 2024 was negative for people with Belgian nationality (rounded to -6,500). For the other two nationality groups, the balance was positive: rounded to +9,700 for people with EU27 nationality and slightly more than +29,800 for people with non-EU nationality.

In 2024, people with Romanian nationality constituted the largest group in total international immigration to the Flemish Region, followed by people with Belgian, Dutch, and Ukrainian nationalities. With the exception of Ukrainian nationalities, more men than women immigrated to the Flemish Region in the other top 10 nationality groups.

In 2024, people with Belgian nationality emigrated most often, followed by people with Romanian and Dutch nationalities. Across all nationalities, more men than women emigrated. Only among Ukrainian nationalities did more women than men emigrate.

In almost all municipalities in the Flemish Region, the international migration balance was positive in the period 2022-2024. Only in Bertem, Hoeilaart, and Zemst was the balance negative. In Herstappe, Sint-Genesius-Rode, and Kraainem, the balance was zero.

Along the border with the Netherlands in the provinces of Antwerp and Limburg, several municipalities had high positive balances. This is also the case in parts of Southwest Flanders. Leuven and Bekkevoort had the highest balances (>20 per 1,000 inhabitants).

The international migration balance has been positive for the three regions since 1990. While the migration balance has risen steadily in the Flemish and Walloon Regions, it was significantly higher in the Brussels-Capital Region and followed a highly variable pattern there.

In 2023, the number of international immigrations per 1,000 inhabitants in the Flemish Region (10.1) was lower than the average for the European Union (EU27) (13.2). The Belgian figure (14.4) was higher due to the high score for the Brussels-Capital Region (56.1), a prime hub for international migration.

The figures for the EU countries and Belgian regions refer to the usually resident population (open definition) in each country. Data are not yet available for the 2024 observation year.