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ABOUT US

We paint as accurate a possible apictureof 1000Brussels’ residents of the 2020s based on available figures and demographic data. This is the only way to truly reveal Brussels' richly diverse community.

Suppose Brussels were 1000 people. Who would they be? Where do they live? Where do they come from? How old are they? Do they have enough money? Are they in good health? What languages do they speak? And what about their movements into, within and outside of Brussels?

Age of Brussels residents

If Brussels were 1000 people

65

would be under
4 years old

65

would be between
5 and 9 years old

62

would be between
10 and 14 years old

56

would be between
15 and 19 years old

149

would be
in their twenties

164

would be
in their thirties

144

would be
in their forties

119

would be
in their fifties

54

would be
in their sixties

31

149 would be
in their seventies

8

149 would be
above eighty

If Brussels were 1000 people

151

would live in
Brussel-1000

108

would live in
Schaarbeek / Schaerbeek

99

would live in
Anderlecht

80

would live in
Sint-Jans-Molenbeek /
Molenbeek Saint Jean

71

would live in
Elsene / Ixelles

68

would live in
Ukkel / Uccle

47

would live in
Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe /
Woluwe Saint Lambert

45

would live in
Vorst / Forest

43

would live in
Jette / Jette

40

would live in
Sint Gillis /
Saint Gilles

39

would live in
Etterbeek

34

would live in
Evere

34

would live in
Sint-Pieters-Woluwe /
Woluwe Saint Pierre

28

would live in
Oudergem / Auderghem

22

would live in
Sint-Joost / Saint Josse

20

would live in
Sint-Agatha-Berchem /
Berchem Sainte Agathe

20

would live in
Ganshoren

20

would live in
Watermaal-Bosvoorde /
Watermael Boitsfort

18

would live in
Koekelberg

Spoken languages

If Brussels were 1000 people

They would speak many different languages. 738 of them would speak more than one language. 379 would even speak at least 3. Only 98 Brussels residents would be classically bilingual - Dutch and French. 260 would be newly bilingual and thus speak 2 languages other than the classical combination. And 105 out of 1000 Brussels residents would speak neither French, Dutch nor English.

738 /1000
105/1000
379/740
260/370
98/370

Migration background

If Brussels were 1000 people

640 of them would have Belgian nationality. But 600 Brussels residents would be born with a nationality other than Belgian. And looking at the country of birth, 540 of Brussels residents would be born in Belgium and therefore did not migrate across national borders themselves. Indeed, as many as 743 Brussels residents would descend from immigration - just through their own or their parents' migration.  Taking several generations into account, this could be as many as 829. 352 would come from a European country, including 88 from France and 78 from Italy. 178 Brussels residents would have migration roots in Morocco. 46 would have Turkish, 42 Romanian, 35 Spanish and 28 Congolese migration roots. We would be the second most super-diverse city in the world after Dubai.

178

Migration background
Morocco

88

Migration background
France

78

Migration background
Italy

46

Migration background
Turkey

42

Migration background
Romania

35

Migration background
Spain

28

Migration background
Congo

22

Migration background
Poland

17

Migration background
Portugal

14

Migration background
Greece

14

Migration background
Germany

13

Migration background
Algeria

13

Migration background
India

13

Migration background
Tunisia

11

Migration background
Bulgaria

10

Migration background
United Kingdom

10

Migration background
The Netherlands

9

Migration background
Syria

8

Migration background
Guinea

8

Migration background
Pakistan

7

Migration background
Cameroon

6

Migration background
Brazil

6

Migration background
Rwanda

5

Chine
Migration background
China

Other datas

If Brussels were 1000 people

349

Brussels residents would
be poor or at high risk of social exclusion.

200

Brussels residents would
consider themselves not healthy.

510

Brussels residents would
be women

70

Brussels residents would
identify themselves as LGBTQIA+.

Brussels is not only a diverse city, but also a "fluid" one. In recent years, through migration inside and outside Belgium, hundreds of thousands have arrived in Brussels, but just as many hundreds of thousands have left again.

Brussels is also an emancipation factory. Brussels residents come and go. They come to Brussels to prepare for their future, learn languages, live together, have their first work experience... Then they leave again, taking Brussels to the world.  

With "This is Us. This is Brussels" we want to paint as accurate as possible a picture of the people of Brussels  from the 2020s to the 21st century. With a specially trained group of heritage brokers, we are collecting their stories and expectations. With this, we are building a human archive. We are already creating the cultural heritage of the future. And so we are writing history today. But we are also creating a new "we". We, the people of Brussels. All different, but still we, the Brussels people. This is Us. This is Brussels.

A resident of Brussels has many layers, with more backgrounds and more contacts, languages and cultures. In short: a Brusseler is richer, in the most valuable sense of that word.