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Religious belonging and beliefs

Catholics’ religious practices by region

WalloniaFlandersBrusselsKingdom
1980 1990 1995 2006 1980 1990 1995 2006 1980 1990 1995 2006 1967 1980 1990 1995 2006
christenings 82,3 74,2 70,6 54 89,0 83,1 79,1 67,8 44,9 36,9 29,7 17,1 93,6 82,4 75,0 70,9 58
/ The total number of Belgian and non-Belgian children born in the region during the same year.
marriages 73,4 58,1 55,1 28,6 81,5 64,5 54,5 29,7 44,7 28,1 6,3 25 86,1 75,7 59,1 52,0 28
/ Number of civil marriages during the same year (in light of the fact that the number of civil marriages had itself fallen from 65,000 per year in 1990 to 42,000 per year in 2010, the number of divorces having risen from 20,000 per year in 1990 to 29,000 per year in 2010 (with intermediate peaks at 35,000 per year), and also in the light of the fact that the proportion of civil marriages after divorce increases without this being translated in the number of Catholic religious celebrations). Instances of “legal cohabitation” (religious celebration of which is forbidden by law) rose from 5,000 in 2000 to 72,000 in 2010 (including 2,245 between same-sex couples), with the number of break-ups over the same period rising from 220 to 26,000. (Source: Statistiques fédérales belges, 2012)
funerals 78,2 76,8 75,1 50 90,7 88,8 86,0 70 64,2 60,4 51,7 29,8 84,3 83,0 81,6 78,6 63
/ Number of deaths involving Belgians and non-Belgians in the region during the same year (excluding cremations)
practice 21,5 14,6 11,2 6,8 32,2 21,3 15,2 14,4 12,0 8,8 7,6 6,2 - 26,7 17,9 13,1 7
/ The number of people supposedly engaging in Sunday worship.


Source : L. Voyé, K. Dobbelaere, K. Abts, Autres temps, autres mœurs, Bruxelles, Ed. Racine-Campus, 2012.

% of entire population considering themselves or considered to be
1981 2009
Catholic 72 50
Other Christian 2,5 2,5
Jewish 0,4 0,4
Muslim 3 5
Buddhist - 0,3
Atheist 2,5 9,2
Without affiliation 21,5 32,6

Source : L. Voyé, K. Dobbelaere, K. Abts, Autres temps, autres mœurs, Bruxelles, Ed. Racine-Campus, 2012.

Changes in beliefs (% of entire population)
1981 1990 1999 2009
God 77 63 65 57
Life after death 36 37 37 37
Heaven 33 30 26 31
Hell 18 15 13 14
Sin 44 41 38 40
God’s image
- a person 39 29 26 18
- a force or a spirit 24 20 36 37
- no idea 15 29 20 23
- do not believe in God 8 14 16 21
- no answer 14 8 2 1

Source : L. Voyé, K. Dobbelaere, K. Abts, Autres temps, autres mœurs, Bruxelles, Ed. Racine, 2012.

D 21 September 2012   

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