Population of Belgium: number, density, ethnic composition

Belgium is a small European country with a long and intricate history, which often echoed with other states. What characterizes the modern population of Belgium? We will learn more about this.

Short review

The Kingdom of Belgium is located in the western part of Europe. It is surrounded by the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg and Germany. In the north-west is the North Sea. The population density of Belgium is 368 people per square kilometer, and the country's area is 30,528 km. Sq. M.

The state has a long history, having visited the Roman Empire, the Burgundy duchy, the Netherlands and France. Belgium gained full independence in 1839, claiming it back in 1830. Since then, it represents a constitutional monarchy ruled by the king.

The capital of the state and the largest city is Brussels. Here are the offices and headquarters of international communities, of which Belgium is a member (NATO, the European Union, the Benelux Secretariat). Large cities are also Bruges, Antwerp, Charleroi, Ghent.

The population of Belgium

The state ranks 77th in the world in terms of the number of inhabitants. The population of Belgium is 11.4 million people. The natural increase is generally positive. Fertility is only 0.11% higher than mortality.

The percentage of young people is gradually decreasing since 1962. Then children aged 0 to 14 years were 24% of all residents, now - 17.2%. However, in recent years the trend has again become positive. People over 65 years of age make up about 18.4%, almost 64.48% are between 15 and 64 years old.

The sex structure of the population is demonstrated in more detail by the table. Belgium is dominated by the female population.

According to data for 2016, there are 1.78 children per woman, and the family size is 2.7 people. On average, women give birth to the first child at the age of 28. The predominant number of children appears in full-fledged families with two parents.

Ethnic composition

The population of Belgium consists of two large ethnic groups: Flemish (58%) and Walloons (31%). National minorities are represented by the French, Italians, Dutch, Spanish and Germans. Almost 9% of immigrants live in the country. This includes Poles, Moroccans, Turks, Indians, French, Italians, Congolese and others.

Flemings and Walloons are indigenous people. The first are descendants of Frisians, Saxons, Franks and Batavs. The Dutch language and its numerous dialects are considered to be the native language for them. The Walloons are considerably inferior to the Flemings in numbers. They are descendants of the Romanized Celtic tribes - the Belga. They speak French and Walloon.

In Belgium, there are three national languages. In Dutch, about 60%, in French - almost 40%, in German - less than one percent of residents. Three-quarters of the population adheres to Catholicism, the rest profess other religions, among which Islam and Protestantism prevail.

Cultural disputes and differences

The population of Belgium is characterized by marked differences between indigenous ethnic groups. The culture of the Flemish is closest to the Dutch. They inhabit the northern region of the country, called Flanders. Art, architecture and folk-poetic creativity, due to historical events, are closely related to the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Many cultural figures created their works in the Dutch language.

Walloons in spirit are the closest to the French. They share a language with them, although other aspects of life are still different because of the influence of the Germanic tribes. The Walloon region covers five provinces in the south of the country, centered in Namur.

Flemings from a long time compete with Walloons. The first claims were voiced right after the announcement of the independence of the country, since the French became the official language throughout the territory. Flemish immediately declared an inequality, beginning to win back their identity. Economic and cultural disputes arose throughout the history of Belgium, up to modern times.

Employment

The working population of Belgium is 5, 247 million people. The unemployment rate reaches 8.6%, which places the country in one of the first places in the European Union. Despite this, the country's GDP is 30 thousand dollars per capita.

A large number of unemployed and a fairly moderate rate of development of the economy of Belgium are associated with inadequate competitiveness and lack of adaptability to the new market conditions. With the advent of new leaders in the industry, demand fell on the country's main products - textiles, machinery, glass, inorganic chemistry.

The largest number of residents are engaged in services, which also slows down the restructuring of the economy. Currently, about 1% of the working population is engaged in agriculture. The service sector accounts for 74%, for industry - 24% of the country's residents. The rest are engaged in real estate, finance, transport and communications.