Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Belgium
Belgium: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 9.76 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
9.76 million people
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
20th
of 120 countries
All-time high
9.79 million people
in 2021
All-time low
4.01 million people
in 1985
Years of data
27
1985–2023
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Belgium, 1985–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of population between different poverty lines in Belgium is 9.76 million people, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Belgium peaked at 9.79 million people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.01 million people, in 1985.
Belgium ranks 20th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Belgium, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 4.01 million people | — |
| 1988 | 4.35 million people | +8.3% |
| 1992 | 5.28 million people | +21.6% |
| 1995 | 6.60 million people | +24.9% |
| 1997 | 6.69 million people | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 7.37 million people | +10.2% |
| 2003 | 7.22 million people | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 7.55 million people | +4.6% |
| 2005 | 7.67 million people | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 7.76 million people | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 7.84 million people | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 8.17 million people | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 8.28 million people | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 8.31 million people | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 8.22 million people | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 8.53 million people | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 8.56 million people | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 8.56 million people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8.71 million people | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 8.71 million people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8.94 million people | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 9.16 million people | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 9.40 million people | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 9.67 million people | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 9.79 million people | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 9.73 million people | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 9.76 million people | +0.2% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 9.76 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.96 million people, 2.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 9.76 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.67 million people, 5.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.18 million people | 4.01 million people | 4.35 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 6.19 million people | 5.28 million people | 6.69 million people | 3 |
| 2000s | 7.73 million people | 7.22 million people | 8.28 million people | 8 |
| 2010s | 8.71 million people | 8.22 million people | 9.40 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.74 million people | 9.67 million people | 9.79 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 distribution of population between different poverty lines in Belgium?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Belgium was 9.76 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 distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 9.79 million people in 2021.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.01 million people in 1985.
- How does Belgium rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Belgium ranks 20th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. 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 Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $40 per day.