Belgium in MapsOfficial Belgian data, explained
Local government in Belgium: maps and local statistics
Explore 55 official local government indicators across Belgium, with definitions, dates, source limitations, maps and municipality profiles.
Local government is represented by 55 validated indicators from 5 source providers. This page is a curated starting point: it shows what can genuinely be compared, the latest available periods and the finest valid geography for each measure.
The latest period differs by indicator. Read the date, unit, geography and source beside each value before comparing places.
Local government: 55 indicators
Auto-financing margin
The auto-financing margin (AFM) is the difference between, on the one hand, the part of the revenues and expenses from operations that can be used for the settlement of net periodic loan expenditures, and, on the other hand, the net periodic loan expenditures. The AFM is the difference between the operating balance and the loan repayments. It indicates whether the board's finances are structurally balanced and specifies whether the board is able to bear its loan burdens (repayments of principal and interest) with the surplus from regular operations (the balance of operating revenues and expenditures). A positive AFM means that from the operating balance, after settling the loan charges, there are still resources left to directly finance part of the investment expenditures or to take on additional loans. To prevent non-recurring transactions from giving a distorted picture, the self-financing margin (AFM) is only evaluated for the last year of the financial statement of the multi-year plan. For the intervening years, a negative self-financing margin is possible (for municipalities, not for Public Social Welfare Centres).
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Autofinancieringsmarge' for self-financing margin. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Ballots cast
Valid party-list votes plus the API blank-vote field; null where those source components do not reconcile.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Valid party-list votes plus the API blank-vote field; null where those source components do not reconcile.
Tax rate for additional personal income tax (APB)
Tax rate of the additional personal income tax. The personal income tax is the income tax levied by the federal government on the annual income of individuals. The additional tax on personal income tax (ABP) is levied as a percentage on the income taxes, which are regulated, established, and collected by the federal government. Personal income tax is an annual tax imposed by the federal government on the income of individuals. The municipality adds an additional levy to this by determining the assessment rate in the form of a percentage. When the municipality, for example, decides to levy a 7% additional personal tax (APB), the taxpayer must pay an additional 7 euros (=100 euros x 7%) for the municipality for every 100 euros he has to pay for the basic tax. The collection is carried out by the federal government and transferred to the municipality.
- Latest period
- 2026
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Tax rate of the additional personal tax' for Additional personal tax (APB). Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Willingness to participate in discussions about the municipality
Proportion of residents willing to participate in discussions about what happens in the municipality/city. Are you willing to participate in discussions about what happens in your municipality/city? Response options: 'Not willing at all', 'Not willing', 'Neither willing nor unwilling', 'Willing', 'Very willing'
- Latest period
- 2023
- Finest geography
- municipality
Weighted percentage from the Municipality-City Monitor. For 2023, the fields nietBereid_2a8b3a9a__lower95 and nietBereid_2a8b3a9a__upper95 are kept as a 95% confidence interval.
Blank/invalid ballot share
API blank-vote field divided by valid party-list votes plus that field, times 100.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
API blank-vote field divided by valid party-list votes plus that field, times 100.
Blank/invalid ballots
The API nrOfBlankVotes field. The API does not provide a municipality split between blank and otherwise invalid ballots.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
The API nrOfBlankVotes field. The API does not provide a municipality split between blank and otherwise invalid ballots.
Budgetary balance
The budgetary balance of the municipal administration is the sum of operating revenues, investment revenues, and other revenues, minus the sum of operating expenses, investment expenses, and other expenses.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Budgetary balance' for Budgetary balance. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Contact with the municipality
Share of residents who have had contact with municipal/city services in the past 12 months. Have you had contact with your municipality/city in the past 12 months? For example, to apply for a passport or driver's license, to report something, or to give your opinion. Answer options: 'Yes', 'No'.
- Latest period
- 2023
- Finest geography
- municipality
Weighted percentage from the Municipality-City Monitor. For 2023, the fields ja_66f2ea46__lower95 and ja_66f2ea46__upper95 are stored as a 95% confidence interval.
Allocation Municipal Fund
The grant that local governments receive from the Municipal Fund (main grant and additional grant). The Municipal Fund is the most important general operating subsidy for local governments. Local governments decide autonomously how to use these funds: to finance regular expenses and/or for their investment policy.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Grant from the Municipal Fund' for Municipal Fund Grant. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Effective number of parties
Laakso-Taagepera effective number: 1 divided by the sum of squared valid-vote shares across reviewed party families.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Laakso-Taagepera effective number: 1 divided by the sum of squared valid-vote shares across reviewed party families.
Financial dependence
Financial dependence shows the ratio between the operating revenues of the local government from higher government (municipal fund and other general grants, no specific subsidies) and the total operating revenues of the local government. This indicator examines the extent to which a local government is dependent on general transfers from a higher level of government. It measures fiscal flexibility and the degree to which the government relies on external sources of financing. With too low a dependence on general operating subsidies, governments can fall back less on the security of a source of income that is relatively less sensitive to the economic cycle than most other sources of income during periods of global crises. On the other hand, too high a dependence can also be dangerous if the central government feels compelled to cut transfers as a result of a global recession. The threshold o.b.v. the 10% worst performing administrations is >15% or <30%.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Financial dependence' for Financial dependence. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Cumulative budgetary result
The cumulative budgetary result is the budgetary result of the financial year, increased by the cumulative budgetary result of the previous financial year. The budgetary result of the financial year is understood as the difference between the receipts and the expenditures of the financial year. The cumulative budgetary result is therefore the balance of all receipts and expenditures, including the balance of previous years. It is the sum of the budgetary result of the financial year and the cumulative budgetary result of previous financial years. In this context, the budgetary result for the financial year is equal to the operating (Receipts - Expenditures) + Investments (Receipts - Expenditures) + Other (Receipts - Expenditures). Cumulative budgetary result = budgetary result for the financial year + cumulative budgetary result of the previous financial year.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Cumulative budgetary result' for Cumulative budgetary result. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Individual assistance OCMW
The individual assistance OCMW includes all operating expenses of the local government that directly or indirectly benefit individuals or families in vulnerable situations.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Individual assistance OCMW' for Individual assistance OCMW. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Liquidity
Liquidity represents the ratio between current assets (or assets that can be converted into cash in the short term, d.w.z. within 1 year) and short-term liabilities (d.w.z. debts of less than 1 year). This indicator thus measures whether a local government has sufficient resources to pay what it owes in the next 12 months, without needing to borrow further. If this ratio is low (<1), then there are not enough resources to pay what is due in the next 12 months. This can lead to financial problems in the future. A high ratio, on the other hand, means that there are sufficient resources available to repay the amounts owed without having to borrow additionally. The threshold based on the 10% worst-performing administrations is >1.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Current assets' for Liquidity. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Receipts
The total receipts are the entirety of revenues. They are composed of operational receipts, investment receipts, and other receipts.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Total receipts' for Revenues. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Receipts from taxes, by type
The total of tax receipts. This indicator distinguishes between receipts from the supplementary personal tax (APB), receipts from additional percentages on property tax (OOV), receipts from other taxes, and receipts from own taxes. Receipts from the supplementary personal tax. The additional tax on personal income tax (ABP) is levied as a percentage on the income taxes, which are regulated, established, and collected by the federal government. Personal income tax is an annual tax imposed by the federal government on the income of individuals. The municipality adds an additional levy by determining the assessment rate in the form of a percentage. When the municipality, for example, decides to levy a 7% additional personal tax (APB), the taxpayer must pay an additional 7 euros for every 100 euros he has to pay for the basic tax to the municipality (=100 euros x 7%). The collection is carried out by the federal government and is transferred to the municipality. Revenues from the additional percentages on the property tax. The property tax is a regional tax on immovable property that you must pay annually. In Flanders, the property tax is collected by the Flemish Tax Administration. The property tax is calculated on the (indexed) cadastral income (CI) of the property. The withholding tax consists of 3 parts: the percentage of the indexed KI designated for the Flemish Region (= basic tax or principal sum), the surcharges on the basic tax for the province, and the surcharges on the basic tax for the municipality. Each municipality determines for itself how many surcharges (hundredths) it levies. If you are the owner of a property, even if you live in it yourself, it is considered income. The basic tax is levied by the Flemish Region. The municipality adds a levy to that by determining the assessment rate in the form of a number of surcharges (hundredths). If a municipality, for example, decides to levy 1,000 centimes, this means that the taxpayer must pay 10 euros (=1000/100) additionally to the municipality for every euro he has to pay for the base tax. The collection is in principle carried out by the Flemish region and is transferred to the municipality.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Revenue from taxes' for Revenue from taxes, by type. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Receipts from operating subsidies, by type
The total of receipts from operating subsidies. This indicator distinguishes between receipts from the Municipal Fund, from general operating subsidies, and from specific operating subsidies. Municipal Fund: This is the main general operating subsidy for local governments. Local authorities decide autonomously how to use these funds: for the financing of regular expenses and/or for their investment policy. General operating grants: Local authorities receive subsidies from the Flemish government for the general financing of their operations. There are no conditions attached to these general operational subsidies and local authorities do not have to account for their expenditure. The central instrument in the structural general financing of local authorities is the Municipal Fund. Specific subsidies: The local authorities receive specific subsidies for well-defined goals or assignments. They are accountable for the expenditure of the subsidy, and the subsidy provider carries out checks on it. Examples include project, operational, or investment subsidies.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Receipts from operational subsidies' for Receipts from operational subsidies, by type. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Receipts, by type
The total receipts are the sum of revenues. This indicator distinguishes between operating receipts, investment receipts, and financing receipts.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Receipts' for Receipts, by type. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Surtaxes on property tax (OOV)
The property tax is a regional tax on immovable property that you must pay annually. In Flanders, the property tax is collected by the Flemish Tax Administration. The property tax is calculated based on the (indexed) cadastral income (CI) of the property. The tax consists of 3 parts: the percentage of the indexed CI allocated to the Flemish Region (= basic tax or principal), the surcharges on the basic tax for the province, and the surcharges on the basic tax for the municipality. Each municipality determines for itself how many surcharges (hundredths) it levies. If you are the owner of real estate, even if you live in it yourself, this is considered income. The basic tax is levied by the Flemish region. The municipality adds a levy by determining the assessment rate in the form of a number of centimes (hundredths). If, for example, a municipality decides to levy 1,000 centimes, this means that for every euro the taxpayer has to pay for the basic tax, they have to pay an additional 10 euros (=1000/100) to the municipality. The collection is in principle carried out by the Flemish region and is passed on to the municipality.
- Latest period
- 2026
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Tax rate of the surcharges on the property tax' for Surcharges on property tax (OOV). Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Parties receiving votes
Number of reviewed party-family options with at least one valid party-list vote.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Number of reviewed party-family options with at least one valid party-list vote.
Party fragmentation
Rae fractionalisation: one minus the sum of squared valid-vote shares across reviewed party families, times 100.
- Latest period
- 2024
- Finest geography
- municipality
Rae fractionalisation: one minus the sum of squared valid-vote shares across reviewed party families, times 100.
Staff members
Number of staff members at the municipality, OCMW and AGB. The figures are an average for the second quarter of the year.
- Latest period
- 2025
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Number of staff members' for Staff members. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Employees, by administration
Number of employees by administration: municipality, OCMW, and AGB.
- Latest period
- 2025
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Number of employees, by administration' for Employees, by administration. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Personnel, by gender
Number of personnel (at municipality, OCMW, and AGB) broken down by gender. The figures are an average for the second quarter of the year.
- Latest period
- 2025
- Finest geography
- municipality
Published field 'Number of staff, by gender' for Staff, by gender. Official Dutch wording is retained because the publisher supplies no official translation.
Method and limitations
The latest period differs by indicator. Read the date, unit, geography and source beside each value before comparing places.
Provenance and QA