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Living · portrait by municipality

Living in Bruges: what the figures say

Flanders · West Flanders · official figures

In brief

  • Bruges has 119,869 inhabitants over 138.4 km², that is 866 per km².
  • Over five years, the municipality gained residents (+1.3%).
  • Police record 85.3 offences per 1,000 residents here. That is 70% more than a typical Belgian municipality (50.1).
  • Median income: €31,137 per tax return (half earn more, half earn less). That is +56% compared with Belgium.
  • On average, 1,821 hours of sunshine and 869 mm of rain a year (RMI, 1991 to 2020). A typical Belgian municipality: 1,703 h and 837 mm.

Sources: Statbel, Federal Police and OpenStreetMap. Immolytics computes the scores out of 100.

Flanders

Where Bruges is in Belgium

The municipality scored out of 100

We count stops, schools, shops and parks.

76/100overall score
100/100public transport
55/100schools
91/100shops and services
55/100green space
79/100everything on foot

What does a home cost in Bruges?

Sale prices at the notary, published in September 2026. The median price splits sales in two: half above, half below.

€360,000house, median price
€255,000apartment, median price
11.6years of income to pay for a house

Who lives here?

119,869Population+1.3 % over five years
866Population densityinhabitants per km²
27,840HouseholdsAverage household size : 4.3
8.6 %Foreign population

Age distribution

Income and jobs

€31,137Median income+55.7 % National comparison
13,642Enterprises113.8 per 1,000 inhabitants

Tax pressure : 23.7 %

How many offences do the police record here?

The number of offences police recorded, per 1,000 residents.

Offences recorded by the police in 2024

85.3

recorded offences per 1,000 residents

Above median
Bruges
85.3
Belgian median
50.1
Comparable density
71.2

This figure counts the offences recorded on the municipality's territory, divided by the number of residents. Towns that receive commuters, shoppers and visitors every day come out higher, because offences against them are counted although they do not live there. It is therefore not a measure of the risk to a resident, which is why we do not give a safety score.

Source: Belgian Federal Police, police crime statistics, offences recorded in 2024 by place of offence. Population: Statbel.

Schools and transport

The schools and stops actually in the municipality.

Schools

School map

Total schools

68

School density

5.7

per 10,000 pop.

Primary / kindergarten
40
Secondary
28
Higher education
0

Source: FASE 2026 (Wallonia-Brussels Federation) and Onderwijs Vlaanderen

Public Transport

Total stops

445

Transit density

37.1

stops per 10,000 pop.

Train stations
5
Bus stops
434
Tram stops
6

Source: GTFS Belgium, SNCB, De Lijn, TEC, STIB (CC BY 4.0)

Climate of Bruges

RMI normals for 1991-2020, each set against the median Belgian municipality.

10.9 °Cmean annual temperaturemedian municipality: 10.8 °C
1,821 hhours of sunshine per yearmedian municipality: 1,703 h
869 mmprecipitation per yearmedian municipality: 837 mm
135rainy days (at least 1 mm)median municipality: 134
39frost daysmedian municipality: 51
4days at 30 °C or moremedian municipality: 7

Last frost on average on 5 April, first frost on 20 November; growing season from 14 May to 13 October.

Source: RMI (Royal Meteorological Institute), climate statistics of Belgian municipalities, reference period 1991-2020. RMI sheet for the municipality (PDF, in French)

What about nearby municipalities?

For each one: the median house price and the overall score.

More about Bruges

Frequently asked questions

Bruges has 119,869 residents, or 866 per km². In five years, the population changed by +1.3% (Statbel).
The federal police recorded 85.3 offences per 1,000 residents here. A typical Belgian municipality has 50.1. The figure covers everything, from bike theft to assault. It describes the whole municipality, not your street.
The median house price is €360,000. For an apartment: €255,000. These are sales at the notary (Statbel, September 2026). The 'Buying in Bruges' page adds registration duties and fees.
The municipality has 68 schools: 40 primary and 28 secondary (Community registers). The full list, school by school, is higher up this page.

Sources: Statbel for population, households, incomes and prices. Federal Police for safety, Community registers for schools. Transport operators' timetables for buses and trains, OpenStreetMap for the scores. These are figures, not an opinion.

Moving to Bruges: internet and energy

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