Municipality · Province of East Flanders · Flanders
Zele
About Zele
Zele is a municipality in the province of East Flanders in Flanders, Belgium. On 1 January 2026 it had 21,587 inhabitants on an area of 33.4 km², a population density of 647 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, Zele ranks 154th of Belgium’s 565 municipalities and 24th of the 55 municipalities in East Flanders. By area it ranks 367th in Belgium.
The official language is Dutch.
Population of Zele since 2016
Between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2026 the population of Zele grew by 802 inhabitants (+3.9%), from 20,785 to 21,587. In the last year it changed by +66.
For population growth since 2016, Zele ranks 337th of 565. Over the same period the province of East Flanders changed by +7.0% and Belgium by +5.3%.
Neighbouring municipalities
Zele borders 5 municipalities:
Postcodes in Zele
| Postcode | Places |
|---|---|
| 9240 | Zele |
Distances from Zele
| To | km | miles |
|---|---|---|
| Ghent | 22 | 13 |
| Mechelen | 29 | 18 |
| Antwerp | 32 | 20 |
| Brussels | 32 | 20 |
| Leuven | 51 | 32 |
| Bruges | 61 | 38 |
| Kortrijk | 62 | 38 |
| Mons | 69 | 43 |
| Charleroi | 77 | 48 |
| Ostend | 79 | 49 |
| Namur | 90 | 56 |
| Hasselt | 92 | 57 |
| Liège | 119 | 74 |
| Arlon | 199 | 124 |
Straight line between the centres of the municipalities. By road it is usually 20–40% further. Calculate another distance →
Nearby municipalities
More about Zele: Wikipedia.