Living in Brecht

Brecht is a city in Belgium. Annual PM2.5 was 8.26 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Brecht had a population of 30,755 at the start of 2026. For Brecht, annual NO₂ was 11.5 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. The city covered 91.5 km² in 2025. The unemployment rate was 3.6% at the start of 2011.

Lower unemployment than 75% of Belgian cities that publish it, less recorded crime than 73% of Belgian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 70% of Belgian cities that publish it.

Which Belgium-wide rules apply when you move to Brecht?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in BelgiumNational rates and thresholds that apply in Brecht.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Brecht yet. Belgium has country-level context; it is not substituted for this city.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Dwellings	12,149 dwellings	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units¹²Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings	12,128 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)¹⁰Official

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Brecht?

The unemployment rate is 3.6 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011²⁰

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Brecht is 3.6%. Of 506 cities with data, 160 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Gigabit broadband availability	97.45 %	Jun 2025	BIPT/IBPT fixed broadband Atlas municipality row: H_rate_1000 is the share of households with access to fixed broadband at a maximum attainable speed of at least 1,000 Mbps; availability, not subscribed plan or measured speed. H_1000 is the covered-household count and total_households is the denominator.²Official
Unemployment rate	3.6 %country median 5.3%	1 Jan 2011	Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011²⁰Independent

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Brecht. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Actiris — Public employment service

Actiris Brussels public employment service

Job Search

Search jobs

Le Forem — Public employment service

Le Forem Walloon public employment and training service

Job SearchRegistration

Open the Belgium service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Brecht. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Brecht?

Police recorded about 4,172 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 4,172 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025¹⁹

Recorded crime across major citiesBrecht highlighted among comparable cities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	4,172 offences per 100,000country median 5,136	31 Dec 2025	Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025¹⁹Independent

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Nearest airport	OBL	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁹Official
Distance to nearest airport	12 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁹Official

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Brecht?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.3 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 8.26 µg/m³ · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31⁸

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in BelgiumAnnual PM2.5 in Brecht is 8.3 µg/m³. Of 439 cities with data, 142 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	11.46 µg/m³country median 9.0	31 Dec 2024	Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31⁶Official
PM10 — annual mean	14.77 µg/m³country median 13.2	31 Dec 2024	Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 13019; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31⁷Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	8.26 µg/m³country median 7.4	31 Dec 2024	Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31⁸Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 6.6 · Feb 7.6 · Mar 11.1 · Apr 15.2 · May 18.8 · Jun 21.6 · Jul 23.6 · Aug 23.5 · Sep 20 · Oct 15.3 · Nov 10.3 · Dec 7 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ANTWERPENDEURNE_06450.csv¹⁸Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 1.1 · Feb 1 · Mar 2.7 · Apr 5.1 · May 9.1 · Jun 12.2 · Jul 14.2 · Aug 13.7 · Sep 10.7 · Oct 7.4 · Nov 4.1 · Dec 1.8 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ANTWERPENDEURNE_06450.csv¹⁸Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 3.9 · Feb 4.3 · Mar 6.9 · Apr 10.2 · May 14 · Jun 16.9 · Jul 18.9 · Aug 18.6 · Sep 15.3 · Oct 11.3 · Nov 7.2 · Dec 4.4 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ANTWERPENDEURNE_06450.csv¹⁸Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 68.3 · Feb 59.9 · Mar 54 · Apr 41.5 · May 58.4 · Jun 73.1 · Jul 78.5 · Aug 83.8 · Sep 70 · Oct 66.3 · Nov 75.7 · Dec 89 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ANTWERPENDEURNE_06450.csv¹⁸Official · nearest-station reading

Annual PM2.5 over time11 published observations, 2014–2024

Annual PM2.5 fell 48.4% between 2014 and 2024, from 16.0 to 8.3.

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Belgium cities

Houthalen-Helchteren30,879 residents Harelbeke30,605 residents Lochristi30,982 residents Waterloo30,386 residents Ath30,235 residents Temse31,613 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Brecht?

The published population was 30,755 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source¹

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	91.46 km²	1 Jan 2025	Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.³Official
Foreign-resident share	7.04 %	31 Dec 2025	Statbel (Statistics Belgium)¹¹Official
Foreign residents	2,138 people	1 Jan 2026	Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.⁴Official
Population density	336.3 people/km²	1 Jan 2026	Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.⁵Official
Population	30,755 people	1 Jan 2026	Belgium official denominator source¹Official

International community in Brecht

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

All persons in Statbel Census 2021 municipality rows; the published male and female category rows are summed to total sex · 2021-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total population	29,809	100.0%
Born in Belgium	27,372	91.8%
Born in another EU member state	1,559	5.2%
Born in a non-EU country	876	2.9%
Not indicated	2	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁷

Citizenship

All persons in Statbel Census 2021 municipality rows; the published male and female category rows are summed to total sex · 2021-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total population	29,809	100.0%
Belgian nationality	27,960	93.8%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state	1,506	5.1%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country	311	1.0%
Not indicated	32	0.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁵

Ancestry or ethnicity

All persons in the Statbel 2021-01-01 municipal origin publication · 2021-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	25,090	84.2%
Total — Total population	29,809	100.0%
Total — Total population — born in Belgium	27,372	91.8%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	25,348	85.0%
Belgique — Total population	25,348	85.0%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	25,348	85.0%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	25,090	84.2%
Belgique — Total population — born in Belgium	25,090	84.2%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin	2,612	8.8%
Total — Total population — born outside Belgium	2,437	8.2%
*Pays voisin — Total population**	2,142	7.2%

Show 69 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	1,984	6.7%
Total — Non-Belgian — total	1,849	6.2%
Total — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	1,551	5.2%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	1,363	4.6%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	1,315	4.4%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born in Belgium**	1,310	4.4%
Hors UE27 — Total population	1,307	4.4%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin**	1,296	4.3%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium**	1,160	3.9%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	1,041	3.5%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population	1,012	3.4%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin	955	3.2%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total**	869	2.9%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — total**	846	2.8%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium**	836	2.8%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born outside Belgium**	832	2.8%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born outside Belgium	699	2.3%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium**	696	2.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — total	651	2.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born outside Belgium	648	2.2%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	628	2.1%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born in Belgium	608	2.0%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	570	1.9%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	562	1.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	549	1.8%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	524	1.8%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	471	1.6%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	393	1.3%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	377	1.3%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total**	365	1.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born in Belgium	364	1.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin	361	1.2%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — total	352	1.2%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	306	1.0%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	306	1.0%
Total — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	298	1.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	295	1.0%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium**	267	0.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	262	0.9%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	258	0.9%
Belgique — Total population — born outside Belgium	258	0.9%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	258	0.9%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	208	0.7%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	198	0.7%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	188	0.6%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	184	0.6%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	152	0.5%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium**	150	0.5%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	147	0.5%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium**	136	0.5%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	125	0.4%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	120	0.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	102	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	99	0.3%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium**	98	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	95	0.3%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total**	62	0.2%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium**	57	0.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	57	0.2%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	48	0.2%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	46	0.2%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium**	33	0.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	21	0.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	21	0.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	11	0.0%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	10	0.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	5	0.0%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium**	5	0.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	4	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁶

Is Brecht a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker56%strong on work, weak on housing · range 46–66%

Skilled employee60%strong on work, weak on education · range 50–70%

Student53%strong on cost, weak on education · range 42–64%

Family48%strong on family, weak on education · range 38–58%

Retirement49%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 38–60%

Foreign residents2,138 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.

Population30,755 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source

Dwellings12,149 dwellings1 Jan 2021Official source · Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units

Gigabit broadband availability97.45 %Jun 2025Official source · BIPT/IBPT fixed broadband Atlas municipality row: H_rate_1000 is the share of households with access to fixed broadband at a maximum attainable speed of at least 1,000 Mbps; availability, not subscribed plan or measured speed. H_1000 is the covered-household count and total_households is the denominator.

Unemployment rate3.6 %1 Jan 2011Independent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011

NO₂ — annual mean11.46 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31

Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-07

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	8.17 %	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace¹³Official
Median age	45.4 years	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age¹⁴Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Brecht when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Brecht?

The published population was 30,755 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Brecht?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.3 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31.

How safe is Brecht?

Police recorded about 4,172 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Brecht?

The unemployment rate is 3.6 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

How many foreign residents live in Brecht?

2,138 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row..

Is Brecht a good place to live?

Brecht may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Born in another EU member state live in Brecht?

The official country of birth distribution records 1,559 people (5.2%) in the source-defined population for 2021-01-01. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Brecht, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/brecht/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_brecht-belgium-jobs-safety-air-quality_279e1e1f6d82,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Brecht, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/brecht/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Brecht, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/brecht/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Belgium official denominator source statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-14
BIPT/IBPT fixed broadband Atlas municipality row: H_rate_1000 is the share of households with access to fixed broadband at a maximum attainable speed of at least 1,000 Mbps; availability, not subscribed plan or measured speed. H_1000 is the covered-household count and total_households is the denominator. bipt-data.be · checked 2026-07-15
Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2025-01-01
Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31 ftp.irceline.be · checked 2024-12-31
Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 13019; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31 ftp.irceline.be · checked 2024-12-31
Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31 ftp.irceline.be · checked 2024-12-31
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium) Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics · statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-07

Show 10 more sources

Statbel (Statistics Belgium) statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-03
Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
Statbel, Belgian statistical office statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-30
Statbel, Belgian statistical office statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-30
Statbel, Belgian statistical office country_of_birth statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station ANTWERPENDEURNE_06450.csv WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025 Belgian Federal Police · police.be · checked 2026-07-26
Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011 Statbel be.STAT · bestat.statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-26

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.