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Living in Lille

Lille had 17,175 residents at the start of 2026 and is a city in Belgium. The city covered 59.6 km² in 2025. Population density was 288.1 people per km² in 2026. The unemployment rate was 4.19% at the start of 2011. For Lille, annual PM2.5 was 8.72 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Lower unemployment than 66% of Belgian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 89% of Belgian cities that publish it.

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

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 Lille.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Dwellings6,853 dwellings1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units13Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings6,844 dwellings31 Dec 2021Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)11Official

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Lille?

The unemployment rate is about 4.2 % (January 2011).

  • Unemployment rate: 4.19 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201120
Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Lille is 4.2%. 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%1234–6Lille 4.2%70 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%1316–1810 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 availability96.19 %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 rate4.19 %country median 5.3%1 Jan 2011Statbel 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 Lille. 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 Lille. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Lille?

Police recorded about 4,873 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: 4,873 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202519
Recorded crime across major citiesLille highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Lille highlighted14,236Ixelles14,026Charleroi11,116Anderlecht10,154Seraing10,141Schaerbeek10,075Molenbeek-Saint-Jean9,031Hasselt7,894Genk7,680Uccle6,914La Louvière6,684Woluwe-Saint-Lambert4,873Lillerecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents4,873 offences per 100,000country median 5,13631 Dec 2025Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202519Independent

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest airportOBL3 Aug 2026OurAirports10Official
Distance to nearest airport5 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports10Official

Climate and air quality

Annual NO₂ was 11 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Lille?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.7 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: 8.72 µg/m³ · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-319
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Lille annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5258.7PM2.5154015.4PM10104011.0NO₂µg/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 Lille is 8.7 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/m³837–8142 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³1428–9Lille 8.712 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³129–10

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean11 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..2024-12-317Official
PM10 — annual mean15.41 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..2024-12-318Official
PM2.5 — annual mean8.72 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..2024-12-319Official
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 13.13 · Feb 18.19 · Mar 21.41 · Apr 26.66 · May 29.55 · Jun 32.57 · Jul 39.34 · Aug 35.71 · Sep 33.7 · Oct 25.47 · Nov 19.78 · Dec 14.98 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center3Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -12.94 · Feb -15.11 · Mar -7.76 · Apr -4.56 · May 0.42 · Jun 4.05 · Jul 7.33 · Aug 6.46 · Sep 3.34 · Oct -4.47 · Nov -4.68 · Dec -12.13 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center3Official
Average temperature by monthJan 2.27 · Feb 2.91 · Mar 5.81 · Apr 9.78 · May 13.55 · Jun 16.86 · Jul 18.73 · Aug 18.24 · Sep 14.97 · Oct 10.99 · Nov 6.52 · Dec 3.11 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center3Official
Annual PM2.5 over time10 published observations, 2015–2024
Annual PM2.5 in Lille by year, µg/m³8.310.312.414.4201520172019202120248.7µg/m³

Annual PM2.5 fell 37.7% between 2015 and 2024, from 14.0 to 8.7.

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities
Ciney17,140 residentsKruibeke17,072 residentsSoumagne17,282 residentsHannut17,295 residentsLaakdal17,032 residentsDiksmuide17,337 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Lille?

The published population was 17,175 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source1

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Lille residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport95%Foreign residents 5%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area59.62 km²1 Jan 2025Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.4Official
Foreign-resident share4.97 %31 Dec 2025Statbel (Statistics Belgium)12Official
Foreign residents854 people1 Jan 2026Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.5Official
Population density288.1 people/km²1 Jan 2026Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.6Official
Population17,175 people1 Jan 2026Belgium official denominator source1Official

International community in Lille

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 population16,517100.0%
Born in Belgium15,70695.1%
Born in another EU member state4662.8%
Born in a non-EU country3452.1%

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 groupPeopleShare
Total population16,517100.0%
Belgian nationality15,91096.3%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state4642.8%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country1330.8%
Not indicated100.1%

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 groupPeopleShare
Total Belgian with foreign origin9295.6%
Total population16,517100.0%
Total population — born in Belgium15,70695.1%
Belgian of Belgian origin — total14,98190.7%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium14,91190.3%
Total population — born outside Belgium8114.9%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium7224.4%
Non-Belgian — total6073.7%
Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium5343.2%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total5023.0%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium4903.0%
Show 10 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total3582.2%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium2071.3%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium1941.2%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium1641.0%
Non-Belgian — born in Belgium730.4%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium700.4%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total690.4%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium680.4%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium120.1%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium10.0%

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

Is Lille 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 worker53%strong on work, weak on housing · range 43–63%
Skilled employee58%strong on work, weak on education · range 48–68%
Student52%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 41–63%
Family45%strong on family, weak on education · range 35–55%
Retirement48%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 37–59%
Foreign residents854 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.
Population17,175 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source
Dwellings6,853 dwellings1 Jan 2021Official source · Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units
Gigabit broadband availability96.19 %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 rate4.19 %1 Jan 2011Independent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011
NO₂ — annual mean11 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 abroad4.91 %1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace14Official
Median age45.8 years1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age15Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Lille 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 Lille?

The published population was 17,175 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Lille?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.7 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 Lille?

Police recorded about 4,873 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 Lille?

The unemployment rate is about 4.2 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

How many foreign residents live in Lille?

854 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 Lille a good place to live?

Lille 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 Lille?

The official country of birth distribution records 466 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). Lille, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/lille/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_lille-belgium-jobs-safety-air-quality_34f60b5af361,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Lille, 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/lille/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Lille, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/lille/) — 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. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  4. Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2025-01-01
  5. Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  6. Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Show 10 more sources
  1. Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium) Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics · statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-07
  2. Statbel (Statistics Belgium) statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-03
  3. Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  4. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  5. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  6. Statbel, Belgian statistical office statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-30
  7. Statbel, Belgian statistical office ancestry_or_ethnicity statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
  8. Statbel, Belgian statistical office country_of_birth statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
  9. Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025 Belgian Federal Police · police.be · checked 2026-07-26
  10. 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.