Poverty and living standards in Arr. Mechelen (Flanders, Belgium): official figures
4.3% of the tax returns filed in the Mechelen arrondissement for 2023 declared no taxable income at all, the 16th lowest share of the 44 Belgian arrondissements (Belgium: 7.1%).
Are houses expensive in the Mechelen arrondissement?
The median house (closed, semi-detached or detached) sold for €360,000 in the Mechelen arrondissement in 2025, the 8th highest of the 42 arrondissements with their own price series and 14% above the Belgian median of €315,000.
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyHow much does an apartment cost in the Mechelen arrondissement?
Apartments in the Mechelen arrondissement changed hands at a median of €275,000 in 2025, across 1,611 sales recorded in the deeds (Belgian median €250,000).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyIs the Mechelen arrondissement poor?
7.0% of residents of the Mechelen arrondissement lived below the administrative poverty threshold of €17,681 a year in 2023, the 14th lowest rate of the 44 arrondissements (Belgium: 10.7%).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyMore figures
- Median house prices in the Mechelen arrondissement rose 57% in ten years, from €230,000 in 2015 to €360,000 in 2025 (Belgium: 57%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- A detached house with four or more facades cost a median €470,500 in the Mechelen arrondissement in 2025, against €335,000 for a terraced or semi-detached house with two or three facades. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- 3,516 houses were sold in the Mechelen arrondissement in 2025; a quarter of them went for less than €280,000 and a quarter for more than €473,000. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- The administrative poverty-risk rate in the Mechelen arrondissement went from 8.3% in 2015 to 7.0% in 2023, a change of -1.3 percentage points (Belgium: 12.7% to 10.7%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- Among the 12 communes of the Mechelen arrondissement with published figures, median equivalised disposable income in 2023 ranged from €29,569 in Willebroek to €34,261 in Bonheiden. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
How Arr. Mechelen compares with other arrondissements in Belgium
Tax returns declaring no taxable income (2023)
Arr. Mechelen ranks 29 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Tax returns declaring no taxable income |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Arr. Gent | 5.1% |
| 27 | Arr. Sint-Niklaas | 4.5% |
| 28 | Arr. Aalst | 4.3% |
| 29 | Arr. Mechelen | 4.3% |
| 30 | Arr. Hasselt | 4.0% |
| 31 | Arr. Kortrijk | 3.9% |
| 32 | Arr. Tongeren | 3.9% |
Administrative risk of poverty (2023)
Arr. Mechelen ranks 31 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Administrative risk of poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Arr. Tongeren | 7.2% |
| 29 | Arr. Halle-Vilvoorde | 7.1% |
| 30 | Arr. Hasselt | 7.1% |
| 31 | Arr. Mechelen | 7.0% |
| 32 | Arr. Oudenaarde | 6.9% |
| 33 | Arr. Waremme | 6.8% |
| 34 | Arr. Aalst | 6.7% |
Change in administrative risk of poverty, 2015-2023 (points) (2023)
Arr. Mechelen ranks 12 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Change in administrative risk of poverty, 2015-2023 (points) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Arr. Turnhout | -1.1 |
| 10 | Arr. Oudenaarde | -1.2 |
| 11 | Arr. Nivelles | -1.3 |
| 12 | Arr. Mechelen | -1.3 |
| 13 | Arr. Hasselt | -1.4 |
| 14 | Bezirk Verviers — Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft | -1.4 |
| 15 | Arr. Virton | -1.4 |
Median house sale price (2025)
Arr. Mechelen ranks 8 of 42, highest first. The two parts of the Verviers arrondissement are not shown separately by Statbel.
| Rank | Area | Median house sale price |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Arr. Gent | €390,000 |
| 6 | Arr. Leuven | €385,000 |
| 7 | Arr. Brugge | €365,000 |
| 8 | Arr. Mechelen | €360,000 |
| 9 | Arr. Veurne | €341,250 |
| 10 | Arr. Turnhout | €340,000 |
| 11 | Arr. Arlon | €330,000 |
Change in median house price, 2015-2025 (2025)
Arr. Mechelen ranks 15 of 42, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Change in median house price, 2015-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Arr. Dendermonde | +57% |
| 13 | Arr. Kortrijk | +57% |
| 14 | Arr. Liège | +57% |
| 15 | Arr. Mechelen | +57% |
| 16 | Arr. Gent | +56% |
| 17 | Arr. Waremme | +54% |
| 18 | Arr. Eeklo | +54% |
More on Arr. Mechelen: overview · economy and jobs · government budget · government and politics · Flanders · Belgium
Sources
- 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…)
- 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…)
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