Poverty and living standards in Arr. Oostende (Flanders, Belgium): official figures
3.8% of the tax returns filed in the Oostende arrondissement for 2023 declared no taxable income at all, the 10th lowest share of the 44 Belgian arrondissements (Belgium: 7.1%).
What is the median house price in the Oostende arrondissement?
The median house (closed, semi-detached or detached) sold for €297,500 in the Oostende arrondissement in 2025, the 20th highest of the 42 arrondissements with their own price series and 6% below the Belgian median of €315,000.
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyHow much does an apartment cost in the Oostende arrondissement?
Apartments in the Oostende arrondissement changed hands at a median of €215,000 in 2025, across 2,529 sales recorded in the deeds (Belgian median €250,000).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyHow many people are poor in the Oostende arrondissement?
8.3% of residents of the Oostende arrondissement lived below the administrative poverty threshold of €17,681 a year in 2023, the 22nd lowest rate of the 44 arrondissements (Belgium: 10.7%).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyMore figures
- Median house prices in the Oostende arrondissement rose 40% in ten years, from €212,500 in 2015 to €297,500 in 2025 (Belgium: 57%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- A detached house with four or more facades cost a median €372,500 in the Oostende arrondissement in 2025, against €280,000 for a terraced or semi-detached house with two or three facades. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- 1,566 houses were sold in the Oostende arrondissement in 2025; a quarter of them went for less than €225,000 and a quarter for more than €400,000. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- The administrative poverty-risk rate in the Oostende arrondissement went from 10.4% in 2015 to 8.3% in 2023, a change of -2.1 percentage points (Belgium: 12.7% to 10.7%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- Among the 7 communes of the Oostende arrondissement with published figures, median equivalised disposable income in 2023 ranged from €27,643 in Oostende to €31,469 in Gistel. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
How Arr. Oostende compares with other arrondissements in Belgium
Tax returns declaring no taxable income (2023)
Arr. Oostende ranks 35 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Tax returns declaring no taxable income |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Arr. Tongeren | 3.9% |
| 33 | Arr. Oudenaarde | 3.9% |
| 34 | Arr. Turnhout | 3.8% |
| 35 | Arr. Oostende | 3.8% |
| 36 | Arr. Brugge | 3.8% |
| 37 | Arr. Eeklo | 3.7% |
| 38 | Arr. Maaseik | 3.7% |
Administrative risk of poverty (2023)
Arr. Oostende ranks 23 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Administrative risk of poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Arr. Ath | 8.7% |
| 21 | Arr. Virton | 8.6% |
| 22 | Arr. Sint-Niklaas | 8.4% |
| 23 | Arr. Oostende | 8.3% |
| 24 | Arr. Nivelles | 8.3% |
| 25 | Arr. Gent | 7.9% |
| 26 | Arr. Veurne | 7.6% |
Change in administrative risk of poverty, 2015-2023 (points) (2023)
Arr. Oostende ranks 25 of 44, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Change in administrative risk of poverty, 2015-2023 (points) |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Arr. Eeklo | -1.8 |
| 23 | Arr. Bastogne | -1.8 |
| 24 | Arr. Waremme | -2.0 |
| 25 | Arr. Oostende | -2.1 |
| 26 | Arr. Thuin | -2.1 |
| 27 | Arr. Soignies | -2.1 |
| 28 | Arr. Gent | -2.1 |
Median house sale price (2025)
Arr. Oostende ranks 20 of 42, highest first. The two parts of the Verviers arrondissement are not shown separately by Statbel.
| Rank | Area | Median house sale price |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Arr. Aalst | €300,000 |
| 18 | Arr. Tielt | €300,000 |
| 19 | Arr. Tongeren | €299,000 |
| 20 | Arr. Oostende | €297,500 |
| 21 | Arr. Oudenaarde | €295,000 |
| 22 | Arr. Namur | €290,000 |
| 23 | Arr. Diksmuide | €279,500 |
Change in median house price, 2015-2025 (2025)
Arr. Oostende ranks 40 of 42, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Change in median house price, 2015-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | Arr. Nivelles | +42% |
| 37 | Arr. Thuin | +42% |
| 38 | Arr. Mons | +42% |
| 39 | Arr. Veurne | +40% |
| 40 | Arr. Oostende | +40% |
| 41 | Arr. Tournai-Mouscron | +40% |
| 42 | Arr. Brugge | +38% |
More on Arr. Oostende: 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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