Belgium: Oost-Vlaanderen

flag Contents: Oost-Vlaanderen (Province)

Capital: Gent

1,551,008 Population [2021] – census

1,611,409 Population [2026] – estimate

3,027km² Area

532.3/km² Density [2026]

Arrondissements

The population of the arrondissements of the Province of East Flanders according to census results and official estimates.

Name	Status	Population Census 1970-12-31	Population Census 1981-03-01	Population Census 1991-03-01	Population Estimate 2001-01-01	Population Census 2011-01-01	Population Estimate 2016-01-01	Population Census 2021-01-01	Population Estimate 2026-01-01
Aalst	Arrondissement	263,842	262,469	258,674	262,337	273,544	285,041	296,014	309,503	→
Dendermonde	Arrondissement	175,530	180,617	182,691	186,553	192,521	198,494	202,978	209,540	→
Eeklo	Arrondissement	78,561	79,924	78,931	79,428	81,921	83,573	86,583	89,926	→
Gent [Ghent]	Arrondissement	474,136	480,019	481,645	490,863	521,212	544,044	558,442	578,674	→
Oudenaarde	Arrondissement	113,845	112,501	112,374	114,390	119,995	123,008	125,020	129,084	→
Sint-Niklaas	Arrondissement	220,475	232,201	239,717	247,845	261,785	271,519	281,971	294,682	→
Oost-Vlaanderen [East Flanders]	Province	1,326,389	1,347,731	1,354,032	1,381,416	1,464,483	1,505,679	1,551,008	1,611,409

Contents: Cities and Municipalities

The population of all cities and municipalities in the Province of East Flanders according to census results and official estimates.

The Details icon links to further information about a selected place including its population structure (gender, age groups, age distribution, citizenship).

Name	Status	Arrondissement	Population Census 1970-12-31	Population Census 1981-03-01	Population Census 1991-03-01	Population Estimate 2001-01-01	Population Census 2011-01-01	Population Estimate 2016-01-01	Population Census 2021-01-01	Population Estimate 2026-01-01
Aalst (Alost)	Municipality	Aalst	83,246	78,938	76,382	76,470	81,062	84,329	87,978	93,094	→
Aalter	Municipality	Gent	20,890	23,302	24,705	26,343	27,903	28,435	29,242	29,862	→
Assenede	Municipality	Eeklo	13,204	13,353	13,508	13,597	13,868	14,083	14,369	14,626	→
Berlare	Municipality	Dendermonde	11,365	12,316	12,773	13,776	14,584	14,758	15,222	15,480	→
Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht	Municipality	Sint-Niklaas	69,310	72,102	75,316	77,432	81,117	83,071	85,110	88,344	→
Brakel	Municipality	Oudenaarde	14,391	13,795	13,588	13,689	14,180	14,787	14,762	15,169	→
Buggenhout	Municipality	Dendermonde	12,266	13,044	13,389	13,652	14,166	14,469	14,689	15,203	→
Deinze	Municipality	Gent	33,248	35,342	36,400	38,583	41,391	42,738	43,922	46,380	→
Denderleeuw	Municipality	Aalst	15,507	16,497	16,615	16,903	18,863	19,688	20,730	21,402	→
Dendermonde (Termonde)	Municipality	Dendermonde	41,390	41,715	42,499	43,034	44,258	45,367	46,015	47,828	→
Destelbergen	Municipality	Gent	14,260	15,741	16,847	17,166	17,636	17,867	18,683	19,223	→
Eeklo	Municipality	Eeklo	19,256	19,637	19,032	18,970	20,188	20,561	21,549	22,911	→
Erpe-Mere	Municipality	Aalst	17,977	18,930	18,778	19,101	19,412	19,720	20,286	21,211	→
Evergem	Municipality	Gent	26,002	28,974	29,412	31,271	33,241	34,692	35,791	37,371	→
Gavere	Municipality	Gent	9,256	10,205	10,853	11,879	12,450	12,680	13,007	13,437	→
Gent (Gand) [Ghent]	Municipality	Gent	255,879	239,256	230,246	224,685	247,488	257,029	263,703	274,042	→
Geraardsbergen (Grammont)	Municipality	Aalst	31,160	30,461	30,280	30,911	32,399	33,136	33,970	35,338	→
Haaltert	Municipality	Aalst	17,071	16,787	16,895	17,206	17,667	18,117	18,892	19,667	→
Hamme	Municipality	Dendermonde	22,093	22,790	22,799	22,712	24,192	24,702	24,980	25,763	→
Herzele	Municipality	Aalst	15,704	15,826	15,730	16,476	17,216	17,550	18,414	19,291	→
Horebeke	Municipality	Oudenaarde	1,918	1,904	1,891	1,921	2,077	2,000	2,009	2,020	→
Kaprijke	Municipality	Eeklo	5,888	6,033	6,142	6,127	6,294	6,321	6,508	6,710	→
Kluisbergen	Municipality	Oudenaarde	6,245	6,274	6,096	6,100	6,479	6,445	6,682	6,939	→
Kruisem	Municipality	Oudenaarde	13,686	13,580	13,905	14,447	15,345	15,664	15,750	16,035	→
Laarne	Municipality	Dendermonde	10,315	11,198	11,567	11,606	12,206	12,515	12,371	12,525	→
Lebbeke	Municipality	Dendermonde	17,831	17,473	16,708	17,301	18,240	18,843	19,560	20,380	→
Lede	Municipality	Aalst	16,450	17,249	17,080	16,943	17,889	18,399	18,980	19,528	→
Lierde	Municipality	Oudenaarde	6,219	6,078	6,149	6,302	6,497	6,550	6,626	6,880	→
Lievegem	Municipality	Gent	21,873	23,848	24,736	25,465	25,572	25,842	26,441	27,502	→
Lochristi	Municipality	Gent	20,037	23,076	24,297	25,883	28,822	29,705	30,390	30,982	→
Lokeren	Municipality	Sint-Niklaas	37,133	38,915	40,517	42,277	45,583	46,954	48,764	50,897	→
Maarkedal	Municipality	Oudenaarde	6,443	6,258	6,334	6,447	6,449	6,281	6,362	6,289	→
Maldegem	Municipality	Eeklo	20,467	21,347	21,418	22,075	23,000	23,452	24,114	24,927	→
Merelbeke-Melle	Municipality	Gent	28,094	29,954	30,319	32,364	34,263	35,468	36,561	37,675	→
Nazareth-De Pinte	Municipality	Gent	14,419	17,987	19,333	21,074	21,533	21,937	22,834	23,633	→
Ninove	Municipality	Aalst	32,990	33,393	33,489	34,656	37,101	38,051	39,369	40,879	→
Oosterzele	Municipality	Gent	11,729	11,785	12,583	13,231	13,353	13,545	13,740	14,150	→
Oudenaarde (Audenarde)	Municipality	Oudenaarde	27,192	27,318	27,162	28,028	29,963	30,990	31,650	33,105	→
Ronse (Renaix)	Municipality	Oudenaarde	25,056	24,302	23,998	23,740	25,176	25,925	26,510	27,731	→
Sint-Gillis-Waas	Municipality	Sint-Niklaas	14,086	15,542	16,195	17,385	18,780	19,204	19,590	20,272	→
Sint-Laureins	Municipality	Eeklo	6,961	6,620	6,458	6,524	6,535	6,666	6,919	7,007	→
Sint-Lievens-Houtem	Municipality	Aalst	9,397	9,279	8,922	9,140	9,868	10,152	10,474	10,750	→
Sint-Martens-Latem	Municipality	Gent	6,298	7,663	8,203	8,372	8,378	8,517	8,285	8,157	→
Sint-Niklaas (Saint-Nicolas)	Municipality	Sint-Niklaas	65,795	67,992	68,203	68,364	72,365	75,208	79,357	83,400	→
Stekene	Municipality	Sint-Niklaas	12,348	14,125	15,647	16,605	17,440	17,888	18,863	19,955	→
Temse (Tamise)	Municipality	Sint-Niklaas	21,803	23,525	23,839	25,782	28,500	29,194	30,287	31,814	→
Waasmunster	Municipality	Dendermonde	7,372	8,378	9,404	10,319	10,500	10,736	10,912	11,532	→
Wetteren	Municipality	Dendermonde	23,988	23,460	22,655	22,765	23,824	24,818	26,206	27,071	→
Wichelen	Municipality	Dendermonde	10,297	10,612	10,800	11,040	11,280	11,501	11,690	12,171	→
Wortegem-Petegem	Municipality	Oudenaarde	5,476	5,768	5,846	6,029	6,272	6,326	6,445	6,542	→
Zele	Municipality	Dendermonde	18,613	19,631	20,097	20,348	20,765	20,785	21,333	21,587	→
Zelzate	Municipality	Eeklo	12,785	12,934	12,373	12,135	12,573	12,490	13,124	13,745	→
Zottegem	Municipality	Aalst	24,340	25,109	24,503	24,531	25,073	25,899	26,921	28,343	→
Zulte	Municipality	Gent	12,151	12,886	13,711	14,547	15,112	15,589	15,843	16,260	→
Zwalm	Municipality	Oudenaarde	7,219	7,224	7,405	7,687	8,095	8,040	8,224	8,374	→

Source: Statistics Belgium.

Further information about the population structure:

Gender (E 2026)
Males	797,063
Females	814,346

Age Groups (E 2026)
0-17 years	306,163
18-64 years	963,429
65+ years	341,817

Age Distribution (E 2026)
90+ years	20,495
80-89 years	78,500
70-79 years	148,268
60-69 years	201,526
50-59 years	209,184
40-49 years	208,978
30-39 years	210,207
20-29 years	190,542
10-19 years	184,888
0-9 years	158,821

Citizenship (E 2026)
Belgium	1,463,545
Other Citizenship	147,864