Built-up areas

At the start of 2023, 3,940 km² of the Flemish Region was occupied by built-up land, which corresponds to 28.9% of the total surface area (13,626 km²). This mainly concerns plots occupied by dwellings and roads, including adjacent spaces used for human activities.

The share of built-up land is increasing every year. In 2000, 24.4 per cent of the total area was occupied by built-up land; in 2023, the share was more than 4 percentage points higher.

The main space user among built-up land is the residential function: in 2023, 44.3% of built-up land was connected to housing. Land for transport and telecommunications also accounted for a significant proportion of the built-up area. In 2023, it amounted to 29.4%.

In 39 municipalities of the Flemish Region, the area occupied by built-up land in 2023 was 50% or more. This was the case in the major cities of Antwerp and Ghent, in some of their peripheral municipalities and in some municipalities in the north-eastern periphery around Brussels. It was also higher than 50% in the central cities of Ostend, Leuven, Genk, Bruges and Roeselare. The Roeselare - Kortrijk - Waregem region is also remarkably more densely built-up than average. In the Westhoek, the Meetjesland and Zuid-Limburg regions, the share of land occupied by built-up areas is lowest.

The proportion of area occupied by built-up land is by far the highest in the Brussels Capital Region. In 2023, 80.4% of the area of the Brussels Region was occupied by built-up land. The Walloon Region had the lowest proportion, at 15.7%.

In all regions, the share of area occupied by built-up land increased between 1990 and 2023. In relative terms, this increase was strongest in the Flemish Region.