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Living in Lessines

Lessines had 18,901 residents at the start of 2026 and is a city in Belgium. At the end of 2024, annual PM2.5 was 7.7 µg/m³. The city covered 72.7 km² in 2025. Population density was 260.1 people per km² in 2026.

Higher unemployment than 82% of Belgian cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 75% of Belgian cities that publish it.

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

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 Lessines.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Dwellings8,011 dwellings1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units14Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings8,005 dwellings31 Dec 2021Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)12Official

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 10.2% at the start of 2011.

What is the unemployment rate in Lessines?

The unemployment rate is about 10.2 % (January 2011).

  • Unemployment rate: 10.22 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201121
Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Lessines is 10.2%. 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%2610–12Lessines 10.2%20 cities: 12% to under 14%2012–1416 cities: 14% to under 16%1614–1613 cities: 16% to under 18%1316–1810 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
Gigabit broadband availability99.44 %Jun 2025BIPT/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 rate10.22 %country median 5.3%1 Jan 2011Statbel 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 Lessines. 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 Lessines. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Schools23 schools31 Oct 2025FASE 2025/26 official school establishment register3Official

Safety

How safe is Lessines?

Police recorded about 6,650 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: 6,650 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202520
Recorded crime across major citiesLessines highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Lessines highlighted14,236Ixelles14,026Charleroi11,116Anderlecht10,154Seraing10,141Schaerbeek10,075Molenbeek-Saint-Jean9,031Hasselt7,894Genk7,680Uccle6,914La Louvière6,684Woluwe-Saint-Lambert6,650Lessinesrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents6,650 offences per 100,000country median 5,13631 Dec 2025Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202520Independent

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest airportGNE3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official
Distance to nearest airport35 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official

Climate and air quality

Annual NO₂ was 8.3 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Lessines?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.7 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..2024-12-3110

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
Lessines annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5257.7PM2.5154014.1PM1010408.3NO₂µg/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 Lessines is 7.7 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/m³837–8Lessines 7.7142 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
NO₂ — annual mean8.3 µg/m³country median 9.031 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-318Official
PM10 — annual mean14.15 µg/m³country median 13.231 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 13019; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-319Official
PM2.5 — annual mean7.7 µg/m³country median 7.431 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-3110Official
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 13.38 · Feb 17.91 · Mar 20.78 · Apr 25.88 · May 28.61 · Jun 30.84 · Jul 36.62 · Aug 34.02 · Sep 31.32 · Oct 25.31 · Nov 19.35 · Dec 14.62 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -11.44 · Feb -12.83 · Mar -9.83 · Apr -4.59 · May 0.69 · Jun 3.35 · Jul 6.98 · Aug 5.96 · Sep 2.95 · Oct -4.53 · Nov -4.88 · Dec -10.33 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official
Average temperature by monthJan 2.51 · Feb 3.08 · Mar 5.88 · Apr 9.52 · May 13.1 · Jun 16.35 · Jul 18.19 · Aug 17.73 · Sep 14.69 · Oct 10.97 · Nov 6.58 · Dec 3.24 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official
Annual PM2.5 over time11 published observations, 2014–2024
Annual PM2.5 in Lessines by year, µg/m³7.39.311.413.42014201620182020202220247.7µg/m³

Annual PM2.5 fell 30.0% between 2014 and 2024, from 11.0 to 7.7.

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities
Tessenderlo19,011 residentsQuaregnon19,018 residentsBeerse18,780 residentsSint-Genesius-Rode18,700 residentsStabroek19,126 residentsMorlanwelz19,143 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Lessines?

The published population was 18,901 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source1

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Lessines residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport93.1%Foreign residents 6.9%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area72.67 km²1 Jan 2025Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.5Official
Foreign-resident share6.98 %31 Dec 2025Statbel (Statistics Belgium)13Official
Foreign residents1,301 people1 Jan 2026Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.6Official
Population density260.1 people/km²1 Jan 2026Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.7Official
Population18,901 people1 Jan 2026Belgium official denominator source1Official

International community in Lessines

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 groupPeopleShare
Total population18,682100.0%
Born in Belgium17,02691.1%
Born in a non-EU country8474.5%
Born in another EU member state8084.3%
Not indicated10.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source19

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 groupPeopleShare
Total population18,682100.0%
Belgian nationality17,62294.3%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state7924.2%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country2631.4%
Not indicated40.0%
Stateless10.0%

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

Ancestry or ethnicity

All persons in the Statbel 2021-01-01 municipal origin publication · 2021-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total Belgian with foreign origin3,20817.2%
Total population18,682100.0%
Total population — born in Belgium17,02691.1%
Belgian of Belgian origin — total14,41477.2%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium14,26876.4%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium2,50613.4%
Total population — born outside Belgium1,6568.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total1,5708.4%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium1,5138.1%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total1,2186.5%
Non-Belgian — total1,0605.7%
Show 10 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium8084.3%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium7023.8%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium6423.4%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium5763.1%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total4202.2%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium4172.2%
Non-Belgian — born in Belgium2521.3%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium1460.8%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium570.3%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium30.0%

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

Is Lessines 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 worker58%strong on work, weak on housing · range 48–68%
Skilled employee58%strong on work, weak on housing · range 49–67%
Student63%strong on education, weak on housing · range 55–71%
Family47%strong on family, weak on housing · range 38–56%
Retirement55%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 44–66%
Foreign residents1,301 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.
Population18,901 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source
Dwellings8,011 dwellings1 Jan 2021Official source · Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units
Gigabit broadband availability99.44 %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 rate10.22 %1 Jan 2011Independent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011
NO₂ — annual mean8.3 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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents born abroad8.86 %1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace15Official
Median age42.8 years1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age16Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Lessines 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 Lessines?

The published population was 18,901 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Lessines?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.7 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 Lessines?

Police recorded about 6,650 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 Lessines?

The unemployment rate is about 10.2 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

How many foreign residents live in Lessines?

1,301 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 Lessines a good place to live?

Lessines 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 Lessines?

The official country of birth distribution records 808 people (4.3%) 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). Lessines, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/lessines/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_lessines-belgium-jobs-safety-air-quality_33298342a1df,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Lessines, 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/lessines/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Lessines, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/lessines/) — 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. Belgium official denominator source statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-14
  2. 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
  3. FASE 2025/26 official school establishment register odwb.be · checked 2026-07-16
  4. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2025-01-01
  6. Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  7. Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
Show 11 more sources
  1. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium) Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics · statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-07
  3. Statbel (Statistics Belgium) statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-03
  4. Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  5. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  6. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  7. Statbel, Belgian statistical office statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-30
  8. Statbel, Belgian statistical office ancestry_or_ethnicity statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
  9. Statbel, Belgian statistical office country_of_birth statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
  10. Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025 Belgian Federal Police · police.be · checked 2026-07-26
  11. 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.