Ranking

Municipalities in Belgium with a shrinking population

Population change between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2026, in percent. 55 of the 565 municipalities lost inhabitants, among them Herstappe (Belgium’s smallest municipality), coastal towns such as Koksijde and Knokke-Heist, and Limbourg and Pepinster in the Vesdre valley, hit by the floods of July 2021.

#	Municipality	Province	Change since 2016
1	Herstappe	Limburg	−12.4%
2	Vresse-sur-Semois	Namur	−6.9%
3	Limbourg	Liège	−5.1%
4	Spa	Liège	−4.7%
5	Koksijde	West Flanders	−4.5%
6	Lo-Reninge	West Flanders	−4.2%
7	Sint-Martens-Latem	East Flanders	−4.2%
8	Daverdisse	Luxembourg	−4.1%
9	Viroinval	Namur	−3.9%
10	Spiere-Helkijn	West Flanders	−3.8%
11	Saint-Gilles	Brussels-Capital Region	−3.8%
12	Knokke-Heist	West Flanders	−3.4%
13	Pepinster	Liège	−3.3%
14	La Roche-en-Ardenne	Luxembourg	−3.2%
15	Lint	Antwerp	−2.9%
16	Antoing	Hainaut	−2.8%
17	Hamoir	Liège	−2.7%
18	Zuienkerke	West Flanders	−2.6%
19	Vleteren	West Flanders	−2.5%
20	Schaerbeek	Brussels-Capital Region	−2.5%
21	Chimay	Hainaut	−2.5%
22	Momignies	Hainaut	−2.3%
23	Bouillon	Luxembourg	−2.1%
24	Merbes-le-Château	Hainaut	−2.0%
25	Esneux	Liège	−2.0%
26	Honnelles	Hainaut	−1.8%
27	Nandrin	Liège	−1.8%
28	Linkebeek	Flemish Brabant	−1.7%
29	Frameries	Hainaut	−1.6%
30	Thimister-Clermont	Liège	−1.5%
31	Saint-Josse-ten-Noode	Brussels-Capital Region	−1.5%
32	Alveringem	West Flanders	−1.4%
33	Châtelet	Hainaut	−1.3%
34	Chaudfontaine	Liège	−1.2%
35	Durbuy	Luxembourg	−1.0%
36	Beyne-Heusay	Liège	−1.0%
37	Bernissart	Hainaut	−0.8%
38	Dour	Hainaut	−0.7%
39	Ellezelles	Hainaut	−0.6%
40	Hensies	Hainaut	−0.6%
41	Dinant	Namur	−0.6%
42	Tournai	Hainaut	−0.6%
43	Burg-Reuland	Liège	−0.5%
44	Sivry-Rance	Hainaut	−0.4%
45	Doische	Namur	−0.4%
46	Bütgenbach	Liège	−0.4%
47	Quaregnon	Hainaut	−0.4%
48	Fléron	Liège	−0.3%
49	Walcourt	Namur	−0.3%
50	Chiny	Luxembourg	−0.2%

Municipalities in Belgium with a shrinking population

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