Living in Hechtel-Eksel

The population of Hechtel-Eksel, in Belgium, was 13,089 at the start of 2026. The city covered 76.7 km² in 2025. Population density was 170.7 people per km² in 2026. The unemployment rate was 4.39% at the start of 2011. For Hechtel-Eksel, annual NO₂ was 7.87 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Lower unemployment than 62% of Belgian cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 61% of Belgian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 80% of Belgian cities that publish it.

Which Belgium-wide rules apply when you move to Hechtel-Eksel?

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 Hechtel-Eksel.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Dwellings	5,132 dwellings	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units¹⁰Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings	5,128 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)⁹Official

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Hechtel-Eksel?

The unemployment rate is about 4.4 % (January 2011).

Unemployment rate: 4.39 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011¹⁸

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Hechtel-Eksel is 4.4%. Of 506 cities with data, 160 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Gigabit broadband availability	97.23 %	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	4.39 %country median 5.3%	1 Jan 2011	Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011¹⁸Independent

Public employment service

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

Safety

How safe is Hechtel-Eksel?

Police recorded about 5,860 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: 5,860 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025¹⁷

Recorded crime across major citiesHechtel-Eksel highlighted among comparable cities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	5,860 offences per 100,000country median 5,136	31 Dec 2025	Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025¹⁷Independent

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 8.49 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Hechtel-Eksel?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.5 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: 8.49 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

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 Hechtel-Eksel is 8.5 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	7.87 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	15.05 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	8.49 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 6.3 · Feb 7.5 · Mar 11.6 · Apr 16.3 · May 20 · Jun 22.8 · Jul 24.9 · Aug 24.5 · Sep 20.7 · Oct 15.6 · Nov 10.2 · Dec 6.6 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station KLEINEBROGEL_06479.csv¹⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 0.3 · Feb 0.1 · Mar 1.7 · Apr 4 · May 8.2 · Jun 11.2 · Jul 13.3 · Aug 12.6 · Sep 9.6 · Oct 6.6 · Nov 3.4 · Dec 1.1 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station KLEINEBROGEL_06479.csv¹⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 3.3 · Feb 3.8 · Mar 6.6 · Apr 10.2 · May 14.1 · Jun 17 · Jul 19.1 · Aug 18.5 · Sep 15.1 · Oct 11.1 · Nov 6.8 · Dec 3.9 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station KLEINEBROGEL_06479.csv¹⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 67.8 · Feb 64.1 · Mar 56 · Apr 45.6 · May 57.7 · Jun 72.7 · Jul 72.7 · Aug 80.5 · Sep 60.3 · Oct 61.5 · Nov 71.1 · Dec 85.3 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station KLEINEBROGEL_06479.csv¹⁶Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities

Kortemark13,084 residents Anderlues13,107 residents Aywaille12,999 residents Malmedy12,973 residents Olen12,945 residents Herk-de-Stad12,927 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Hechtel-Eksel?

The published population was 13,089 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	76.68 km²	1 Jan 2025	Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.³Official
Foreign residents	1,496 people	1 Jan 2026	Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.⁴Official
Population density	170.7 people/km²	1 Jan 2026	Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.⁵Official
Population	13,089 people	1 Jan 2026	Belgium official denominator source¹Official

International community in Hechtel-Eksel

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	12,543	100.0%
Born in Belgium	10,868	86.6%
Born in another EU member state	1,155	9.2%
Born in a non-EU country	520	4.1%

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 group	People	Share
Total population	12,543	100.0%
Belgian nationality	11,285	90.0%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state	1,032	8.2%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country	213	1.7%
Not indicated	13	0.1%

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 group	People	Share
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	9,743	77.7%
Total — Total population	12,543	100.0%
Total — Total population — born in Belgium	10,868	86.6%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	9,887	78.8%
Belgique — Total population	9,887	78.8%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	9,887	78.8%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	9,743	77.7%
Belgique — Total population — born in Belgium	9,743	77.7%
Total — Total population — born outside Belgium	1,675	13.4%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin	1,398	11.1%
*Pays voisin — Total population**	1,306	10.4%

Show 70 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Total — Non-Belgian — total	1,258	10.0%
Total — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	1,113	8.9%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	980	7.8%
Hors UE27 — Total population	897	7.2%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born outside Belgium**	839	6.7%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — total**	812	6.5%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium**	728	5.8%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin	667	5.3%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	637	5.1%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	554	4.4%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	509	4.1%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin**	494	3.9%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born in Belgium**	467	3.7%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born outside Belgium	459	3.7%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population	453	3.6%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born in Belgium	438	3.5%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	418	3.3%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	408	3.3%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium**	383	3.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	375	3.0%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	361	2.9%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total**	312	2.5%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium**	280	2.2%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	276	2.2%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	259	2.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	247	2.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin	237	1.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born outside Belgium	233	1.9%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — total	230	1.8%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born in Belgium	220	1.8%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — total	216	1.7%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	207	1.7%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	200	1.6%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	195	1.6%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	189	1.5%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	185	1.5%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total**	166	1.3%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	165	1.3%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	161	1.3%
Total — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	145	1.2%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	144	1.1%
Belgique — Total population — born outside Belgium	144	1.1%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	144	1.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	128	1.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	127	1.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	119	0.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	115	0.9%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium**	111	0.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	110	0.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	96	0.8%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium**	94	0.7%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium**	84	0.7%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium**	72	0.6%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	54	0.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	48	0.4%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	45	0.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	42	0.3%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium**	32	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	31	0.2%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	30	0.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	26	0.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	25	0.2%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total**	16	0.1%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	12	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium**	9	0.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	8	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium**	7	0.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	5	0.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	4	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 source¹⁴

Is Hechtel-Eksel 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 worker55%strong on work, weak on housing · range 45–65%

Skilled employee58%strong on work, weak on education · range 48–68%

Student53%strong on cost, weak on education · range 42–64%

Family44%strong on family, weak on education · range 34–54%

Retirement51%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 40–62%

Foreign residents1,496 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.

Population13,089 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source

Dwellings5,132 dwellings1 Jan 2021Official source · Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units

Gigabit broadband availability97.23 %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 rate4.39 %1 Jan 2011Independent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011

NO₂ — annual mean7.87 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	13.35 %	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace¹¹Official
Median age	43.5 years	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age¹²Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Hechtel-Eksel 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 Hechtel-Eksel?

The published population was 13,089 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Hechtel-Eksel?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.5 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 Hechtel-Eksel?

Police recorded about 5,860 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 Hechtel-Eksel?

The unemployment rate is about 4.4 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

How many foreign residents live in Hechtel-Eksel?

1,496 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 Hechtel-Eksel a good place to live?

Hechtel-Eksel 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 Hechtel-Eksel?

The official country of birth distribution records 1,155 people (9.2%) 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). Hechtel-Eksel, Belgium: jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/hechtel-eksel/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_hechtel-eksel-belgium-jobs-safety_8a136602d366,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Hechtel-Eksel, Belgium: jobs, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/hechtel-eksel/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Hechtel-Eksel, Belgium: jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/hechtel-eksel/) — 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
Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium) Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics · statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-07
Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16

Show 8 more sources

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 KLEINEBROGEL_06479.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.