Quarter of Brussels residents at risk of poverty, study finds

A quarter of residents in the Brussels-Capital Region are at risk of poverty, while extreme hardship is rising sharply, according to the Health and Well-being Observatory’s 2025 Well-being Barometer, highlighting widening social inequalities affecting housing, health and education.

The report found that 23% of Brussels residents are at risk of poverty, compared with 7% in Flanders and 13% in Wallonia, according to figures cited Wednesday by the Belga news agency.

Six of Belgium’s 10 lowest-income municipalities are located in Brussels, including Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Anderlecht, Koekelberg, Schaerbeek and the City of Brussels.

Social welfare dependency is also higher in the capital. In 2025, Brussels recorded 47,304 social welfare recipients, slightly more than Flanders despite the latter’s larger population.

The report also highlighted a growing number of people living in extreme precariousness.

More than 50,000 undocumented people are estimated to live in Brussels, while nearly 9,800 people were recorded as homeless or inadequately housed in 2024, an increase of more than 25% over two years, according to Bruss’Help.

Housing remains a major driver of hardship. Residents spend, on average, more than 20% of their income on housing, rising to over half for the poorest households.

Waiting lists for social housing continue to expand, with more than 55,000 families registered at the start of 2025, often facing waiting times exceeding a decade.

Meanwhile, 24% of residents live in substandard housing and 30% in overcrowded conditions.

Children are among the most affected, with one in three growing up in households at risk of poverty.