FACT CHECK #J-19NCFX

EXHIBIT A

What you submitted

WHAT WE FOUND

Hello! I have carefully reviewed the available demographic data to look into this for you. While the reports clearly show that Belgium's population is growing and becoming increasingly diverse, I couldn't find the specific historical or current percentages cited in the claim. According to Statbel, Belgium’s population reached 11,825,551 legal inhabitants as of January 1, 2025 3, and more than one-third (36%) of the population is now classified as having a foreign background 2. This diversity is further broken down into 13.8% who are not Belgian citizens and 22.1% who are Belgian citizens with a foreign origin 8. However, the specific figures of 8.4% for 2001 and 20.2% for 2025 regarding the foreign-born population specifically were not present in the provided records 2578. Because the sources focus on the broader 'foreign background' metric rather than a specific 'foreign-born' percentage, these exact numbers remain unverified based on the evidence provided.

SOURCES

1. 1 · factcheck.orgFACT-CHECKER
   FactCheck.org - A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

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2. 2 · emnbelgium.beWEB
   Belgium's population shows increasing diversity, with 36% having a ...

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3. 3 · statbel.fgov.beWEB
   On 01 January 2025, Belgium had 11,825,551 inhabitants - Statbel

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4. 4 · factcheck.afp.comFACT-CHECKER
   Recherche - AFP Fact Check

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5. 5 · oecd.orgWEB
   [PDF] Migration-Demography Database Belgium - OECD

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6. 6 · reuters.comFACT-CHECKER
   Reuters Fact Check

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7. 7 · en.wikipedia.orgWEB
   Demographics of Belgium - Wikipedia

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8. 8 · belganewsagency.euWEB
   Over one in three people in Belgium have a non-Belgian background

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