Forcibly displaced people in Belgium
Belgium: Forcibly displaced people was 245,118 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Forcibly displaced people in Belgium, 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
In 2025, forcibly displaced people in Belgium stood at 245,118. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 243.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Belgium peaked at 245,118 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 36,179, in 2010.
That places Belgium 58th out of 180 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Forcibly displaced people in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 36,179 | — |
| 2011 | 41,402 | +14.4% |
| 2012 | 37,046 | -10.5% |
| 2013 | 37,096 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 39,113 | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 71,298 | +82.3% |
| 2016 | 66,256 | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 60,918 | -8.1% |
| 2018 | 61,708 | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 72,524 | +17.5% |
| 2020 | 94,278 | +30.0% |
| 2021 | 103,018 | +9.3% |
| 2022 | 192,523 | +86.9% |
| 2023 | 212,431 | +10.3% |
| 2024 | 236,689 | +11.4% |
| 2025 | 245,118 | +3.6% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 245,118 is above the median for high income countries, which is 51,316, 4.8× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 245,118 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 115,499, 2.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forcibly displaced people in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +86.9% | 103,018 | 192,523 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 52,354 | 36,179 | 72,524 | 10 |
| 2020s | 180,676 | 94,278 | 245,118 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 55 Mauritania 308,868 compare
- 56 Austria 308,665 compare
- 57 Serbia 250,997 compare
- 59 Costa Rica 233,727 compare
- 60 Switzerland 225,326 compare
- 61 Tanzania 214,404 compare
More social development data for Belgium
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 186,393 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 113 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 113 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0156 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forcibly displaced people in Belgium?
- Forcibly displaced people in Belgium was 245,118 in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 245,118 in 2025.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 36,179 in 2010.
- How does Belgium rank for forcibly displaced people?
- Belgium ranks 58th out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 243.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.