Some 62.3% of Belgian citizens are either ‘always’ or ‘usually’ happy with their personal well-being and living conditions, a new study by Statbel has found.
Every quarter, Statbel asks a representative sample of some some 5,000 Belgians aged 16 to 74 about their current personal situation. This data covers the fourth quarter of 2023.
The data for Q4 represents a notable difference from the 66.6% recorded in the third quarter, marking the lowest percentage since the inception of this survey in the third quarter of 2021.
The data also found that 8% of Belgians felt ‘always’ or ‘usually’ lonely, while 42.4% said that they found it ‘very difficult’, ‘difficult’ or ‘rather difficult’ to make ends meet.
Life satisfaction
More than half (52.9%) of Belgians said that they had a ‘high degree’ of life satisfaction, while two thirds (66.6%) noted that they had a high degree of satisfaction with personal relationships.
Additionally, 35.5% of Belgians reported being highly satisfied with their financial situation. Some 22.6% of Belgians indicated having a higher income compared to the previous year, while 66.6% reported having a similar income to the previous year.
Happiest population segment
The youngest age group, 16-24 years old, appears to be the happiest population cohort overall, with 71% reporting feelings of happiness in the fourth quarter of 2023. In contrast, individuals aged 65 to 74 years old reported lower levels of happiness (57.3%).
There is a notable decrease in happiness among the 25-49 age group, dropping from 66.9% in the third quarter of 2023 to 62.6% in the fourth quarter.
