Municipality · Province of East Flanders · Flanders
Ghent
Dutch Gent · French Gand
About Ghent
Ghent is a municipality in the province of East Flanders in Flanders, Belgium. On 1 January 2026 it had 274,042 inhabitants on an area of 158.0 km², a population density of 1,735 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, Ghent ranks 2nd of Belgium’s 565 municipalities and 1st of the 55 municipalities in East Flanders. By area it ranks 14th in Belgium. Ghent is the capital of East Flanders.
The official language is Dutch.
Population of Ghent since 2016
Between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2026 the population of Ghent grew by 17,013 inhabitants (+6.6%), from 257,029 to 274,042. In the last year it changed by +1,385.
For population growth since 2016, Ghent ranks 172nd of 565. Over the same period the province of East Flanders changed by +7.0% and Belgium by +5.3%.
Neighbouring municipalities
Ghent borders 9 municipalities:
Postcodes in Ghent
Nearby municipalities
More about Ghent: Wikipedia.