Population of Ghent
Reference date: 2026-01-01
274,042
residents
The official population of Ghent was 274,042 residents on 1 January 2026, ranking 2nd among Belgium's municipalities.
- Population density
- 1,737.0residents/km²
- Rank in Belgium
- 2ndout of 565 municipalities
- Population change
- +1,385
- Reference date
- 2026-01-01
Official time series
Source: official Statbel data · Statbel
View the exact data table
| 2026 | 274,042 | 1,737.0 |
| 2025 | 272,657 | 1,728.2 |
| 2024 | 269,597 | 1,708.8 |
| 2023 | 268,122 | 1,699.5 |
| 2022 | 265,086 | 1,680.2 |
| 2021 | 263,703 | 1,671.5 |
| 2020 | 263,927 | 1,672.9 |
| 2019 | 262,219 | 1,662.3 |
| 2018 | 260,341 | 1,650.4 |
| 2017 | 259,083 | 1,642.1 |
| 2016 | 257,029 | 1,629.1 |
| 2015 | 253,266 | 1,605.3 |
| 2014 | 251,133 | 1,591.8 |
| 2013 | 248,813 | 1,577.0 |
| 2012 | 248,242 | 1,573.4 |
| 2011 | 247,488 | 1,568.7 |
| 2010 | 243,366 | 1,542.5 |
| 2009 | 240,049 | 1,521.5 |
Population
Who lives here
A complete, non-overlapping view of the registered population by age, from the same reference-date record.View the exact data table
| Under 18 | 49,970 | 18.2% |
|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | 24,289 | 8.9% |
| 25–44 | 92,049 | 33.6% |
| 45–64 | 61,929 | 22.6% |
| 65 and older | 45,805 | 16.7% |
Key figures
Use these population patterns in Horizon Mapper for catchment and location-opportunity analysis. Horizon Mapper