Living in Olen

Olen is a city in Belgium. Olen had a population of 12,945 at the start of 2026. The unemployment rate was 4.76% at the start of 2011.

Less recorded crime than 72% 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 Olen?

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 Olen.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Dwellings	5,299 dwellings	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units¹⁰Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings	5,295 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)⁹Official

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Olen?

The unemployment rate is about 4.8 % (January 2011).

Unemployment rate: 4.76 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011¹⁷

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Olen is 4.8%. Of 506 cities with data, 160 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Gigabit broadband availability	97.38 %	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	4.76 %country median 5.3%	1 Jan 2011	Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011¹⁷Independent

Public employment service

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

Safety

How safe is Olen?

Police recorded about 4,179 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: 4,179 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025¹⁶

Recorded crime across major citiesOlen highlighted among comparable cities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	4,179 offences per 100,000country median 5,136	31 Dec 2025	Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025¹⁶Independent

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 8.77 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Annual NO₂ was 10.8 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Olen?

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.

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

PM2.5 — annual mean: 8.77 µg/m³ · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31⁸

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 Olen 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	10.77 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	15.4 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	8.77 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

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities

Herk-de-Stad12,927 residents Malmedy12,973 residents Aywaille12,999 residents Gerpinnes12,836 residents Kortemark13,084 residents Hechtel-Eksel13,089 residents

Population and city profile

The city covered 23.1 km² in 2025. Population density was 559.7 people per km² in 2026.

How many people live in Olen?

The published population was 12,945 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	23.13 km²	1 Jan 2025	Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.³Official
Foreign residents	660 people	1 Jan 2026	Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.⁴Official
Population density	559.7 people/km²	1 Jan 2026	Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.⁵Official
Population	12,945 people	1 Jan 2026	Belgium official denominator source¹Official

International community in Olen

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	12,600	100.0%
Born in Belgium	11,798	93.6%
Born in another EU member state	414	3.3%
Born in a non-EU country	385	3.1%
Not indicated	3	0.0%

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	12,600	100.0%
Belgian nationality	12,074	95.8%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state	382	3.0%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country	141	1.1%
Not indicated	3	0.0%

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	11,094	88.0%
Total — Total population	12,600	100.0%
Total — Total population — born in Belgium	11,798	93.6%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	11,157	88.5%
Belgique — Total population	11,157	88.5%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — total	11,157	88.5%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	11,094	88.0%
Belgique — Total population — born in Belgium	11,094	88.0%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin	917	7.3%
Total — Total population — born outside Belgium	802	6.4%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	639	5.1%

Show 69 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Hors UE27 — Total population	596	4.7%
Total — Non-Belgian — total	526	4.2%
*Pays voisin — Total population**	483	3.8%
Total — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	461	3.7%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin	449	3.6%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	411	3.3%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	408	3.2%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	396	3.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population	364	2.9%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin**	346	2.7%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born outside Belgium	320	2.5%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born in Belgium**	314	2.5%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium**	294	2.3%
Total — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	278	2.2%
Hors UE27 — Total population — born in Belgium	276	2.2%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	261	2.1%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	258	2.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born outside Belgium	250	2.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — total	242	1.9%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	237	1.9%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total**	221	1.8%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium**	215	1.7%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	215	1.7%
Hors UE27 — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	191	1.5%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	185	1.5%
*Pays voisin — Total population — born outside Belgium**	169	1.3%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	150	1.2%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — total	147	1.2%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	137	1.1%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — total**	137	1.1%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	132	1.0%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	129	1.0%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin	122	1.0%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium**	117	0.9%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total population — born in Belgium	114	0.9%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total**	111	0.9%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	98	0.8%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	93	0.7%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	87	0.7%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	75	0.6%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	74	0.6%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium**	69	0.5%
Total — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	65	0.5%
Belgique — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	63	0.5%
Belgique — Total population — born outside Belgium	63	0.5%
Total — Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	63	0.5%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	63	0.5%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	52	0.4%
*Pays voisin — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium**	52	0.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	50	0.4%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	49	0.4%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium**	42	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	35	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	34	0.3%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	29	0.2%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	27	0.2%
*Pays voisin — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium**	20	0.2%
Hors UE27 — Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	18	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total**	14	0.1%
Total — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	12	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium**	10	0.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	9	0.1%
UE27 (excl. pays voisin) — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	9	0.1%
*Pays voisin — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium**	6	0.0%
Hors UE27 — Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	5	0.0%
Total — 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**	4	0.0%
Hors UE27 — 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%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁴

Is Olen 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 worker54%strong on work, weak on housing · range 44–64%

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

Student54%strong on cost, weak on education · range 43–65%

Family46%strong on family, weak on education · range 36–56%

Retirement50%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 39–61%

Foreign residents660 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.

Population12,945 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source

Dwellings5,299 dwellings1 Jan 2021Official source · Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units

Gigabit broadband availability97.38 %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 rate4.76 %1 Jan 2011Independent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011

NO₂ — annual mean10.77 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	6.34 %	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace¹¹Official
Median age	44.3 years	1 Jan 2021	Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age¹²Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Olen 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 Olen?

The published population was 12,945 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Olen?

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..2024-12-31.

How safe is Olen?

Police recorded about 4,179 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 Olen?

The unemployment rate is about 4.8 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

How many foreign residents live in Olen?

660 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 Olen a good place to live?

Olen 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 Olen?

The official country of birth distribution records 414 people (3.3%) 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). Olen, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/olen/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_olen-belgium-jobs-safety-air-quality_5b883402af73,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Olen, 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/olen/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Olen, Belgium: jobs, safety, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/olen/) — 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 7 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
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.