Share of population living below national poverty lines in Belgium

Belgium: Share of population living below national poverty lines was 12.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
12.3%
Change on year
down 6.8%
World rank
53rd
of 70 countries
All-time high
14.8%
in 2018
All-time low
12.3%
in 2022
Years of data
5
2018–2022

Share of population living below national poverty lines in Belgium, 2018–2022

0510152018202020222018: 14.8 % of population2019: 14.1 % of population2020: 12.7 % of population2021: 13.2 % of population2022: 12.3 % of population

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.

Analysis

Belgium recorded 12.3% for share of population living below national poverty lines in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 16.9% over five years.

That places Belgium 53rd out of 70 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Share of population living below national poverty lines in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living below national poverty lines in Belgium, 2018 to 2022.
Year % of population Change
2018 14.8%
2019 14.1% -4.7%
2020 12.7% -9.9%
2021 13.2% +3.9%
2022 12.3% -6.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 14.4% 14.1% 14.8% 2
2020s 12.7% 12.3% 13.2% 3

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 50 Poland 13.3%
  2. 51 Türkiye 13.0% compare
  3. 52 Slovenia 12.7% compare
  4. 54 Finland 12.2% compare
  5. 55 Hungary 12.1%
  6. 56 Czechia 10.2%

See the full ranking of 70 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living below national poverty lines in Belgium?
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Belgium was 12.3% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 14.8% in 2018.
What is the lowest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 12.3% in 2022.
How does Belgium rank for share of population living below national poverty lines?
Belgium ranks 53rd out of 70 countries with data for 2022.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living below national poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living below national poverty lines in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-poverty-by-national-poverty-lines/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living below national poverty lines
Unit
% of population
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
70 places, 986 data points, 1985–2025
Last refreshed

National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.