City of Brussels
The City of Brussels[a] is the largest municipality and historical centre of the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of the Flemish Region (from which it is separate) and Belgium.[2] The City of Brussels is also the administrative centre of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions in its European Quarter.[3][4][b]
This article is about the municipality, which is the de jure national capital. For the greater urban area with the status of Capital Region, see Brussels.
City of Brussels
33.09 km2 (12.78 sq mi)
188,737
5,700/km2 (15,000/sq mi)
02
Besides the central historic town located within the Pentagon, the City of Brussels covers some of the city's immediate outskirts within the greater Brussels-Capital Region, namely the former municipalities of Haren, Laeken, and Neder-Over-Heembeek to the north, as well as the Avenue Louise/Louizalaan and the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos park to the south-east, where it borders municipalities in Flanders.
As of 1 January 2023, the City of Brussels had a population of 194,291 inhabitants. The total area is 33.09 km2 (12.78 sq mi) which gives a population density of 5,704/km2 (14,770/sq mi). As of 2007, there were 75,998 registered non-Belgians in the City.[5] In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch).
Demographics[edit]
Foreign population[edit]
The City of Brussels has a large immigrant population, with both the EU and non-European migrant communities outnumbering the native Belgians. Akin to neighbouring Ixelles, Etterbeek and Schaerbeek, the City of Brussels also has a large Muslim population, mainly of North African origin.
As of 2023, taking into account the nationality of birth of the parents, 55.84% of the City of Brussels's population is from non-European countries (predominantly Morocco), 27.21% is from another European country (mainly France, Romania, Italy, Spain, and Poland), while the native Belgian population is 16.94%.[79] Among all major migrant groups from outside the EU, a majority of the permanent residents have acquired Belgian nationality.[80]
Migrant communities in the City of Brussels with over 1,000 people as of 1 January 2020:[81]