Demographics of Antwerp

Population pyramid of Antwerp in 2022

Population| 530,630 (2022)

The demographics of Antwerp are monitored by Statistics Belgium. The population of the city as of 2022 is currently 530,630.[1]

## Population

[edit]

Population history of the city of Antwerp:

* 1374: 18,000[2]
* 1486: 40,000[3]
* 1500: around 44/49,000 inhabitants[4]
* 1526: 50,000[5]
* 1567: 105,000 (90,000 permanent residents and 15,000 "floating population", including foreign merchants and soldiers. At the time only 10 cities in Europe reached this size.)[5][6][7][8]
* 1584: 84,000 (after the Spanish Fury, the French Fury[9] and the Calvinist republic)
* 1586 (May): 60,000 (after siege)
* 1586 (October): 50,000
* 1591: 46,000
* 1612: 54,000[10]
* 1620: 66,000 (Twelve Years' Truce)

* 1640: 54,000 (after the Black Death epidemics)
* 1700: 66,000[11]
* 1765: 40,000
* 1784: 51,000
* 1800: 45,500
* 1815: 54,000[12]
* 1830: 73,500
* 1856: 111,700
* 1880: 179,000
* 1900: 275,100
* 1925: 308,000
* 1959: 260,000[13]

|

Population of Antwerp over time by population projections from 2008 included

### Growth rate

[edit]

Antwerp as a city has grown and declined in population size throughout its history.

### Age structure

[edit]

The age structure of the city is as follows for 2022;

Age structure[1] | 2022

|

Under 18  | 18 to 64  | 65 and older
Population  | 119,762  | 324,378  | 86,490
Percentage  | 22.6%  | 61.1%  | 16.3%

### Fertility and births

[edit]

In 2019, a total of 7,398 were born in total[14]

### Gender

[edit]

There are slightly more men in the city of Antwerp then females.[1]

Gender structure  | 2022

|

Men  | Women
Population number  | 266,100  | 264,530
Percentage  | 50.15%  | 49.85%

## Language

[edit]

As in all Flemish provinces, the official and standard language of the Antwerp province is Dutch. As with Flemish Brabant, North Brabant and Brussels, the local dialect is a Brabantian variety.

## Religion

[edit]

The Religion of the City of Antwerp has historically been that of Roman Catholic. Due to modern migration however, there has been an introduction of non-Christian religions to the city such as the growth of Islam.

Antwerp is one of the few remaining European cities with a large Haredi (or Ultra Orthodox) Jewish population. The Jewish population numbers around 20,000 in total with a large portion belonging to the Ultra Orthodox community.[15]

The Jewish community was once heavily involved in the diamond trade, however in recent years, immigrants from Gujurat in India have largely taken over the sector, with the vast majority of them being adherents of the Jain faith, making Antwerp also one of the few European cities with a substantial Jain population. [16]

## Origin

[edit]

In 2010, 36% to 39% of the inhabitants of Antwerp had a migrant background.

Nationality

(by citizenship)

| Population – 2020

(all districts)[17]

|

Belgium  | 415,747
Netherlands  | 20,103
Morocco  | 11,780
Poland  | 8,387
Spain  | 6,221
Afghanistan  | 4,539
Bulgaria  | 4,376
Turkey  | 4,360
Romania  | 4,131
Iraq  | 3,082
Portugal  | 3,043
Syria  | 2,894
India  | 2,389
Algeria  | 2,364
Italy  | 2,322
France  | 2,017
Others  | 34,659

In 2022, 22% of the city did not have Belgian nationality (classified as a 'non-Belgian').[1]

Group of origin  | Year[18]

|

2001  | 2006  | 2011  | 2016  | 2023
Number  | %  | Number  | %  | Number  | %  | Number  | %  | Number  | %
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Belgians with Belgian background  | 340,130  | 76.3%  | 316,993  | 68.7%  | 291,499  | 59.1%  | 268,317  | 51.9%  | 235,374  | 43.7%
Belgians with foreign background  | 50,378  | 11.3%  | 85,171  | 18.5%  | 115,236  | 23.3%  | 143,009  | 27.6%  | 178,476  | 33.1%
Neighboring country  | 10,344  | 2.3%  | 11,911  |  | 13,387  |  | 14,820  |  | 17,132  | 3.2%
EU27 (excluding neighboring country)  | 5,179  | 1.2%  | 6,328  |  | 7,518  |  | 9,181  |  | 12,514  | 2.3%
Outside EU 27  | 34,855  | 7.8%  | 66,932  |  | 94,331  |  | 119,008  |  | 148,830  | 27.6%
Non-Belgians  | 55,062  | 12.3%  | 59,332  | 12.9%  | 86,782  | 17.6%  | 105,716  | 20.4%  | 125,060  | 23.2%
Neighboring country  | 11,515  | 2.6%  | 13,385  |  | 18,810  |  | 22,588  |  | 23,253  | 4.3%
EU27 (excluding neighboring country)  | 7,130  | 1.6%  | 9,215  |  | 18,557  |  | 28,197  |  | 33,109  | 6.1%
Outside EU 27  | 36,417  | 8.2%  | 36,732  |  | 49,415  |  | 54,931  |  | 68,698  | 12.7%
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Total  | 445,570  | 100%  | 461,496  | 100%  | 493,517  | 100%  | 517,042  | 100%  | 538,910  | 100%

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Structure of the Population | Statbel". statbel.fgov.be. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
2. ^ "Antwerp timeline 1300–1399". Strecker.be. Archived from the original on 7 May 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
3. ^ "Antwerp timeline 1400–1499". Strecker.be. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
4. ^ Braudel, Fernand The Perspective of the World, 1985
5. ^ a b "Antwerp timeline 1500–1599". Strecker.be. Archived from the original on 2 May 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
6. ^ Coornaert, Émile (1961). Les Français et le commerce international à Anvers : fin du XVe, XVIe siècle. Paris: Marcel Rivière et cie. p. 96.
7. ^ Boumans, R; Craeybeckx, J (1947). Het bevolkingscijfer van Antwerpen in het derde kwart der XVIe eeuw. T.G. pp. 394–405.
8. ^ van Houtte, J. A. (1961). "Anvers aux XVe et XVIe siècles : expansion et apogée". Annales. Économies, Sociétés, Civilisations. 16 (2): 249. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
9. ^ Description of the French Fury matter, see chapter 'Declaration of independence' in article 'William the Silent'
10. ^ "Antwerp timeline 1600–1699". Strecker.be. Archived from the original on 7 May 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
11. ^ "Antwerp timeline 1700–1799". Strecker.be. Archived from the original on 4 August 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
12. ^ "Antwerp timeline 1800–1899". Strecker.be. Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
13. ^ "Antwerp timeline 1900–1999". Strecker.be. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
14. ^ "Births and fertility | Statbel". statbel.fgov.be. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
15. ^ "Hidden Belgium: Antwerp's Jewish Quarter".
16. ^ "'Diamonds are in my blood': The Jain traders who dominate Antwerp jewels".
17. ^ "Stad in Cijfers – Databank – Inwoners naar nationaliteit, leeftijd, (8 klassen) en geslacht 2020 – Antwerpen". Antwerpen.be. City of Antwerp. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
18. ^ "Origin | Statbel". statbel.fgov.be. Retrieved 2023-07-04.