More than one million people in Flanders were living alone at on 1 January 2026, marking a symbolic milestone as single-person households became the region’s most common household type. New figures from Statistiek Vlaanderen also show that households are continuing to become smaller, while traditional family structures are gradually giving way to couples without children and other living arrangements.
On 1 January 2026, Flanders counted approximately 2.99 million private households, an increase of 25% compared with 2000. Over the same period, the population grew by 16%, indicating that household sizes have continued to decline.
The average household in Flanders now consists of 2.28 people, down from 2.44 people at the start of the century.
Single-person households pass the one million mark
For the first time, the number of people living alone exceeded one million. Statistiek Vlaanderen recorded approximately 1.006 million single-person households on 1 January 2026, up from around 659,000 in 2000.
Single-person households now account for 34% of all private households in Flanders, making them the largest household category.
The increase reflects a long-term demographic trend driven by factors including population ageing, longer life expectancy, later family formation, increasing numbers of separations and divorces, and more people choosing to live independently.
Couples without children become more common
The composition of Flemish households has changed significantly over the past quarter-century.
The number of households consisting of couples with resident children declined slightly, from around 855,000 in 2000 to approximately 829,000 in 2026.
By contrast, couples without resident children increased sharply from 679,000 to 843,000 households over the same period, an increase of more than 164,000 households.
Statistiek Vlaanderen also notes a continued shift away from marriage. At the beginning of 1996, 91% of couples without resident children and 96 % of couples with children were married. By 2026, those shares had fallen to 76% and 72% respectively, meaning married couples are now slightly more common among couples without children than among those raising children.
Families typically have fewer than two children
Households with children had an average of 1.8 children at the beginning of 2026, regardless of the children’s ages.
More than four in ten families had one child, while around 43% of both married and unmarried couples had two children.
Single-parent households tended to be smaller, averaging 1.6 children, with around six in ten single-parent families raising just one child.
Married couples with children had a slightly higher average of 1.9 children compared with 1.8 among unmarried couples. Larger families with more than two children were also somewhat more common among married couples.
Coastal municipalities and university cities have the most people living alone
The prevalence of single-person households varies considerably across Flanders.
Leuven recorded the highest proportion, with 48% of households consisting of a single person. High shares were also found in the coastal municipalities, as well as Antwerp and Ghent.
At the other end of the scale, only around one in five households consisted of a single person in smaller municipalities such as Herstappe (20%) and Pepingen (21%).
The higher proportions in cities reflect large student populations, young professionals and older residents living independently, while coastal municipalities have relatively large numbers of retirees and second-home owners.
Flanders differs from Brussels and Wallonia
Compared with Belgium‘s other regions, Flanders continues to have relatively more couples, both with and without children, and fewer people living alone.
Brussels has the highest proportion of single-person households, with 47% of all private households consisting of one person in 2026. The capital also has the lowest share of couples.
Wallonia, meanwhile, records the highest proportion of single-parent households.
Below the European average
Although single-person households have become the dominant household type in Flanders, the region still remains slightly below the European Union average.
In 2025, single-person households represented 33% of households in Flanders, compared with an EU average of 36%.
The highest shares in the European Union were recorded in Lithuania (56%), Finland (48%), Denmark (47%), and Estonia (45%), while Slovakia had by far the lowest proportion at just 9%.
The latest figures underline how demographic change continues to reshape Flemish society. While households are becoming smaller and more diverse, the steady rise in people living alone is expected to have far-reaching implications for housing demand, social care, urban planning and public services in the years ahead.
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