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14 January 2005
BRUSSELS – The Belgian population is expected to reach 11 million by 2050 from 10.28 million today as people live longer and fertility rates rise, new figures released by the national statistics office show.
The latest figures, published in the Belgian press Friday, show that the average age of Belgian citizens rose from 1981 to 39.8 in 2001.
Broken down by gender, that means an average age of 38.3 years for men and 41.2 for women.
At the same time, fertility rates for women are also rising. By 2050, each woman is expected to have an average 1.74 children, up from 1.62 in 2000.
Also by 2050, the 60-to-64-year-old age group is projected to balloon to nearly 2.9 million people, up from 1.7 million in 2000.
[Copyright Expatica 2005]
Subject: Belgian news