Municipality · Province of Antwerp · Flanders

Mechelen

French Malines

About Mechelen

Mechelen is a municipality in the province of Antwerp in Flanders, Belgium. On 1 January 2026 it had 90,355 inhabitants on an area of 66.0 km², a population density of 1,368 inhabitants per km². That is higher than the average of 677 per km² in Antwerp and higher than the Belgian average of 387 per km².

By population, Mechelen ranks 15th of Belgium’s 565 municipalities and 2nd of the 67 municipalities in Antwerp. By area it ranks 158th in Belgium.

The official language is Dutch.

Population of Mechelen since 2016

Population on 1 January, 2016–2026. The bars start above zero to make the change visible. Source: Statbel.

Between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2026 the population of Mechelen grew by 5,832 inhabitants (+6.9%), from 84,523 to 90,355. In the last year it changed by +700.

For population growth since 2016, Mechelen ranks 157th of 565. Over the same period the province of Antwerp changed by +7.0% and Belgium by +5.3%.

Neighbouring municipalities

Mechelen borders 7 municipalities:

Postcodes in Mechelen

Postcode	Places
2800	Mechelen, Walem
2801	Heffen
2811	Hombeek, Leest
2812	Muizen

Distances from Mechelen

To	km	miles
Brussels	18	11
Leuven	24	15
Antwerp	26	16
Ghent	51	32
Hasselt	63	39
Charleroi	68	42
Namur	70	43
Mons	72	45
Kortrijk	87	54
Bruges	90	56
Liège	91	57
Ostend	108	67
Arlon	178	111

Straight line between the centres of the municipalities. By road it is usually 20–40% further. Calculate another distance →

Nearby municipalities

More about Mechelen: Wikipedia.