Living in Diest

The unemployment rate was 4.63% at the start of 2011. Diest, a city in Belgium, had a population of 25,196 at the start of 2026. Annual PM2.5 was 8.38 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. The city covered 58.7 km² in 2025. Population density was 429.1 people per km² in 2026.

More recorded crime than 66% of Belgian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 75% of Belgian cities that publish it.

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

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 Diest.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Dwellings	10,659 dwellings	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units¹³Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings	10,643 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)¹¹Official

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Diest?

The unemployment rate is about 4.6 % (January 2011).

Unemployment rate: 4.63 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011²⁰

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Diest is 4.6%. Of 506 cities with data, 160 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Gigabit broadband availability	98.35 %	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	4.63 %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 Diest. 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 Diest. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Diest?

Police recorded about 6,075 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: www.police.be¹⁹

Recorded crime across major citiesDiest highlighted among comparable cities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	6,075 incidents per 100,000country median 5,136	31 Dec 2024	www.police.be¹⁹Official

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Nearest airport	OBL	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official
Distance to nearest airport	37 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official

Climate and air quality

Annual NO₂ was 9.26 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Diest?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.4 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: 8.38 µg/m³ · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31⁹

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 Diest is 8.4 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	9.26 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..2024-12-31⁷Official
PM10 — annual mean	14.64 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..2024-12-31⁸Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	8.38 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..2024-12-31⁹Official
Climate Monthly Extreme High C	Jan 13.13 · Feb 18.19 · Mar 21.41 · Apr 26.66 · May 29.55 · Jun 32.57 · Jul 39.34 · Aug 35.71 · Sep 33.7 · Oct 25.47 · Nov 19.78 · Dec 14.98 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low C	Jan -12.94 · Feb -15.11 · Mar -7.76 · Apr -4.56 · May 0.42 · Jun 4.05 · Jul 7.33 · Aug 6.46 · Sep 3.34 · Oct -4.47 · Nov -4.68 · Dec -12.13 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 2.27 · Feb 2.91 · Mar 5.81 · Apr 9.78 · May 13.55 · Jun 16.86 · Jul 18.73 · Aug 18.24 · Sep 14.97 · Oct 10.99 · Nov 6.52 · Dec 3.11 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official

Annual PM2.5 over time10 published observations, 2015–2024

Annual PM2.5 fell 35.5% between 2015 and 2024, from 13.0 to 8.4.

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities

Merelbeke25,229 residents Watermael-Boitsfort25,271 residents Maldegem24,927 residents Hamme25,706 residents Westerlo25,723 residents Ganshoren25,731 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Diest?

The published population was 25,196 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	58.72 km²	1 Jan 2025	Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.⁴Official
Foreign-resident share	7.44 %	31 Dec 2025	Statbel (Statistics Belgium)¹²Official
Foreign residents	1,825 people	1 Jan 2026	Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.⁵Official
Population density	429.1 people/km²	1 Jan 2026	Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.⁶Official
Population	25,196 people	1 Jan 2026	Belgium official denominator source¹Official

International community in Diest

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	24,370	100.0%
Born in Belgium	21,575	88.5%
Born in a non-EU country	1,896	7.8%
Born in another EU member state	883	3.6%
Not indicated	16	0.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁸

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	24,370	100.0%
Belgian nationality	22,767	93.4%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state	829	3.4%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country	762	3.1%
Not indicated	11	0.0%
Stateless	1	0.0%

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

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	19,329	79.3%
Total — Total population	24,370	100.0%
Total — Total population — born in Belgium	21,575	88.5%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	19,559	80.3%
Belgique — Total population	19,559	80.3%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	19,559	80.3%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	19,329	79.3%
Belgique — Total population — born in Belgium	19,329	79.3%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin	3,208	13.2%
Hors UE27 — Total population	3,178	13.0%
Total — Total population — born outside Belgium	2,795	11.5%

Show 70 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin	2,400	9.8%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	2,058	8.4%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	1,728	7.1%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born outside Belgium	1,678	6.9%
Total — Non-Belgian — total	1,603	6.6%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born in Belgium	1,500	6.2%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	1,427	5.9%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	1,426	5.9%
Total — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	1,415	5.8%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	1,150	4.7%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	1,098	4.5%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	973	4.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	949	3.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population	911	3.7%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	790	3.2%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — total	778	3.2%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	749	3.1%
*Pays voisin — Total population**	722	3.0%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	705	2.9%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	690	2.8%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	679	2.8%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	644	2.6%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	636	2.6%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	630	2.6%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born outside Belgium	541	2.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — total	507	2.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	477	2.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	431	1.8%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin**	404	1.7%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin	404	1.7%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born in Belgium**	376	1.5%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born in Belgium	370	1.5%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born outside Belgium**	346	1.4%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium**	337	1.4%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	330	1.4%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — total**	318	1.3%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	314	1.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	294	1.2%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium**	279	1.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total**	268	1.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium**	250	1.0%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	230	0.9%
Belgique — Total population — born outside Belgium	230	0.9%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	230	0.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	192	0.8%
Total — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	188	0.8%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	185	0.8%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	182	0.7%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total**	120	0.5%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	110	0.5%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	102	0.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	80	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	76	0.3%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	73	0.3%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium**	73	0.3%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium**	67	0.3%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium**	47	0.2%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	41	0.2%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium**	39	0.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	30	0.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	29	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium**	18	0.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	16	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total**	16	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium**	14	0.1%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	11	0.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	8	0.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	7	0.0%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium**	2	0.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	1	0.0%

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

Is Diest 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 worker59%strong on work, weak on housing · range 49–69%

Skilled employee61%strong on work, weak on education · range 51–71%

Student58%strong on cost, weak on education · range 47–69%

Family52%strong on family, weak on education · range 42–62%

Retirement55%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 44–66%

Foreign residents1,825 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.

Population25,196 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source

Dwellings10,659 dwellings1 Jan 2021Official source · Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units

Gigabit broadband availability98.35 %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 rate4.63 %1 Jan 2011Independent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011

NO₂ — annual mean9.26 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 2026-08-27

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	11.4 %	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace¹⁴Official
Median age	45.6 years	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age¹⁵Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Diest 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 Diest?

The published population was 25,196 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Diest?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.4 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 Diest?

Police recorded about 6,075 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: www.police.be.

What is the unemployment rate in Diest?

The unemployment rate is about 4.6 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

How many foreign residents live in Diest?

1,825 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 Diest a good place to live?

Diest 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 Diest?

The official country of birth distribution records 883 people (3.6%) 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). Diest, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/diest/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_diest-belgium-jobs-safety-air-quality_efe9c8c7279d,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Diest, 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/diest/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Diest, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/diest/) — 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
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
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

Show 10 more sources

Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium) Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics · statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-07
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
www.police.be police.be · checked 2026-08-27
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.