Municipality · Province of East Flanders · Flanders
Aalst
French Alost
About Aalst
Aalst is a municipality in the province of East Flanders in Flanders, Belgium. On 1 January 2026 it had 93,094 inhabitants on an area of 78.7 km², a population density of 1,183 inhabitants per km². That is higher than the average of 532 per km² in East Flanders and higher than the Belgian average of 387 per km².
By population, Aalst ranks 13th of Belgium’s 565 municipalities and 2nd of the 55 municipalities in East Flanders. By area it ranks 122nd in Belgium.
The official language is Dutch.
Population of Aalst since 2016
Between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2026 the population of Aalst grew by 8,765 inhabitants (+10.4%), from 84,329 to 93,094. In the last year it changed by +963.
For population growth since 2016, Aalst ranks 47th of 565. Over the same period the province of East Flanders changed by +7.0% and Belgium by +5.3%.
Neighbouring municipalities
Aalst borders 9 municipalities:
Postcodes in Aalst
Distances from Aalst
| To | km | miles |
|---|---|---|
| Brussels | 23 | 14 |
| Ghent | 28 | 17 |
| Mechelen | 28 | 18 |
| Antwerp | 41 | 25 |
| Leuven | 45 | 28 |
| Mons | 55 | 34 |
| Kortrijk | 59 | 36 |
| Charleroi | 64 | 40 |
| Bruges | 69 | 43 |
| Namur | 78 | 49 |
| Ostend | 85 | 53 |
| Hasselt | 89 | 55 |
| Liège | 112 | 70 |
| Arlon | 187 | 116 |
Straight line between the centres of the municipalities. By road it is usually 20–40% further. Calculate another distance →
Nearby municipalities
More about Aalst: Wikipedia.