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Living in Forest

Forest is a city in Belgium, and the figures below are its published values. The population of Forest totalled 58,675 at the end of 2025. At the end of 2024, annual PM2.5 reached 7 µg/m³.

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

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 Forest.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Forest?

The unemployment rate is about 17.4 % (2011).

  • Unemployment rate: 17.35 % · bestat.statbel.fgov.be1
Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Forest is 17.4%. 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%1234–670 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%1316–18Forest 17.4%10 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
Unemployment rate17.35 %country median 5.3%31 Dec 2011bestat.statbel.fgov.be1Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Forest. 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 Forest. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

Forest's nearest airport was BRU, 14 km away and offered 146 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count146 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights8Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km14 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports9Official
Nearest Major Airport IataBRU3 Aug 2026OurAirports9Official

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 3.7°C in January and 18.7°C in July. Forest's monthly precipitation totalled 75.5 mm in January and 76.9 mm in July. Average monthly sunshine totalled 59.1 hours in January and 203.2 hours in July.

Is the air quality good in Forest?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA)2

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

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Forest average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND23°1°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Forest average monthly precipitation, mm0255075100766559476071778765687687JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Forest average monthly sunshine, hours05511016522059731261711981992031921551136649JFMAMJJASONDhours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Forest annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5257.0PM2.5µg/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 Forest is 7.0 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/m³837–8Forest 7.0142 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³1428–912 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³129–10

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean7 µg/m³31 Dec 2024European Environment Agency (EEA)2Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by monthJan 6.1 · Feb 7.1 · Mar 10.9 · Apr 15 · May 18.4 · Jun 21.2 · Jul 23.2 · Aug 23 · Sep 19.5 · Oct 14.9 · Nov 9.9 · Dec 6.6 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO3Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 1.4 · Feb 1.5 · Mar 3.5 · Apr 6 · May 9.2 · Jun 12 · Jul 14.1 · Aug 13.9 · Sep 11.3 · Oct 8.1 · Nov 4.6 · Dec 2.1 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO4Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 3.7 · Feb 4.2 · Mar 7.1 · Apr 10.4 · May 13.9 · Jun 16.7 · Jul 18.7 · Aug 18.4 · Sep 15.2 · Oct 11.3 · Nov 7.2 · Dec 4.3 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO5Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 75.5 · Feb 65.1 · Mar 59.3 · Apr 46.7 · May 59.7 · Jun 70.8 · Jul 76.9 · Aug 86.5 · Sep 65.3 · Oct 67.8 · Nov 76.2 · Dec 87.4 mm31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO6Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by monthJan 59.1 · Feb 72.9 · Mar 125.8 · Apr 171.3 · May 198.3 · Jun 199.3 · Jul 203.2 · Aug 192.4 · Sep 154.5 · Oct 112.6 · Nov 65.8 · Dec 48.6 hours31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO7Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert60,979 residentsVerviers56,182 residentsJette54,330 residentsSeraing64,764 residentsRoeselare66,888 residentsLokeren50,897 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Forest?

The published population was 58,675 people in 2025. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office)11

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population58,675 people31 Dec 2025Statbel (Belgian statistical office)11Official

Is Forest 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 worker48%strong on work, weak on safety · range 37–59%
Skilled employee47%strong on work, weak on safety · range 37–57%
Student62%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 50–74%
Family46%strong on family, weak on safety · range 34–58%
Retirement59%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 45–73%
Population58,675 people31 Dec 2025Official source · Statbel (Belgian statistical office)
Unemployment rate17.35 %31 Dec 2011Official source · bestat.statbel.fgov.be
PM2.5 — annual mean7 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · European Environment Agency (EEA)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-26

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Forest 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.

Which comparable places record less crime than Forest?

15 places have a lower recorded total crime rate than Forest in this strictly source-matched cohort.

Forest: 8,383.5 offences/100k (2025).

Sint-Genesius-Rode — 4,208.6 offences/100k2025Kapellen — 4,346.6 offences/100k2025Hove — 4,625.9 offences/100k2025Zoutleeuw — 4,734.2 offences/100k2025Hamme — 4,971.6 offences/100k2025Herk-de-Stad — 5,028.2 offences/100k2025Temse — 5,554.7 offences/100k2025Oudenaarde — 6,960.2 offences/100k2025

Only the same source family, offence definition, period, grain and denominator method are compared. This is recorded crime, not a claim about personal safety. Official source10

Common questions

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

How many people live in Forest?

The published population was 58,675 people in 2025. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office).

Is the air quality good in Forest?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA).

What is the unemployment rate in Forest?

The unemployment rate is about 17.4 % (2011). Source: bestat.statbel.fgov.be.

Is Forest a good place to live?

Forest 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.

Which comparable places record less crime than Forest?

15 places have a lower recorded total crime rate than Forest in this strictly source-matched cohort. The comparison uses Police fédérale SPC municipal PDF 2025 + Statbel TF_SOC_POP_STRUCT_2025, period 2025, and does not compare across incompatible police definitions.

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). Forest, Belgium: jobs, air quality, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/forest/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_forest-belgium-jobs-air-quality-climate_346d4f8fc772,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Forest, Belgium: jobs, air quality, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/forest/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Forest, Belgium: jobs, air quality, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/forest/) — 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. bestat.statbel.fgov.be bestat.statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-26
  2. European Environment Agency (EEA) air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-06
  3. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  4. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  5. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  6. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  7. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  8. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  9. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  10. police.be recorded crime data police.be · checked 2026-08-28
Show 2 more sources
  1. Statbel (Belgian statistical office) statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-04
  2. statbel.fgov.be recorded crime data statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-28

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.