By 2050, the number of people with dementia in our country will increase by almost two-thirds, accounting for almost 50,000 additional people. The Stop Alzheimer research foundation and Dementia Expertise Center Flanders report this based on the updated risk model of Alzheimer Europe and new figures from Statbel. The aging of the Belgian population is said to be the cause of the increase.
Source: Belga
According to the figures, an estimated 214,736 people lived with dementia in our country in 2025. That number will increase significantly in the coming decades. By 2035, this will amount to an increase of 23.27 percent, accounting for approximately 50,000 additional people with dementia. By 2050, that figure will rise further to 353,357, an increase of almost two-thirds (64.55 percent).
The most important risk factor for dementia is old age: the aging of the Belgian population is therefore the cause of the increase. This represents an unprecedented healthcare challenge, warns Jurn Verschraegen, the director of the Dementia Expertise Center in Flanders. “That is why targeted investments in support, timely detection and advancement of expertise remain necessary. After all, the capacity of professional and informal care is under pressure today.”
Largest growth in Flanders
The growth appears to be greatest in Flanders: between 2025 and 2035, the number of people with dementia will increase from 135,631 to 168,245, an increase of 24 percent. By 2050, an increase of 67.87 percent is expected, a slightly higher increase than the national average.
In Brussels, with more than 15,000 people with dementia in 2025, the increase is slower. After ten years there is an increase of 11.13 percent, after 25 years by 40.15 percent.
In Wallonia and the German-speaking Community, with almost 64,000 people with dementia in 2025, the short-term evolution is in line with the Flemish pattern. By 2035, growth will reach 24.48 percent. A slower increase is expected by 2050, at 63.36 percent, so below the Belgian average.