Living in Harelbeke

Harelbeke is a city in Belgium. The unemployment rate was 3.58% at the start of 2011. At the end of 2024, annual NO₂ was 11.3 µg/m³. At the start of 2026, Harelbeke had a population of 30,605. The city covered 29.4 km² in 2025. Population density was 1,041.1 people per km² in 2026.

Lower unemployment than 75% of Belgian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 92% of Belgian cities that publish it.

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

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 Harelbeke.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Dwellings	12,576 dwellings	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units¹³Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings	12,569 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)¹¹Official

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Harelbeke?

The unemployment rate is about 3.6 % (January 2011).

Unemployment rate: 3.58 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011²⁰

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Harelbeke 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	99.28 %	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	3.58 %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 Harelbeke. 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 Harelbeke. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Harelbeke?

Police recorded about 5,515 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: 5,515 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025¹⁹

Recorded crime across major citiesHarelbeke highlighted among comparable cities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	5,515 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	KJK	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official
Distance to nearest airport	8 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 8.8 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Harelbeke?

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..2024-12-31⁹

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

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 Harelbeke 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)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	11.28 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	15.73 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	8.8 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 13.6 · Feb 16.81 · Mar 20.49 · Apr 24.85 · May 27.62 · Jun 29.85 · Jul 35.58 · Aug 32.16 · Sep 29.67 · Oct 24.67 · Nov 18.7 · Dec 14.55 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low C	Jan -9.43 · Feb -10.64 · Mar -6.41 · Apr -3.91 · May 1.28 · Jun 4.9 · Jul 8.35 · Aug 8.36 · Sep 4.54 · Oct -1.77 · Nov -3.84 · Dec -8.48 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 3.44 · Feb 3.79 · Mar 6.11 · Apr 9.43 · May 12.84 · Jun 15.92 · Jul 17.85 · Aug 17.67 · Sep 15 · Oct 11.5 · Nov 7.41 · Dec 4.23 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official

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

Annual PM2.5 fell 41.4% between 2015 and 2024, from 15.0 to 8.8.

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities

Brecht30,755 residents Waterloo30,386 residents Houthalen-Helchteren30,879 residents Ath30,235 residents Lochristi30,982 residents Aalter29,862 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Harelbeke?

The published population was 30,605 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	29.4 km²	1 Jan 2025	Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.⁴Official
Foreign-resident share	8.95 %	31 Dec 2025	Statbel (Statistics Belgium)¹²Official
Foreign residents	2,774 people	1 Jan 2026	Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.⁵Official
Population density	1,041 people/km²	1 Jan 2026	Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.⁶Official
Population	30,605 people	1 Jan 2026	Belgium official denominator source¹Official

International community in Harelbeke

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	28,614	100.0%
Born in Belgium	25,836	90.3%
Born in a non-EU country	1,713	6.0%
Born in another EU member state	1,048	3.7%
Not indicated	17	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	28,614	100.0%
Belgian nationality	26,749	93.5%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state	1,186	4.1%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country	662	2.3%
Not indicated	14	0.0%
Stateless	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	23,938	83.7%
Total — Total population	28,614	100.0%
Total — Total population — born in Belgium	25,836	90.3%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	24,067	84.1%
Belgique — Total population	24,067	84.1%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	24,067	84.1%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	23,938	83.7%
Belgique — Total population — born in Belgium	23,938	83.7%
Hors UE27 — Total population	2,987	10.4%
Total — Total population — born outside Belgium	2,778	9.7%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin	2,682	9.4%

Show 70 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin	2,057	7.2%
Total — Non-Belgian — total	1,865	6.5%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born outside Belgium	1,706	6.0%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	1,686	5.9%
Total — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	1,653	5.8%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	1,416	4.9%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born in Belgium	1,281	4.5%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	1,193	4.2%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	1,172	4.1%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	996	3.5%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	957	3.3%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — total	930	3.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population	913	3.2%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	885	3.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	862	3.0%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	821	2.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — total	723	2.5%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born outside Belgium	696	2.4%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	694	2.4%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	662	2.3%
*Pays voisin — Total population**	647	2.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	641	2.2%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	572	2.0%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	565	2.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	540	1.9%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	535	1.9%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	459	1.6%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin**	435	1.5%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born in Belgium**	400	1.4%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium**	379	1.3%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	331	1.2%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	324	1.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	306	1.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total**	284	1.0%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium**	271	0.9%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born outside Belgium**	247	0.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born in Belgium	217	0.8%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — total**	212	0.7%
Total — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	212	0.7%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium**	191	0.7%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin	190	0.7%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	135	0.5%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total**	130	0.5%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	129	0.5%
Belgique — Total population — born outside Belgium	129	0.5%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	129	0.5%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	109	0.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	93	0.3%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium**	88	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	86	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	85	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	82	0.3%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium**	56	0.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	55	0.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	53	0.2%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium**	42	0.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	40	0.1%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	32	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total**	21	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium**	21	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium**	20	0.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	18	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium**	13	0.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	11	0.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	10	0.0%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	7	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**	1	0.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	1	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 Harelbeke 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 worker60%strong on work, weak on housing · range 50–70%

Skilled employee63%strong on work, weak on education · range 53–73%

Student55%strong on cost, weak on education · range 44–66%

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

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

Foreign residents2,774 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.

Population30,605 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source

Dwellings12,576 dwellings1 Jan 2021Official source · Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units

Gigabit broadband availability99.28 %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 rate3.58 %1 Jan 2011Independent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011

NO₂ — annual mean11.28 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	9.65 %	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace¹⁴Official
Median age	43.3 years	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age¹⁵Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Harelbeke 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 Harelbeke?

The published population was 30,605 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Harelbeke?

How safe is Harelbeke?

Police recorded about 5,515 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 Harelbeke?

The unemployment rate is about 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 Harelbeke?

2,774 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 Harelbeke a good place to live?

Harelbeke 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 Harelbeke?

The official country of birth distribution records 1,048 people (3.7%) 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). Harelbeke, Belgium: jobs, safety, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/harelbeke/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_harelbeke-belgium-jobs-safety-climate_87bb9d3159c4,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Harelbeke, Belgium: jobs, safety, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/harelbeke/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Harelbeke, Belgium: jobs, safety, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/harelbeke/) — 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
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.