Statistics

You can use analyses and key figures to build up a picture of economic activity in Belgium. Naturally, this activity also needs to be viewed in a broader European and global economic context. Many data on economic activity are derived from international organisations such as the OECD, Eurostat and the IMF , but Belgium also gathers a variety of statistics at federal and regional level.

The basic task of the Directorate-General for Statistics and Economic Information (DGSEI) at FPS Economy, SMEs, Self-employed and Energy (French-Dutch)(formerly the National Institute of Statistics (NIS)) is to collect, process and disseminate statistics about Belgian society.

The figures

You may wish to find out, for example:

  • How many men and women live in your municipality. 
  • What the situation is regarding building activity in Belgium, your region or your municipality. 
  • How many households and companies in Belgium have an Internet connection. 
  • Etc.

Many statistics are interesting in themselves and may be important if you are planning to start up a business. These figures can be found on the website of the Directorate-General for Statistics and Economic Information , where they are split into six sections (each divided into sub-sections) (French-Dutch):

The Walloon Institute for Evaluation, Prospective and Statistics (Institut wallon de l'évaluation, de la prospective et de la statistique, IWEPS) is a public interest body that collects statistical data about Wallonia.
Statistics about Wallonia (French) can be found on the IWEPS website.

An overview of statistics about the Brussels-Capital Region can be found on the website of the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis.

The Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering (Research Centre of the Flemish Government) is committed to disseminating accurate and up-to-date statistics.
Statistics about Flanders (Dutch) can be found on the website of the Research Centre of the Flemish Government.

Data collection

In its capacity as the public statistical service, the Directorate-General for Statistics and Economic Information (DGSEI) is the only body authorised to carry out compulsory surveys of the general public, companies and organisations (except for surveys relating to foreign trade and international payments, which are organised by the National Bank of Belgium). 

More information about this data collection can be found on the DGSEI website. (French-Dutch)

Key figures and economic database

The website of FPS Economy, SMEs, Self-employed and Energy provides an overview of key  figures for the Belgian economy (French-Dutch). On the same website, you can also view  a list of publications on statistics (French-Dutch).

More detailed information and diagrams can be found in the be.STAT economic database. (French-Dutch)

be.STAT is Belgium’s largest interactive collection of socio-economic statistics. It allows you to perform direct searches in the data warehouse of FPS Economy, SMEs, Self-employed and Energy.

This application is fully integrated in the “Statistiques & Chiffres” section of the FPS Economy website (under “Statistiques & Analyses“). In other words, be.STAT (French-Dutch) allows you to access the dynamic section from your normal browser, without having to open a separate application.