Municipality · Province of West Flanders · Flanders
Ostend
Dutch Oostende · French Ostende
About Ostend
Ostend is a municipality in the province of West Flanders in Flanders, Belgium. On 1 January 2026 it had 73,000 inhabitants on an area of 38.0 km², a population density of 1,921 inhabitants per km². That is higher than the average of 390 per km² in West Flanders and higher than the Belgian average of 387 per km².
By population, Ostend ranks 22nd of Belgium’s 565 municipalities and 3rd of the 62 municipalities in West Flanders. By area it ranks 319th in Belgium.
The official language is Dutch.
Population of Ostend since 2016
Between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2026 the population of Ostend grew by 2,400 inhabitants (+3.4%), from 70,600 to 73,000. In the last year it changed by +183.
For population growth since 2016, Ostend ranks 359th of 565. Over the same period the province of West Flanders changed by +4.6% and Belgium by +5.3%.
Neighbouring municipalities
Ostend borders 4 municipalities:
Postcodes in Ostend
| Postcode | Places |
|---|---|
| 8400 | Oostende |
Distances from Ostend
| To | km | miles |
|---|---|---|
| Bruges | 21 | 13 |
| Kortrijk | 51 | 32 |
| Ghent | 58 | 36 |
| Antwerp | 101 | 63 |
| Brussels | 108 | 67 |
| Mechelen | 108 | 67 |
| Mons | 112 | 70 |
| Leuven | 130 | 81 |
| Charleroi | 138 | 86 |
| Namur | 160 | 100 |
| Hasselt | 171 | 107 |
| Liège | 198 | 123 |
| Arlon | 265 | 165 |
Straight line between the centres of the municipalities. By road it is usually 20–40% further. Calculate another distance →
Nearby municipalities
More about Ostend: Wikipedia.