Population by age and gender

The population pyramid of the Flemish Region showed on January 1 2025 the typical profile of an ageing population: a wide top and a more narrow base.

The 55-69 age group is the largest age group in the legally resident population (open definition) (20% of the total population). These are men and women born in the 60s, the peak years of the baby boom. In the early 2000s, they were still part of younger age groups, and the age pyramid showed a peak between 30 to 44.

Age groups over 85 years old accounted for just over 3% of the total population on January 1, 2025, and there were nearly 1,900 centenarians. In early 2000, the proportion of those over 85 was limited to less than 2% of the population, and the number of centenarians was still under 500.

The group younger than 5 years, at the base of the pyramid, is in 2025 smaller than the age group of 5 to 9 year olds, which is smaller than the group of 10 to 14 year olds. This shrinkage refers to the declining number of births in recent years.

Overall, there were more women than men in the Flemish Region in the beginning of 2025: 102 women per 100 men. Among the older population, the prevalence of women was even greater. There were 175 women per 100 men among the over-85s and 435 women per 100 men among the centenarians. In 2000, the proportions for those over 85 and centenarians were 265 and 690 women per 100 men, respectively.

Since 2000, the share of the population aged 67 and over has risen from 15% in 2000 to more than 19% in 2025. The share of those younger than18 fell from 20% in 2000 to 19% in 2025. The share of the middle group (18-66 years old) also decreased: from 65% in 2000 to 62% in 2025.

In 121 of the 285 municipalities in the Flemish Region, the proportion of the population aged 67 and above was more than 20% in 2025. In 25 municipalities, that share was lower than 17%.

In the coastal municipalities of Koksijde, Nieuwpoort, Knokke-Heist, De Haan, Middelkerke, De Panne and Blankenberge, more than 30% of the population was 67 years or older. The proportion of 67-year-olds was lowest in Vilvoorde, Machelen, Drogenbos, Antwerp, Zaventem, Ghent and Boom (less than 15% each).

Of the 3 regions, the Flemish Region had the most aged profile on January 1, 2025, with a strong representation of age groups between 55 and 69 and over 85, and a narrow base of young people under 20.

The age composition in the Brussels Capital Region indicates a younger population. Young adults, between the ages of 25 and 34, constitute the largest group, and the youngest ages were also more strongly represented than in the other regions. The older age groups make up a much smaller share of the population than in the Flemish Region.

The Walloon Region is between the Flemish and Brussels Regions in terms of aging. It has relatively large cohorts in the middle groups (40 to 60 years old) and a less pronounced top than the Flemish Region. The proportion of young people there was also higher than in the Flemish Region.

The proportion of over-67s in the Flemish Region (almost 19%) was close to the EU27 average on January 1, 2024 (somewhat over 19%). In the Walloon Region, this share was slightly lower (17%). The Brussels Capital Region had the lowest proportion (11%). The highest percentages of 67-year-olds were recorded in Italy and Portugal (higher than 21%).

The proportion of over-85s in 2024 was both in the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region somewhat higher than the EU27 average (3%). In the Brussels Capital Region, the proportion was lower (2%). The highest percentages of over-85s were recorded in Italy and Greece (almost 4%), while Slovakia had the lowest proportion (below 2%).

EU and regional figures refer to the usually resident population (open definition) . Data are not yet available for the observation year 2025.