More than 37,000 residents left Brussels for another Region in 2025, for a net internal migration balance of −18,553, while mortgage lending fell by 8.6 % in number. These figures do not say who rents and who buys, but they help an agency decide where to prospect and what to tell landlords.

How many residents leave Brussels each year?

According to the analysis published by CIB on 30 July 2026, based on figures from the FPS Home Affairs, 74,882 people changed Region in 2025. That is 1 % fewer than in the record year 2024, but almost 32 % more than in 2011. BX1 gives the points of comparison: 75,658 changes of Region in 2024 and 56,824 in 2011. More than 37,000 residents left Brussels for another Region. The net balance is about 18,000 residents lost to Flanders and Wallonia. Statbel confirms the order of magnitude with its own source: the internal migration balance of the Brussels Region is −18,553 in 2025, against +13,736 for Flanders and +4,817 for Wallonia. The CIB press release speaks of “Belgen” (Belgians), but the Statbel balance covers all residents. These figures count people who change address, not tenant households.

Where do residents leaving Brussels go?

Mainly to Flanders. According to CIB, more than 23,000 Brussels residents settle in Flanders every year. For the first time, more than 10,000 Walloons also moved to Flanders in 2025, 56 % more than in 2011. CIB names the Flemish outskirts of Brussels, as well as Leuven, Mechelen and Ghent, among the areas that benefit from these departures. Its communications director, Kristophe Thijs, sums up the movement: “De woningmarkt stopt niet aan de gewestgrens” (the housing market does not stop at the regional border). In his view, Brussels remains attractive for studying and working, but many look beyond the regional border as soon as they start a family or need more space. He adds that remote working plays a part: the daily commute matters less than a few years ago. These explanations are those of CIB, a federation of real estate professionals. The data themselves do not measure the reasons for moving.

CIB specifies what it means by space: for the same budget, families often find a larger home, a garden or an extra bedroom outside Brussels. In its view, the gap matters most for young families. The flow from Flanders to Wallonia is also growing, but less strongly. Flanders therefore now has a positive migration balance with both other Regions.

Why is buying becoming harder?

Because credit costs more than five years ago. According to broker Immotheker, quoted by VRT on 21 August 2026, a 20-year fixed rate averages just under 4 %. For EUR 200,000 borrowed, the monthly payment rises to about EUR 1,200, against EUR 940 in 2021 at 1.25 %. The National Bank, quoted by Febelfin, gave an average rate of 3.41 % for May 2026 for loans with an initial fixed rate of more than ten years. According to Febelfin on 28 July 2026, nearly 50,000 mortgage loans excluding refinancing were granted in the second quarter of 2026. That is 8.6 % fewer in number and 5.2 % less in amount than a year earlier. The quarter nevertheless remains among the four best of the last ten years. On the sales side, the notaries count 1.5 % more homes sold in Belgium in the second quarter, and 4.8 % more apartments sold. In Brussels, the number of sales rose by 1.6 %.

What do these data not say?

Three limits apply before drawing a strategy from them. First, interregional flows count changes of address, without saying whether the person was a tenant or an owner, before or after. Second, nothing indicates the status of those who arrive in Brussels, about 19,000 people according to BX1, who therefore do not replace departures one for one. Finally, the share of investors among buyers is published neither by the notaries nor by Febelfin: it is impossible to say whether the fall in lending holds back first-time buyers or landlords first. The ideas below are therefore hypotheses to test on your own portfolio, not conclusions drawn from the figures.

CIB also puts forward an economic explanation, which remains its own: Flanders has the country’s largest labour market, low unemployment and a broad housing supply. The same flows may therefore reflect a job choice as much as a housing choice. For an agency, this changes the reading: a move to Leuven or Mechelen is not necessarily a move into ownership.

What prospecting decisions can you draw from them?

Signal Figure Hypothesis for the agency
Departures from Brussels to Flanders More than 23,000 a year (CIB) Demand for family homes in the outskirts, in Leuven, Mechelen or Ghent: prospecting ground for an agency near the regional border
Brussels internal migration balance −18,553 residents in 2025 (Statbel) Higher turnover in large Brussels homes: vacancy to anticipate between two tenants
Mortgage lending −8.6 % in number in Q2 (Febelfin) Households postponing a purchase stay tenants longer: a demand argument for landlords
Apartment sales +4.8 % in Belgium in Q2 (notaries) Landlords sell or buy: management mandates to offer after a transaction

A Brussels agency that mainly manages large apartments should track how long its units stay occupied. An agency in the outskirts can present these flows to owners who hesitate to let. In both cases, market figures are worth less than portfolio figures: vacancy length, number of applicants per listing, rent achieved. The Federia rent barometer provides the price level: see our reading of the 2025 barometer. The Brussels administration’s figures are covered in our article on the 2025 Bruxelles Logement report. Rents for the first half of 2026 are detailed in our article on rents by region.

What should you tell an owner who hesitates to let?

The published figures support a cautious argument, provided their sources and limits are stated. On the demand side, credit is tightening: Febelfin counts 8.6 % fewer mortgage loans in the second quarter of 2026, and the monthly payment for EUR 200,000 over 20 years has risen from about EUR 940 in 2021 to about EUR 1,200 according to Immotheker. On the supply side, Brussels owners see families leaving for Flanders, which may free up large homes, with vacancy then depending on the neighbourhood and the rent. None of this guarantees a rent level or a reletting time. An agency that wants to convince should add its own data to these trends: average vacancy length, number of applicants per listing and rent achieved on comparable properties. This combination of market and portfolio is what makes the argument credible.

How does Seido help you discuss vacancy with owners?

Managing several properties? Seido’s management report gives the owner the collection rate, arrears and occupied and vacant units, before they ask. It is the figures of their own portfolio, not the market’s, that ground the discussion on vacancy or rent. See owner reporting.

Frequently asked questions

How many people left Brussels in 2025?

More than 37,000 residents left the Brussels Region for Flanders or Wallonia, according to CIB’s analysis of figures from the FPS Home Affairs. The internal migration balance of Brussels is −18,553 according to Statbel, which covers all residents. These figures only concern moves between Regions, not departures abroad. In the other direction, about 19,000 people moved to Brussels from the two other Regions, according to BX1.

Did departures from Brussels reach a record in 2025?

No. With 74,882 changes of Region, 2025 remains at a historically high level, almost 32 % above 2011, but it is 1 % below 2024, the record year according to CIB. The movement therefore did not accelerate in 2025, but it hardly weakens from one year to the next. BX1 counts 75,658 changes of Region in 2024 and 56,824 in 2011.

Does the fall in mortgage lending benefit the rental market?

That is a hypothesis, not a finding. Febelfin counts 8.6 % fewer mortgage loans in the second quarter of 2026 than a year earlier, and the 20-year fixed rate is approaching 4 % according to Immotheker. Households postponing a purchase may remain tenants for longer, but no published data yet measure this effect.

Where do Brussels residents who leave the Region settle?

Mainly in Flanders: more than 23,000 a year according to CIB. The federation names the Flemish outskirts of Brussels, Leuven, Mechelen and Ghent among the areas that benefit from these departures. It also notes that Flanders has a positive migration balance with both other Regions. The data do not say how many of these households rent or buy on arrival.

Sources and references

Last updated: August 2026. This article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For any specific situation, consult a real estate law professional.