Municipality · Brussels-Capital Region
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
Dutch Sint-Jans-Molenbeek · German Molenbeek-Saint-Jean - Sint-Jans-Molenbeek
About Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean is a municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. On 1 January 2026 it had 98,411 inhabitants on an area of 6.0 km², a population density of 16,320 inhabitants per km². That is higher than the average of 7,745 per km² in Brussels-Capital Region.
By population, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean ranks 11th of Belgium’s 565 municipalities and 4th of the 19 municipalities in Brussels-Capital Region. By area it ranks 548th in Belgium.
The official language is French and Dutch (bilingual). Like all 19 Brussels municipalities, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean is officially bilingual French and Dutch.
Population of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean since 2016
Between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2026 the population of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean grew by 1,825 inhabitants (+1.9%), from 96,586 to 98,411. In the last year it changed by −302. The highest figure in this period was in 2025.
For population growth since 2016, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean ranks 438th of 565. Over the same period the Brussels-Capital Region changed by +5.7% and Belgium by +5.3%.
Neighbouring municipalities
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean borders 6 municipalities:
Postcodes in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
| Postcode | Places |
|---|---|
| 1080 | Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Sint-Jans-Molenbeek |
Distances from Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
| To | km | miles |
|---|---|---|
| Brussels | 4 | 3 |
| Mechelen | 21 | 13 |
| Leuven | 27 | 17 |
| Antwerp | 45 | 28 |
| Ghent | 48 | 30 |
| Charleroi | 49 | 30 |
| Mons | 51 | 32 |
| Namur | 59 | 37 |
| Hasselt | 71 | 44 |
| Kortrijk | 74 | 46 |
| Bruges | 89 | 55 |
| Liège | 93 | 58 |
| Ostend | 105 | 65 |
| Arlon | 168 | 104 |
Straight line between the centres of the municipalities. By road it is usually 20–40% further. Calculate another distance →
Nearby municipalities
More about Molenbeek-Saint-Jean: Wikipedia.