Living · portrait by municipality

Living in Ghent: what the figures say

Flanders · East Flanders · public registers

In brief

Ghent has 269,597 inhabitants over 156.2 km², that is 1,726 per km².
The population grew by +2.8% in five years: the municipality attracts.
138.9 recorded offences per 1,000 inhabitants, 170% above the Belgian median (51.5).
Median declared income: €29,557 per return, that is +48% against the national median.
1,757 hours of sunshine and 876 mm of rain a year on average (RMI, 1991-2020), against 1,703 h and 837 mm for the median Belgian municipality.

Statbel, Federal Police and OpenStreetMap; the scores are computed by Immolytics, out of 100.

Flanders

Official municipal outline, Statbel boundaries

The municipality's scores

Out of 100, computed on actual amenities (stops, schools, shops, green space) and police statistics.

65/100overall score

1/100safety

100/100public transport

43/100schools

79/100shops and services

56/100green space

87/100everything on foot

Housing in Ghent

Median prices from notarial deeds, Q1 2026, set against local income.

€380,000house, median price

€292,875apartment, median price

12.9years of median income for a house

The full budget to buy in Ghent The full price page

Demographics

269,597Population+2.8 % over five years

1,726Population densityinhabitants per km²

66,922HouseholdsAverage household size : 4.0

17.4 %Foreign population

Age distribution

Local economy

€29,557Median income+47.8 % National comparison

31,623Enterprises117.3 per 1,000 inhabitants

12.9xAffordability ratioIncome vs property price

Tax pressure : 24.7 %

Safety

Offences recorded by the Federal Police, set against the population.

Safety — Federal Police 2023

Score 1/100

138.9

criminal offences per 1,000 inhabitants

Well above median

Ghent

138.9

Belgium (avg.)

51.5

Brussels

295.0

Scale 0 – 300 offences / 1,000 pop. · Belgium ≈ 51.5 · Brussels ≈ 295

This score ranks municipalities by recorded offences relative to their resident population. Employment, retail and tourism hubs rank higher because offences against visitors are counted while those visitors are not part of the reference population.

Source: Federal Police of Belgium — Police Crime Statistics 2023

Schools and transport

The amenities counted in the municipality, not an impression.

Schools

School map

Total schools

136

School density

5.0

per 10,000 pop.

Primary / kindergarten

Secondary

Higher education

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

Public Transport

Total stops

1028

Transit density

38.1

stops per 10,000 pop.

Train stations

Bus stops

887

Tram stops

136

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

Climate of Ghent

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

10.9 °Cmean annual temperaturemedian municipality: 10.8 °C

1,757 hhours of sunshine per yearmedian municipality: 1,703 h

876 mmprecipitation per yearmedian municipality: 837 mm

137rainy days (at least 1 mm)median municipality: 134

46frost daysmedian municipality: 51

6days at 30 °C or moremedian municipality: 7

Last frost on average on 8 April, first frost on 13 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)

Neighbouring municipalities

Median house price and overall score, to compare before choosing.

Aalst€280,00063/100 Sint-Niklaas€295,00074/100 Beveren€325,00062/100 Termonde€283,00060/100 Deinze€360,00053/100 Lokeren€332,50065/100

Explore Ghent

Frequently asked questions

Ghent has 269,597 inhabitants, that is 1,726 per km². The population changed by +2.8% in five years (Statbel).

The Federal Police recorded 138.9 offences per 1,000 inhabitants there, against 51.5 for the median Belgian municipality. The figure counts every offence, from bicycle theft to assault; it places the municipality, it does not describe a street.

The median price of a house is €380,000 and that of an apartment €292,875 (Q1 2026, Statbel notarial deeds). The buying in Ghent page details the budget with duties and fees.

The municipality has 136 schools, including 89 primary and 47 secondary schools (community registers). The school-by-school detail is in the schools and transport section.

Sources: Statbel for population, households, incomes and prices; Federal Police for recorded offences; community registers for schools; operators' GTFS timetables for transport; OpenStreetMap for the scores. A portrait in figures, not an opinion.

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