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Living in Merelbeke

Merelbeke is one of the cities recorded in Belgium. Merelbeke had a population of 25,229 at the end of 2024. Annual PM2.5 levels for Merelbeke stood at 9 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Lower unemployment than 86% of Belgian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 97% of Belgian cities that publish it.

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

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 Merelbeke.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

The dwelling profile lists 10,360 main residences at the end of 2021.

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
G05 Main Residential Dwellings10,360 dwellings31 Dec 2021Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)7Official

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Merelbeke?

The unemployment rate is about 3.1 % (2011).

  • Unemployment rate: 3.12 % · bestat.statbel.fgov.be1
Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Merelbeke is 3.1%. 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%1602–4Merelbeke 3.1%123 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%2610–1220 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
Unemployment rate3.12 %country median 5.3%31 Dec 2011bestat.statbel.fgov.be1Official

Public employment service

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

Mobility and administration

Merelbeke's nearest airport was BRU, 53 km away and offered 146 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count146 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights4Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km53 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports5Official
Nearest Major Airport IataBRU3 Aug 2026OurAirports5Official

Climate and air quality

Merelbeke's monthly mean temperatures were 2.9°C in January and 18.2°C in July. Merelbeke's monthly precipitation totalled 67.8 mm in January and 72.4 mm in July.

Is the air quality good in Merelbeke?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency2

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

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Merelbeke average monthly precipitation, mm0255075100685653445570728067687984JFMAMJJASONDmm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Merelbeke annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5259.0PM2.5µg/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 Merelbeke is 9.0 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/m³1428–912 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³129–10Merelbeke 9.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean9 µg/m³31 Dec 2024European Environment Agency2Official · nearest-station reading
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 13.65 · Feb 17.38 · Mar 20.89 · Apr 26.05 · May 28.53 · Jun 31.21 · Jul 36.43 · Aug 33.35 · Sep 31.18 · Oct 24.82 · Nov 19.2 · Dec 14.76 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center3Official · coordinate grid
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -10.83 · Feb -12.18 · Mar -7.1 · Apr -4.17 · May 0.6 · Jun 4.7 · Jul 8.03 · Aug 7.22 · Sep 3.77 · Oct -2.95 · Nov -4.32 · Dec -10.11 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center3Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by monthJan 2.91 · Feb 3.41 · Mar 5.99 · Apr 9.57 · May 13.14 · Jun 16.32 · Jul 18.17 · Aug 17.82 · Sep 14.93 · Oct 11.22 · Nov 6.97 · Dec 3.69 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center3Official · coordinate grid
Average precipitation by monthJan 67.8 · Feb 55.5 · Mar 53.1 · Apr 43.5 · May 55.3 · Jun 69.9 · Jul 72.4 · Aug 79.8 · Sep 67 · Oct 67.7 · Nov 78.6 · Dec 83.9 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI11Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities
Diest25,196 residentsWatermael-Boitsfort25,271 residentsMaldegem24,927 residentsHamme25,706 residentsWesterlo25,723 residentsGanshoren25,731 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Merelbeke?

The published population was 25,229 people in January 2024. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office)6

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population25,229 people31 Dec 2024Statbel (Belgian statistical office)6Official

International community in Merelbeke

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 population24,779100.0%
Born in Belgium22,99092.8%
Born in a non-EU country1,0404.2%
Born in another EU member state7403.0%
Not indicated90.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source10

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 population24,779100.0%
Belgian nationality23,68795.6%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state6852.8%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country3981.6%
Not indicated90.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source8

Ancestry or ethnicity

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

Published groupPeopleShare
Total Belgian with foreign origin1,9908.0%
Total population24,779100.0%
Total population — born in Belgium22,99092.8%
Belgian of Belgian origin — total21,69787.6%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium21,48686.7%
Total population — born outside Belgium1,7897.2%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium1,3765.6%
Non-Belgian — total1,0924.4%
Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium9643.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total8993.6%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total8263.3%
Show 10 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium7913.2%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium6142.5%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium5772.3%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium3221.3%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total2651.1%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium2631.1%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium2110.9%
Non-Belgian — born in Belgium1280.5%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium350.1%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium20.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source9

Is Merelbeke 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 safety · range 47–69%
Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on safety · range 54–74%
Student53%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 41–65%
Family60%strong on family, weak on safety · range 48–72%
Retirement52%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 38–66%
Population25,229 people31 Dec 2024Official source · Statbel (Belgian statistical office)
Unemployment rate3.12 %31 Dec 2011Official source · bestat.statbel.fgov.be
PM2.5 — annual mean9 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · European Environment Agency
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-26

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Merelbeke 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 Merelbeke?

The published population was 25,229 people in January 2024. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office).

Is the air quality good in Merelbeke?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency.

What is the unemployment rate in Merelbeke?

The unemployment rate is about 3.1 % (2011). Source: bestat.statbel.fgov.be.

Is Merelbeke a good place to live?

Merelbeke 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 Merelbeke?

The official country of birth distribution records 740 people (3.0%) 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). Merelbeke, Belgium: jobs, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/merelbeke/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_merelbeke-belgium-jobs-air-quality_48c002918b77,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Merelbeke, Belgium: jobs, air quality},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/merelbeke/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Merelbeke, Belgium: jobs, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/merelbeke/) — 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. bestat.statbel.fgov.be bestat.statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-26
  2. European Environment Agency air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  3. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  4. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  5. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Statbel (Belgian statistical office) statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-05
  7. Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium) Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics · statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-07
  8. Statbel, Belgian statistical office statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-30
  9. Statbel, Belgian statistical office ancestry_or_ethnicity statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
  10. Statbel, Belgian statistical office country_of_birth statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
Show 1 more source
  1. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05

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.