Belgium
Destination country · migration, permits and visas
- Inflow of foreign nationals, 2023 (OECD)
- 152,724
- Largest group, 2023
- Romania
- First residence permits, 2025 (Eurostat)
- 70,821
- Schengen visa refusal rate, 2024
- 24.2%
DestinationBE2023–2025
Year by year
Data as at 2025
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Who moves to Belgium
Inflows of foreign nationals recorded by Belgium, by nationality (OECD).
- Romania12,889
- Ukraine11,972
- France11,830
- Netherlands7,385
- Spain6,420
- Morocco6,155
- Türkiye6,119
- Italy5,642
- Syria5,496
- Portugal4,398
- Palestine4,001
- Afghanistan3,934
- Bulgaria3,857
- Poland3,737
- India3,603
- Cameroon2,950
- Germany2,508
- DR Congo2,295
- Eritrea2,219
- Guinea1,927
All inflows by year
Data table
| 2000 | 49,014 |
| 2001 | 55,136 |
| 2002 | 58,461 |
| 2003 | 57,719 |
| 2004 | 61,121 |
| 2005 | 65,408 |
| 2006 | 71,213 |
| 2007 | 79,902 |
| 2008 | 105,455 |
| 2009 | 101,969 |
| 2010 | 113,291 |
| 2011 | 129,578 |
| 2012 | 114,616 |
| 2013 | 104,365 |
| 2014 | 104,660 |
| 2015 | 126,810 |
| 2016 | 104,804 |
| 2017 | 107,936 |
| 2018 | 118,091 |
| 2019 | 127,734 |
| 2020 | 100,508 |
| 2021 | 121,002 |
| 2022 | 190,672 |
| 2023 | 152,724 |
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023
Foreign nationals living in Belgium
Stock of foreign nationals by nationality (latest year reported) and acquisitions of Belgium's nationality (OECD).
Acquisitions of nationality by year
Data table
| 2000 | 52,661 |
| 2001 | 54,419 |
| 2002 | 37,604 |
| 2003 | 32,208 |
| 2004 | 32,312 |
| 2005 | 29,505 |
| 2006 | 29,690 |
| 2007 | 34,053 |
| 2008 | 35,608 |
| 2009 | 30,930 |
| 2010 | 33,120 |
| 2011 | 28,790 |
| 2012 | 37,128 |
| 2013 | 32,901 |
| 2014 | 17,780 |
| 2015 | 25,611 |
| 2016 | 30,379 |
| 2017 | 35,513 |
| 2018 | 33,951 |
| 2019 | 37,947 |
| 2020 | 31,622 |
| 2021 | 36,428 |
| 2022 | 45,583 |
| 2023 | 52,116 |
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023
International migrants
People living in Belgium who were born in another country, or who hold foreign citizenship where country of birth is not recorded: mid-year estimates (UN DESA).
- Morocco246,575
- France196,995
- Netherlands136,488
- Romania131,417
- Italy116,143
- Türkiye110,089
- ZR88,896
- Ukraine82,974
- Poland79,624
- Germany79,619
- Spain58,242
- Bulgaria51,857
International migrants by year
Data table
| 1990 | 944,340 |
| 1995 | 1,003,834 |
| 2000 | 1,076,676 |
| 2005 | 1,243,352 |
| 2010 | 1,567,639 |
| 2015 | 1,814,949 |
| 2020 | 2,046,975 |
| 2024 | 2,349,032 |
- International migrants, 2024
- 2,349,032
- Share of the population, 2024
- 20.0%
- Counted by
- country of birth, refugees added
Source: United Nations, DESA Population Division, International Migrant Stock 2024 (CC BY 3.0 IGO)Data as at 2024
Migrants in the labour market
Labour force survey results for Belgium: residents aged 15 and over who were born abroad, compared with those born in the country (ILOSTAT).
| Indicator | Born in the country | Born abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Employment-to-population ratio, 2025 | 52.1% | 54.0% |
| Unemployment rate, 2025 | 5.1% | 10.1% |
- Born abroad: share of all workers, 2025
- 21.2%
- Born abroad: share of high-skill jobs, 2025
- 17.8%
- Born abroad: share of medium-skill jobs, 2025
- 21.2%
- Born abroad: share of elementary jobs, 2025
- 43.0%
Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025
Earnings by occupation
Mean gross annual earnings of employees in Belgium by major occupation group, in enterprises with 10 or more employees (Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022).
| Occupation group | Mean annual earnings, EUR | Index, all occupations = 100 |
|---|---|---|
| All occupations | 53,642 | 100 |
| Managers | 107,936 | 201 |
| Professionals | 70,347 | 131 |
| Technicians and associate professionals | 57,206 | 107 |
| Clerical support workers | 48,973 | 91 |
| Service and sales workers | 40,357 | 75 |
| Craft and related trades workers | 43,999 | 82 |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers | 44,734 | 83 |
| Elementary occupations | 38,840 | 72 |
- Mean gross annual earnings, all employees, 2022
- 53,642 EUR
- Women's mean earnings as a share of men's, 2022
- 93.7%
Source: Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2022
Residence permits
First residence permits issued by Belgium to non-EU citizens (Eurostat).
First permits by year
Data table
| 2008 | 44,150 |
| 2009 | 58,385 |
| 2010 | 56,729 |
| 2011 | 54,582 |
| 2012 | 46,159 |
| 2013 | 41,767 |
| 2014 | 43,102 |
| 2015 | 49,789 |
| 2016 | 55,161 |
| 2017 | 54,696 |
| 2018 | 53,780 |
| 2019 | 54,826 |
| 2020 | 42,556 |
| 2021 | 58,255 |
| 2022 | 63,071 |
| 2023 | 69,566 |
| 2024 | 75,310 |
| 2025 | 70,821 |
- Family32,619
- Other reasons19,799
- Education11,058
- Work7,345
- Morocco6,135
- Afghanistan5,199
- Türkiye4,724
- Syria4,229
- Cameroon2,682
- India2,635
- Palestine2,526
- Brazil2,363
- United States2,217
- China2,052
- DR Congo2,005
- Eritrea1,732
- Burundi1,545
- Pakistan1,309
- Ukraine1,269
- Other paid activities4,324
- Highly skilled workers (national schemes)2,154
- Researchers735
- EU Blue Card132
- Valid residence permits, 31 Dec 2025
- 519,405
- Long-term residence permits issued, 2025
- 43,196
- Changed status into work, 2025
- 1,655
- Intra-corporate transferee permits, 2025
- 23
- Seasonal work authorisations, 2024
- 111
Schengen visas issued by Belgium
Short-stay visa applications at Belgium's consulates worldwide.
Applications by year
Data table
| 2009 | 194,029 |
| 2010 | 215,978 |
| 2011 | 242,857 |
| 2012 | 233,490 |
| 2013 | 233,273 |
| 2014 | 219,758 |
| 2015 | 239,500 |
| 2016 | 219,687 |
| 2017 | 231,437 |
| 2018 | 219,827 |
| 2019 | 248,021 |
| 2020 | 50,058 |
| 2021 | 50,796 |
| 2022 | 171,966 |
| 2023 | 225,951 |
| 2024 | 255,564 |
| Country of the consulate | Applications 2024 | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | 47,459 | 21.8% |
| India | 29,322 | 8.7% |
| China | 19,700 | 2.3% |
| Morocco | 16,925 | 36.9% |
| United Kingdom | 11,902 | 19.1% |
| Türkiye | 10,237 | 17.1% |
| Rwanda | 9,985 | 30.7% |
| Algeria | 8,294 | 38.1% |
| Philippines | 7,136 | 5.6% |
| Senegal | 6,648 | 74.8% |
| United Arab Emirates | 6,588 | 17.9% |
| Cameroon | 6,199 | 47.1% |
| Egypt | 5,759 | 30.8% |
| Nigeria | 5,690 | 62.3% |
| Pakistan | 4,783 | 60.4% |
Belgium's embassies and consulates abroad
Countries in which Belgium has an embassy or consulate, as recorded in Wikidata.
| Country | Embassies | Consulates-general | Consulates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 1 | — | — |
| Angola | 1 | — | — |
| Argentina | 1 | — | — |
| Armenia | 1 | — | — |
| Australia | 1 | — | — |
| Austria | 1 | — | — |
| Azerbaijan | 1 | — | — |
| Benin | 1 | — | — |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | — | — |
| Brazil | 1 | — | — |
| Bulgaria | 1 | — | — |
| Burkina Faso | 1 | — | — |
| Burundi | 1 | — | — |
| Cameroon | 1 | — | — |
| Canada | 1 | — | — |
| Chile | 1 | — | — |
| China | 1 | — | — |
| Colombia | 1 | — | — |
| Croatia | 1 | — | — |
| Cuba | 1 | — | — |
| Czechia | 1 | — | — |
| Côte d’Ivoire | 1 | — | — |
| DR Congo | 1 | — | — |
| Egypt | 1 | — | — |
| Ethiopia | 1 | — | — |
| Finland | 1 | — | — |
| France | 1 | — | — |
| Germany | 1 | — | — |
| Greece | 1 | — | — |
| Guinea | 1 | — | — |
| Hungary | 1 | — | — |
| India | 1 | — | — |
| Indonesia | 1 | — | — |
| Iran | 1 | — | — |
| Ireland | 1 | — | — |
| Israel | 1 | — | — |
| Italy | 2 | — | — |
| Jamaica | 1 | — | — |
| Japan | 1 | — | — |
| Jordan | 1 | — | — |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | — | — |
| Kenya | 1 | — | — |
| Kosovo | 1 | — | — |
| Kuwait | 1 | — | — |
| Lebanon | 1 | — | — |
| Luxembourg | 1 | — | — |
| Malaysia | 1 | — | — |
| Mali | 1 | — | — |
| Mexico | 1 | — | — |
| Morocco | 1 | — | — |
| Niger | 1 | — | — |
| Nigeria | 1 | — | — |
| Norway | 1 | — | — |
| Pakistan | 1 | — | — |
| Panama | 1 | — | — |
| Peru | 1 | — | — |
| Philippines | 1 | — | — |
| Poland | 1 | — | — |
| Portugal | 1 | — | — |
| Qatar | 1 | — | — |
| Republic of the Congo | 1 | — | — |
| Romania | 1 | — | — |
| Russia | 1 | — | — |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 | — | — |
| Senegal | 1 | — | — |
| Serbia | 1 | — | — |
| Singapore | 1 | — | — |
| South Africa | 1 | — | — |
| South Korea | 1 | — | 1 |
| Spain | 1 | — | — |
| Sweden | 1 | — | — |
| Switzerland | 1 | — | — |
| Tanzania | 1 | — | — |
| Thailand | 1 | — | — |
| Tunisia | 1 | — | — |
| Türkiye | 1 | — | — |
| Uganda | 1 | — | — |
| Ukraine | 1 | — | — |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | — | — |
| United Kingdom | 1 | — | — |
| United States | 1 | — | — |
| Vietnam | 1 | — | — |
- Countries
- 82
- Missions
- 84
Source: Wikidata (CC0)Data as at Oct 2026
Remittances sent abroad
Personal remittances paid from Belgium to other countries, in current US dollars (World Bank).
Remittances paid by year, US$ million
Data table
| 2000 | 3,588 |
| 2001 | 3,906 |
| 2002 | 1,629 |
| 2003 | 2,097 |
| 2004 | 2,342 |
| 2005 | 2,426 |
| 2006 | 2,565 |
| 2007 | 3,202 |
| 2008 | 4,124 |
| 2009 | 4,292 |
| 2010 | 4,142 |
| 2011 | 4,504 |
| 2012 | 4,303 |
| 2013 | 4,548 |
| 2014 | 5,251 |
| 2015 | 4,441 |
| 2016 | 4,565 |
| 2017 | 4,747 |
| 2018 | 5,611 |
| 2019 | 5,349 |
| 2020 | 6,067 |
| 2021 | 7,063 |
| 2022 | 8,009 |
| 2023 | 9,517 |
| 2024 | 10,113 |
| 2025 | 11,222 |
- Remittances paid, 2025
- US$11,222 million
- Average cost of sending US$200 from Belgium, 2023
- 3.8%
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025
Corridors into Belgium
Nationalities with a dedicated corridor page.
- Romania → Belgium
- Morocco → Belgium
- Ukraine → Belgium
- France → Belgium
- Afghanistan → Belgium
- DR Congo → Belgium
- Türkiye → Belgium
- Syria → Belgium
- Netherlands → Belgium
- Spain → Belgium
- India → Belgium
- Italy → Belgium
- Cameroon → Belgium
- Palestine → Belgium
- Brazil → Belgium
- United States → Belgium
- Portugal → Belgium
- China → Belgium
- Bulgaria → Belgium
- Poland → Belgium
- Eritrea → Belgium
- Burundi → Belgium
- Pakistan → Belgium
- Germany → Belgium
- Guinea → Belgium
- Albania → Belgium
- United Kingdom → Belgium
- Algeria → Belgium
- Tunisia → Belgium
- Rwanda → Belgium
- Japan → Belgium
- Nepal → Belgium
- Russia → Belgium
- Somalia → Belgium
- Iran → Belgium
- Greece → Belgium
- Philippines → Belgium
- Ghana → Belgium
- Senegal → Belgium
- United Arab Emirates → Belgium
- Kosovo → Belgium
- Yemen → Belgium
- Vietnam → Belgium
- Egypt → Belgium
- Nigeria → Belgium
- Canada → Belgium
- Colombia → Belgium
- Iraq → Belgium
- Moldova → Belgium
- El Salvador → Belgium
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023
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