Number of people living in extreme poverty in Belgium
Belgium: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 11.77 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Belgium, 1985–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 11.77 million people for number of people living in extreme poverty in 2023. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Belgium peaked at 11.77 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9.83 million people, in 1985.
That places Belgium 57th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Belgium, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 9.83 million people | — |
| 1988 | 9.83 million people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 9.95 million people | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 10.08 million people | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 10.14 million people | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 10.22 million people | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 10.34 million people | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 10.42 million people | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 10.45 million people | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 10.53 million people | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 10.61 million people | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 10.70 million people | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 10.78 million people | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 10.88 million people | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 11.02 million people | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 11.09 million people | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 11.14 million people | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 11.20 million people | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 11.26 million people | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 11.32 million people | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 11.36 million people | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 11.42 million people | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 11.48 million people | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 11.53 million people | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 11.58 million people | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 11.68 million people | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 11.77 million people | +0.8% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 11.77 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.58 million people, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 11.77 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.39 million people, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.83 million people | 9.83 million people | 9.83 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 10.06 million people | 9.95 million people | 10.14 million people | 3 |
| 2000s | 10.50 million people | 10.22 million people | 10.78 million people | 8 |
| 2010s | 11.22 million people | 10.88 million people | 11.48 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.64 million people | 11.53 million people | 11.77 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More poverty & inequality data for Belgium
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.38 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 8,486 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -1.37 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 42.58 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 42.6% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Belgium?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Belgium was 11.77 million people in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 11.77 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.83 million people in 1985.
- How does Belgium rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Belgium ranks 57th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.