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Living in Dessel

Dessel is a city in Belgium, with a population of 10,191 at the start of 2026. For Dessel, the unemployment rate was 4.46% at the start of 2011.

Lower unemployment than 61% of Belgian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 94% of Belgian cities that publish it.

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

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 Dessel.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Dwellings4,003 dwellings1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units10Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings3,999 dwellings31 Dec 2021Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)9Official

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Dessel?

The unemployment rate is about 4.5 % (January 2011).

  • Unemployment rate: 4.46 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201117
Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Dessel is 4.5%. Of 506 cities with data, 160 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Belgium per band1 city: 0% to under 2%10–2160 cities: 2% to under 4%1602–4123 cities: 4% to under 6%1234–6Dessel 4.5%70 cities: 6% to under 8%706–857 cities: 8% to under 10%578–1026 cities: 10% to under 12%2610–1220 cities: 12% to under 14%2012–1416 cities: 14% to under 16%1614–1613 cities: 16% to under 18%1316–1810 cities: 18% to under 20%1018–206 cities: 20% to under 22%620–223 cities: 22% to under 24%322–241 city: 24% to under 26%124–26

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Gigabit broadband availability97.91 %Jun 2025BIPT/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 rate4.46 %country median 5.3%1 Jan 2011Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201117Independent

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Dessel. 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
Register Search jobs
Open the Belgium service overview

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

Safety

How safe is Dessel?

Police recorded about 4,916 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: 4,916 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202516
Recorded crime across major citiesDessel highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Dessel highlighted14,236Ixelles14,026Charleroi11,116Anderlecht10,154Seraing10,141Schaerbeek10,075Molenbeek-Saint-Jean9,031Hasselt7,894Genk7,680Uccle6,914La Louvière6,684Woluwe-Saint-Lambert4,916Desselrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents4,916 offences per 100,000country median 5,13631 Dec 2025Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202516Independent

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 8.82 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Annual NO₂ was 9.38 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Dessel?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.8 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: 8.82 µg/m³ · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-318
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Dessel annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5258.8PM2.5154015.3PM1010409.4NO₂µg/m³

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 Dessel is 8.8 µg/m³. Of 439 cities with data, 142 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Belgium per band1 city: 2 µg/m³ to under 3 µg/m³12–317 cities: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³173–473 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³734–557 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³575–654 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³546–783 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³837–8142 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³1428–9Dessel 8.812 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³129–10

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean9.38 µg/m³country median 9.031 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-316Official
PM10 — annual mean15.33 µg/m³country median 13.231 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 13019; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-317Official
PM2.5 — annual mean8.82 µg/m³country median 7.431 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-318Official

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities
Saint-Vith10,191 residentsHooglede10,248 residentsHuldenberg10,132 residentsMontigny-le-Tilleul10,110 residentsWielsbeke10,282 residentsHolsbeek10,283 residents

Population and city profile

The city covered 27.4 km² in 2025. Population density was 371.3 people per km² in 2026.

How many people live in Dessel?

The published population was 10,191 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source1

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Dessel residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport88.6%Foreign residents11.4%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area27.45 km²1 Jan 2025Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.3Official
Foreign residents1,161 people1 Jan 2026Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.4Official
Population density371.3 people/km²1 Jan 2026Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.5Official
Population10,191 people1 Jan 2026Belgium official denominator source1Official

International community in Dessel

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 groupPeopleShare
Total population9,659100.0%
Born in Belgium8,73690.4%
Born in another EU member state5485.7%
Born in a non-EU country3743.9%
Not indicated10.0%

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

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 groupPeopleShare
Total population9,659100.0%
Belgian nationality8,85991.7%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state5946.1%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country1841.9%
Not indicated220.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source13

Ancestry or ethnicity

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

Published groupPeopleShare
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium8,12984.2%
Total — Total population9,659100.0%
Total — Total population — born in Belgium8,73690.4%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — total8,16184.5%
Belgique — Total population8,16184.5%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — total8,16184.5%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium8,12984.2%
Belgique — Total population — born in Belgium8,12984.2%
Total — Total population — born outside Belgium9239.6%
Total — Non-Belgian — total8008.3%
Total — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium7057.3%
Show 66 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin6987.2%
Pays voisin* — Total population6827.1%
Hors UE27 — Total population5225.4%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium5125.3%
Pays voisin* — Total population — born outside Belgium3743.9%
Pays voisin* — Non-Belgian — total3693.8%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total3523.6%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium3403.5%
Pays voisin* — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium3273.4%
Pays voisin* — Total Belgian with foreign origin3133.2%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin3113.2%
Pays voisin* — Total population — born in Belgium3083.2%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born outside Belgium3073.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population2943.0%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total2802.9%
Pays voisin* — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium2662.8%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — total2202.3%
Pays voisin* — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total2172.2%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born in Belgium2152.2%
Pays voisin* — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium2132.2%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — total2112.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born outside Belgium2102.2%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium1912.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium1912.0%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium1871.9%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium1861.9%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium1741.8%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total1621.7%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium1201.2%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium1151.2%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium1061.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total951.0%
Total — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium951.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium900.9%
Pays voisin* — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total890.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born in Belgium840.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin740.8%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium660.7%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total660.7%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium550.6%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium540.6%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total540.6%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium470.5%
Pays voisin* — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium470.5%
Pays voisin* — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium460.5%
Pays voisin* — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium430.4%
Pays voisin* — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium420.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total400.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium370.4%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium320.3%
Belgique — Total population — born outside Belgium320.3%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium320.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total290.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium290.3%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium240.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium190.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium160.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium130.1%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium120.1%
Pays voisin* — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium70.1%
Pays voisin* — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total70.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium50.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium50.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total50.1%
Pays voisin* — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium40.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source14

Is Dessel 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 employee59%strong on work, weak on education · range 49–69%
Student54%strong on cost, weak on education · range 43–65%
Family46%strong on family, weak on education · range 36–56%
Retirement50%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 39–61%
Foreign residents1,161 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.
Population10,191 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source
Dwellings4,003 dwellings1 Jan 2021Official source · Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units
Gigabit broadband availability97.91 %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 rate4.46 %1 Jan 2011Independent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011
NO₂ — annual mean9.38 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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents born abroad9.55 %1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace11Official
Median age43.7 years1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age12Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Dessel 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 Dessel?

The published population was 10,191 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Dessel?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.8 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 Dessel?

Police recorded about 4,916 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 Dessel?

The unemployment rate is about 4.5 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

How many foreign residents live in Dessel?

1,161 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 Dessel a good place to live?

Dessel 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 Dessel?

The official country of birth distribution records 548 people (5.7%) 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). Dessel, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/dessel/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_dessel-belgium-jobs-safety-air-quality_43eaf70599d9,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Dessel, 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/dessel/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Dessel, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/dessel/) — 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
  1. Belgium official denominator source statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-14
  2. 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
  3. Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2025-01-01
  4. Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  5. Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium) Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics · statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-07
  10. Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
Show 7 more sources
  1. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  2. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  3. Statbel, Belgian statistical office statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-30
  4. Statbel, Belgian statistical office statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-30
  5. Statbel, Belgian statistical office country_of_birth statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
  6. Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025 Belgian Federal Police · police.be · checked 2026-07-26
  7. 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.