Poverty and living standards in Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium: official figures
Disposable household income was 21,800 PPS per person in 2024; the lowest of 3 regions in Belgium.
How many people in Brussels-Capital Region are at risk of poverty?
The share of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion was 33.6% in 2025, against 16.5% for Belgium; the highest of 3 regions in Belgium.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre houses expensive in Brussels-Capital Region?
The median house (closed, semi-detached or detached) sold for €530,000 in the Brussels-Capital Region in 2025, the highest of the 3 regions and 68% above the Belgian median of €315,000.
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyHow much does an apartment cost in Brussels-Capital Region?
Apartments in the Brussels-Capital Region changed hands at a median of €270,000 in 2025, across 10,983 sales recorded in the deeds (Belgian median €250,000).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyIs Brussels-Capital Region poor?
21.7% of residents of the Brussels-Capital Region lived below the administrative poverty threshold of €17,681 a year in 2023, the highest rate of the 3 regions (Belgium: 10.7%).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyWhat is the median disposable income in Brussels-Capital Region?
Half of the residents of the Brussels-Capital Region had an equivalised disposable income below €25,025 in 2023, after taxes and including benefits, against a Belgian median of €29,468.
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyWhat is the poverty rate in Brussels-Capital Region?
23.3% of people lived below the poverty line (60% of national median income after social transfers) in 2025, compared with 10.9% nationally. In 2019 it was 31.4%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Brussels-Capital Region cannot afford basic necessities?
9.9% of people suffered severe material and social deprivation in 2025, meaning they could not afford at least 7 of 13 basic items such as heating, a week away or replacing worn-out furniture, compared with 4.9% nationally. In 2019 it was 13.8%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many households in Brussels-Capital Region have nobody in work?
Very low work intensity affected 22.1% of people under 65 in 2025 (households where working-age adults worked under 20% of the time they could), compared with 11.0% nationally. In 2019 it was 24.6%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the average income in Brussels-Capital Region?
Disposable household income averaged €25,400 per person in 2024 (Belgium: €28,500). In 2014 it was €17,300.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Brussels-Capital Region use the internet?
94.0% of people used the internet at least once a week in 2025, compared with 95.6% nationally. In 2015 it was 84.1%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 93% of households had broadband in 2021. Source: Eurostat · saved copy
- 16.3% of the tax returns filed in the Brussels-Capital Region for 2023 declared no taxable income at all, the highest share of the 3 regions (Belgium: 7.1%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- Median house prices in the Brussels-Capital Region rose 47% in ten years, from €360,000 in 2015 to €530,000 in 2025 (Belgium: 57%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- A detached house with four or more facades cost a median €1,060,000 in the Brussels-Capital Region in 2025, against €510,000 for a terraced or semi-detached house with two or three facades. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- 2,183 houses were sold in the Brussels-Capital Region in 2025; a quarter of them went for less than €383,000 and a quarter for more than €750,000. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- The administrative poverty-risk rate in the Brussels-Capital Region went from 26.8% in 2015 to 21.7% in 2023, a change of -5.0 percentage points (Belgium: 12.7% to 10.7%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- Among the 19 communes of the Brussels-Capital Region with published figures, median equivalised disposable income in 2023 ranged from €20,862 in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode to €34,305 in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
How Brussels-Capital Region compares with other regions
Tax returns declaring no taxable income (2023)
Brussels-Capital Region ranks 1 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Tax returns declaring no taxable income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels-Capital Region | 16.3% |
| 2 | Wallonia | 8.1% |
| 3 | Flanders | 4.8% |
Administrative risk of poverty (2023)
Brussels-Capital Region ranks 1 of 3, highest first.
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyMedian equivalised disposable income (2023)
Brussels-Capital Region ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Median equivalised disposable income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flanders | €30,755 |
| 2 | Wallonia | €28,255 |
| 3 | Brussels-Capital Region | €25,025 |
Median house sale price (2025)
Brussels-Capital Region ranks 1 of 3, highest first.
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyMedian apartment sale price (2025)
Brussels-Capital Region ranks 1 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Median apartment sale price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels-Capital Region | €270,000 |
| 2 | Flanders | €259,500 |
| 3 | Wallonia | €190,000 |
At-risk-of-poverty rate (after social transfers) (2025)
Brussels-Capital Region ranks 1 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | At-risk-of-poverty rate (after social transfers) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels-Capital Region | 23.3% |
| 2 | Wallonia | 13.4% |
| 3 | Flanders | 7.2% |
Severe material and social deprivation rate (2025)
Brussels-Capital Region ranks 1 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Severe material and social deprivation rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels-Capital Region | 9.9% |
| 2 | Wallonia | 6.6% |
| 3 | Flanders | 3.0% |
People in households with very low work intensity (2025)
Brussels-Capital Region ranks 1 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households with very low work intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels-Capital Region | 22.1% |
| 2 | Wallonia | 14.6% |
| 3 | Flanders | 6.7% |
Disposable household income per person (euros) (2024)
Brussels-Capital Region ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Disposable household income per person (euros) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flanders | €30,400 |
| 2 | Wallonia | €26,000 |
| 3 | Brussels-Capital Region | €25,400 |
People who use the internet regularly (2025)
Brussels-Capital Region ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People who use the internet regularly |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flanders | 96.3% |
| 2 | Wallonia | 94.9% |
| 3 | Brussels-Capital Region | 94.0% |
More on Brussels-Capital Region: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · government and politics · Belgium
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_2hhinc: Disposable household income per person (PPS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bd6019768e9f…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset ilc_peps11n: At risk of poverty or social exclusion, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 94dcf245d20e…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset isoc_r_broad_h: Households with broadband, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b02c9a1ef222…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset isoc_r_iuse_i: Individuals regularly using the internet by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fb4ff8800853…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset ilc_li41: At-risk-of-poverty rate by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 27849ad61b9a…)
- Statbel (Belgian statistical office): Real estate sales according to the nature of the property in the deed of sale, by municipality, arrondissement, province and region, 2010-2026, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bd4fa1121df7…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset ilc_mdsd18: Severe material and social deprivation rate by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 62e6e6fba571…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset ilc_lvhl21n: People living in households with very low work intensity by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8b5e993ae943…)
- Statbel (Belgian statistical office): Fiscal statistics on income subject to personal income tax, by municipality of residence, income years 2005-2023 (TF_PSNL_INC_TAX_MUNTY), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5ff459c06f5f…)
- Statbel (Belgian statistical office): Equivalent administrative disposable income and administrative risk of poverty by municipality, income years 2015-2023 (DataLab), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8fd608fc02ca…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_2hhinc: Income of households by NUTS 2 region (euros per inhabitant), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7441dafca51…)
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