Municipality · Province of Limburg · Flanders
Hechtel-Eksel
About Hechtel-Eksel
Hechtel-Eksel is a municipality in the province of Limburg in Flanders, Belgium. On 1 January 2026 it had 13,089 inhabitants on an area of 76.7 km², a population density of 171 inhabitants per km². That is lower than the average of 374 per km² in Limburg and lower than the Belgian average of 387 per km².
By population, Hechtel-Eksel ranks 283rd of Belgium’s 565 municipalities and 26th of the 38 municipalities in Limburg. By area it ranks 129th in Belgium.
The official language is Dutch.
Population of Hechtel-Eksel since 2016
Between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2026 the population of Hechtel-Eksel grew by 795 inhabitants (+6.5%), from 12,294 to 13,089. In the last year it changed by −16. The highest figure in this period was in 2025.
For population growth since 2016, Hechtel-Eksel ranks 180th of 565. Over the same period the province of Limburg changed by +5.2% and Belgium by +5.3%.
Neighbouring municipalities
Hechtel-Eksel borders 7 municipalities:
Distances from Hechtel-Eksel
| To | km | miles |
|---|---|---|
| Hasselt | 25 | 15 |
| Leuven | 53 | 33 |
| Liège | 59 | 37 |
| Mechelen | 64 | 40 |
| Antwerp | 69 | 43 |
| Brussels | 74 | 46 |
| Namur | 82 | 51 |
| Charleroi | 102 | 64 |
| Ghent | 113 | 70 |
| Mons | 123 | 76 |
| Bruges | 149 | 93 |
| Kortrijk | 151 | 94 |
| Arlon | 166 | 103 |
| Ostend | 169 | 105 |
Straight line between the centres of the municipalities. By road it is usually 20–40% further. Calculate another distance →
Nearby municipalities
More about Hechtel-Eksel: Wikipedia.