Living in Gistel

Gistel is a city in Belgium, with a population of 12,098 at the start of 2026. For Gistel, the foreign population count was 395 at the start of 2026. The city covered 42.8 km² in 2025. Population density was 282.4 people per km² in 2026.

Lower unemployment than 68% of Belgian cities that publish it, less recorded crime than 62% of Belgian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 98% of Belgian cities that publish it.

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

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 Gistel.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Dwellings	5,182 dwellings	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units¹³Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings	5,176 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)¹¹Official

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 3.97% at the start of 2011.

What is the unemployment rate in Gistel?

The unemployment rate is about 4 % (January 2011).

Unemployment rate: 3.97 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011²¹

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Gistel is 4.0%. Of 506 cities with data, 160 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Gigabit broadband availability	97.73 %	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	3.97 %country median 5.3%	1 Jan 2011	Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011²¹Independent

Public employment service

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

Safety

How safe is Gistel?

Police recorded about 4,513 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: 4,513 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025²⁰

Recorded crime across major citiesGistel highlighted among comparable cities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	4,513 offences per 100,000country median 5,136	31 Dec 2025	Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025²⁰Independent

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	1 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁹Official
Nearest airport	OST	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official
Distance to nearest airport	8 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 9.14 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Annual NO₂ was 9.67 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Gistel?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 9.1 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: 9.14 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

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

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 Gistel is 9.1 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	9.67 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	15.68 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	9.14 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 6.7 · Feb 7.4 · Mar 10 · Apr 13.3 · May 16.3 · Jun 19.1 · Jul 21.3 · Aug 21.7 · Sep 19.1 · Oct 15 · Nov 10.4 · Dec 7.3 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv¹⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 1.4 · Feb 1.2 · Mar 2.8 · Apr 4.8 · May 8.5 · Jun 11.5 · Jul 13.3 · Aug 13.1 · Sep 10.7 · Oct 7.7 · Nov 4.7 · Dec 2.2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv¹⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 4.1 · Feb 4.3 · Mar 6.4 · Apr 9 · May 12.4 · Jun 15.3 · Jul 17.3 · Aug 17.4 · Sep 14.9 · Oct 11.4 · Nov 7.6 · Dec 4.7 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv¹⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 61.5 · Feb 55.6 · Mar 46.3 · Apr 40.6 · May 54 · Jun 62.6 · Jul 68.1 · Aug 81.7 · Sep 73.4 · Oct 80.1 · Nov 88.6 · Dec 85.6 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv¹⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 65.5 · Feb 86.6 · Mar 143.4 · Apr 205.1 · May 229.8 · Jun 232.5 · Jul 238.7 · Aug 223.7 · Sep 171.8 · Oct 120.6 · Nov 67.3 · Dec 53.4 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv¹⁹Official · nearest-station reading

Annual PM2.5 over time7 published observations, 2015–2024

Annual PM2.5 fell 29.7% between 2015 and 2024, from 13.0 to 9.1.

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities

Retie12,076 residents Libramont-Chevigny12,065 residents Berlaar12,151 residents Roosdaal12,163 residents Wichelen12,171 residents Theux12,185 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Gistel?

The published population was 12,098 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	42.84 km²	1 Jan 2025	Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.³Official
Foreign-resident share	3.53 %	31 Dec 2025	Statbel (Statistics Belgium)¹²Official
Foreign residents	395 people	1 Jan 2026	Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.⁴Official
Population density	282.4 people/km²	1 Jan 2026	Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.⁵Official
Population	12,098 people	1 Jan 2026	Belgium official denominator source¹Official

International community in Gistel

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	12,107	100.0%
Born in Belgium	11,424	94.4%
Born in another EU member state	343	2.8%
Born in a non-EU country	340	2.8%

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	12,107	100.0%
Belgian nationality	11,683	96.5%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state	263	2.2%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country	158	1.3%
Not indicated	3	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	10,925	90.2%
Total — Total population	12,107	100.0%
Total — Total population — born in Belgium	11,424	94.4%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	11,041	91.2%
Belgique — Total population	11,041	91.2%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	11,041	91.2%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	10,925	90.2%
Belgique — Total population — born in Belgium	10,925	90.2%
Total — Total population — born outside Belgium	683	5.6%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin	642	5.3%
Hors UE27 — Total population	478	3.9%

Show 66 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	453	3.7%
Total — Non-Belgian — total	424	3.5%
Total — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	378	3.1%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin	329	2.7%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	324	2.7%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	310	2.6%
*Pays voisin — Total population**	296	2.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population	292	2.4%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	270	2.2%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born outside Belgium	266	2.2%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin**	226	1.9%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born in Belgium	212	1.8%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born outside Belgium	209	1.7%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — total	205	1.7%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born in Belgium**	204	1.7%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	195	1.6%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium**	195	1.6%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	189	1.6%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	185	1.5%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	184	1.5%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	175	1.4%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total**	171	1.4%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium**	162	1.3%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — total	149	1.2%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	134	1.1%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	132	1.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	131	1.1%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	116	1.0%
Belgique — Total population — born outside Belgium	116	1.0%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	116	1.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	110	0.9%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	107	0.9%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	95	0.8%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born outside Belgium**	92	0.8%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin	87	0.7%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born in Belgium	83	0.7%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — total**	70	0.6%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	63	0.5%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium**	61	0.5%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	53	0.4%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total**	49	0.4%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	48	0.4%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	48	0.4%
Total — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	46	0.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	43	0.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	41	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	37	0.3%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	35	0.3%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	35	0.3%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium**	31	0.3%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium**	27	0.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	24	0.2%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium**	22	0.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	22	0.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	20	0.2%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	17	0.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	15	0.1%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	14	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium**	9	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium**	9	0.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	7	0.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	7	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium**	6	0.0%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total**	6	0.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	3	0.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	2	0.0%

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

Is Gistel 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%

Student54%strong on cost, weak on education · range 43–65%

Family47%strong on family, weak on education · range 37–57%

Retirement49%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 38–60%

Foreign residents395 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.

Population12,098 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source

Dwellings5,182 dwellings1 Jan 2021Official source · Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units

Gigabit broadband availability97.73 %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 rate3.97 %1 Jan 2011Independent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011

NO₂ — annual mean9.67 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	5.64 %	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace¹⁴Official
Median age	44.2 years	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age¹⁵Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Gistel 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 Gistel?

The published population was 12,098 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Gistel?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 9.1 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 Gistel?

Police recorded about 4,513 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 Gistel?

The unemployment rate is about 4 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

How many foreign residents live in Gistel?

395 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 Gistel a good place to live?

Gistel 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 Gistel?

The official country of birth distribution records 343 people (2.8%) 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). Gistel, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/gistel/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_gistel-belgium-jobs-safety-air-quality_eedec321b73c,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Gistel, 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/gistel/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Gistel, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/gistel/) — 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
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03

Show 11 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
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.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.