Number of children under 5 in Belgium

Belgium: Number of children under 5 was 582,811 people in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
582,811 people
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
103rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
774,985 people
in 1965
All-time low
572,017 people
in 2003
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Number of children under 5 in Belgium, 1950–2023

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2023, number of children under 5 in Belgium stood at 582,811 people.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in Belgium peaked at 774,985 people in 1965 and was at its lowest, 572,017 people, in 2003.

That places Belgium 103rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Number of children under 5 in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Number of children under 5 in Belgium, 1950 to 2023.
Year people Change
1950 693,743 people
1951 698,629 people +0.7%
1952 695,131 people -0.5%
1953 694,918 people -0.0%
1954 696,775 people +0.3%
1955 702,188 people +0.8%
1956 710,261 people +1.1%
1957 719,344 people +1.3%
1958 729,258 people +1.4%
1959 740,934 people +1.6%
1960 750,726 people +1.3%
1961 759,644 people +1.2%
1962 765,761 people +0.8%
1963 768,801 people +0.4%
1964 772,612 people +0.5%
1965 774,985 people +0.3%
1966 772,528 people -0.3%
1967 765,190 people -0.9%
1968 752,519 people -1.7%
1969 734,645 people -2.4%
1970 718,318 people -2.2%
1971 706,687 people -1.6%
1972 697,112 people -1.4%
1973 686,054 people -1.6%
1974 671,170 people -2.2%
1975 652,021 people -2.9%
1976 632,191 people -3.0%
1977 616,413 people -2.5%
1978 606,934 people -1.5%
1979 604,202 people -0.5%
1980 606,899 people +0.4%
1981 610,638 people +0.6%
1982 611,064 people +0.1%
1983 607,514 people -0.6%
1984 600,984 people -1.1%
1985 592,629 people -1.4%
1986 585,470 people -1.2%
1987 582,029 people -0.6%
1988 583,124 people +0.2%
1989 588,416 people +0.9%
1990 597,314 people +1.5%
1991 607,830 people +1.8%
1992 616,776 people +1.5%
1993 620,622 people +0.6%
1994 617,816 people -0.5%
1995 609,598 people -1.3%
1996 599,086 people -1.7%
1997 589,477 people -1.6%
1998 582,016 people -1.3%
1999 578,151 people -0.7%
2000 577,237 people -0.2%
2001 576,525 people -0.1%
2002 574,228 people -0.4%
2003 572,017 people -0.4%
2004 573,117 people +0.2%
2005 577,613 people +0.8%
2006 585,263 people +1.3%
2007 596,583 people +1.9%
2008 610,275 people +2.3%
2009 624,241 people +2.3%
2010 638,228 people +2.2%
2011 647,976 people +1.5%
2012 651,406 people +0.5%
2013 650,350 people -0.2%
2014 646,370 people -0.6%
2015 641,295 people -0.8%
2016 634,659 people -1.0%
2017 627,003 people -1.2%
2018 619,522 people -1.2%
2019 612,792 people -1.1%
2020 604,825 people -1.3%
2021 597,667 people -1.2%
2022 593,583 people -0.7%
2023 582,811 people -1.8%

Belgium compared with similar countries

  • Belgium's 582,811 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 127,928 people, 4.6× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Belgium's 582,811 people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 308,498 people, 1.9× the median. (56 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 708,118 people 693,743 people 740,934 people 10
1960s 761,741 people 734,645 people 774,985 people 10
1970s 659,110 people 604,202 people 718,318 people 10
1980s 596,877 people 582,029 people 611,064 people 10
1990s 601,869 people 578,151 people 620,622 people 10
2000s 586,710 people 572,017 people 624,241 people 10
2010s 636,960 people 612,792 people 651,406 people 10
2020s 594,722 people 582,811 people 604,825 people 4

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 100 Azerbaijan 674,784 people compare
  2. 101 Nicaragua 657,210 people compare
  3. 102 Libya 644,241 people compare
  4. 104 United Arab Emirates 573,174 people compare
  5. 105 Sweden 566,382 people compare
  6. 106 Czechia 547,421 people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of children under 5 in Belgium?
Number of children under 5 in Belgium was 582,811 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 774,985 people in 1965.
What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 572,017 people in 2003.
How does Belgium rank for number of children under 5?
Belgium ranks 103rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of children under 5 in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/children-under-age-5/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of children under 5
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.