Living · portrait by municipality

Living in Ostend: what the figures say

Flanders · West Flanders · public registers

In brief

Ostend has 72,586 inhabitants over 37.7 km², that is 1,924 per km².
The population grew by +1.5% in five years: the municipality attracts.
105.1 recorded offences per 1,000 inhabitants, 104% above the Belgian median (51.5).
Median declared income: €27,643 per return, that is +38% against the national median.
1,840 hours of sunshine and 801 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.

60/100overall score

6/100safety

100/100public transport

45/100schools

61/100shops and services

57/100green space

76/100everything on foot

Housing in Ostend

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

€285,500house, median price

€220,000apartment, median price

10.3years of median income for a house

The full budget to buy in Ostend The full price page

Demographics

72,586Population+1.5 % over five years

1,924Population densityinhabitants per km²

21,251HouseholdsAverage household size : 3.4

12.0 %Foreign population

Age distribution

Local economy

€27,643Median income+38.2 % National comparison

6,201Enterprises85.4 per 1,000 inhabitants

10.3xAffordability ratioIncome vs property price

Tax pressure : 20.9 %

Safety

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

Safety — Federal Police 2023

Score 6/100

105.1

criminal offences per 1,000 inhabitants

Well above median

Ostend

105.1

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

School density

5.1

per 10,000 pop.

Primary / kindergarten

Secondary

Higher education

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

Public Transport

Total stops

229

Transit density

31.6

stops per 10,000 pop.

Train stations

Bus stops

205

Tram stops

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

Climate of Ostend

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

10.5 °Cmean annual temperaturemedian municipality: 10.8 °C

1,840 hhours of sunshine per yearmedian municipality: 1,703 h

801 mmprecipitation per yearmedian municipality: 837 mm

127rainy days (at least 1 mm)median municipality: 134

41frost daysmedian municipality: 51

3days at 30 °C or moremedian municipality: 7

Last frost on average on 7 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)

Neighbouring municipalities

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

Bruges€340,00070/100 Courtrai€285,00062/100 Roulers€250,00068/100 Waregem€275,00061/100 Ypres€240,00069/100 Menin€164,50059/100

Explore Ostend

Frequently asked questions

Ostend has 72,586 inhabitants, that is 1,924 per km². The population changed by +1.5% in five years (Statbel).

The Federal Police recorded 105.1 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 €285,500 and that of an apartment €220,000 (Q1 2026, Statbel notarial deeds). The buying in Ostend page details the budget with duties and fees.

The municipality has 37 schools, including 25 primary and 12 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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