Migration balance in Belgium 2010-2022

In 2022, the migration balance in Belgium stood at 116,500, meaning that the number of immigrants moving to Belgium outnumbered the number of people leaving the country by about 116,500. This was an increase in comparison to the previous year and was the highest in this time period. It was also similar compared to neighboring country the Netherlands, which in 2021 had a positive migration balance of 107,200.

 Regional differences in Belgium

  Within Belgium, there were marked regional differences as well. The Flemish Region, the Dutch-speaking part of the country, had a migration balance of around 20,098 in 2020. By comparison, the migration balance of the French-speaking Walloon Region was roughly one third of this, at just over 8,000.

Opinions on immigration in Belgium

  Between 2011 and 2018, Ipsos surveyed opinions on immigration in Belgium multiple times. The share of respondents who believe immigration has a positive impact on the country was continuously low though, never reaching above 16 percent. On a more positive note though, this peak was reached in the most recent survey, held at the end of 2018. Surveys from 2011 and 2013 saw considerable fewer positive responses of nine and eight percent respectively. After 2013, the share of respondents positive about immigration remained above ten percent in all years, until it reached its peak in 2018.