Belgium sees record EU emigration in 2024 despite stable immigration levels

A record number of EU citizens left Belgium in 2024, according to an annual report published Wednesday by the Belgian migration agency Myria, which said immigration levels remained broadly stable.

A total of 171,706 foreign nationals immigrated to Belgium in 2024, a figure in line with 2023 but above pre-pandemic levels, partly reflecting earlier inflows linked to the war in Ukraine.

Almost half of all newcomers came from EU member states, while 14% originated from non-EU European countries, 17% from Asia, 16% from Africa and 5% from the Americas, the report said.

Romanians remained the largest group, with 18,845 arrivals, most of them men, with employment cited as the main reason for migration.

They were followed by nationals from France, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Spain and Morocco. French nationals accounted for the highest number of female immigrants.

In 2024, 91,866 foreigners left Belgium, a figure broadly stable compared with previous years.

However, EU citizens accounted for a record number of departures, with 61,338 leaving the country, the highest figure on record.

Romanians (15,414), French (10,442) and Dutch (6,256) were the main nationalities among those departing.

The “emigration of EU citizens is a complex phenomenon that depends on the mobility strategies of each nationality,” Myria said.

“The dynamics are variable and difficult to predict because they are also linked to the initial reasons why these groups came here,” it added.

The agency added that Belgium’s population stood at 11,825,551 on Jan. 1, 2025. This includes 1,634,924 foreign nationals out of a total 2,619,289 people of foreign origin, a figure which accounts for 22% of the population.