Poverty and living standards in Flanders, Belgium: official figures
Disposable household income was 26,100 PPS per person in 2024; the highest of 3 regions in Belgium.
How many people in Flanders are at risk of poverty?
The share of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion was 11.4% in 2025, against 16.5% for Belgium; the lowest of 3 regions in Belgium.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow much does a house cost in Flanders?
The median house (closed, semi-detached or detached) sold for €349,000 in Flanders in 2025, the 2nd highest of the 3 regions and 11% above the Belgian median of €315,000.
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyHow much does an apartment cost in Flanders?
Apartments in Flanders changed hands at a median of €259,500 in 2025, across 33,976 sales recorded in the deeds (Belgian median €250,000).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyWhat is the poverty rate in Flanders?
7.7% of residents of Flanders lived below the administrative poverty threshold of €17,681 a year in 2023, the lowest rate of the 3 regions (Belgium: 10.7%).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyWhat is the median disposable income in Flanders?
Half of the residents of Flanders had an equivalised disposable income below €30,755 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 Flanders?
The at-risk-of-poverty rate was 7.2% in 2025, measured against 60% of median income in Belgium (Belgium: 10.9%). In 2019 it was 9.7%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Flanders cannot afford basic necessities?
3.0% 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 (Belgium: 4.9%). In 2019 it was 3.6%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many households in Flanders have nobody in work?
Very low work intensity affected 6.7% of people under 65 in 2025 (households where working-age adults worked under 20% of the time they could) (Belgium: 11.0%). In 2019 it was 8.0%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the average income in Flanders?
After taxes and benefits, households had €30,400 per person to spend or save in 2024, against €28,500 for Belgium as a whole. In 2014 it was €20,800.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Flanders use the internet?
96.3% of people used the internet at least once a week in 2025 (Belgium: 95.6%). In 2015 it was 84.5%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 93% of households had broadband in 2021. Source: Eurostat · saved copy
- 4.8% of the tax returns filed in Flanders for 2023 declared no taxable income at all, the lowest share of the 3 regions (Belgium: 7.1%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- Median house prices in Flanders rose 52% in ten years, from €230,000 in 2015 to €349,000 in 2025 (Belgium: 57%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- A detached house with four or more facades cost a median €430,000 in Flanders in 2025, against €317,000 for a terraced or semi-detached house with two or three facades. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- 66,198 houses were sold in Flanders in 2025; a quarter of them went for less than €260,000 and a quarter for more than €460,000. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- The administrative poverty-risk rate in Flanders went from 9.0% in 2015 to 7.7% in 2023, a change of -1.3 percentage points (Belgium: 12.7% to 10.7%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- Among the 299 communes of Flanders with published figures, median equivalised disposable income in 2023 ranged from €25,903 in Antwerpen to €36,359 in Kraainem. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
How Flanders compares with other regions
Tax returns declaring no taxable income (2023)
Flanders ranks 3 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)
Flanders ranks 3 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Administrative risk of poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels-Capital Region | 21.7% |
| 2 | Wallonia | 12.8% |
| 3 | Flanders | 7.7% |
Median equivalised disposable income (2023)
Flanders ranks 1 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)
Flanders ranks 2 of 3, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Median house sale price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels-Capital Region | €530,000 |
| 2 | Flanders | €349,000 |
| 3 | Wallonia | €235,000 |
Median apartment sale price (2025)
Flanders ranks 2 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)
Flanders ranks 3 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)
Flanders ranks 3 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)
Flanders ranks 3 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)
Flanders ranks 1 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)
Flanders ranks 1 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 Flanders: 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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