Noise pollution (i59)
- 31/10/2025
- objective
- assessment assessment
In 2024, the proportion of the population that reported suffering from noise from neighbours or the street was 13.6% in Belgium. To achieve the sustainable development goal by 2030, this figure must decrease. Between 2004 and 2024, the trend is favourable (assessment of November 2025).
Noise pollution - Belgium and international comparison
percentage of population
| 2004 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2019 | 2024//2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 25.0 | 23.3 | 18.8 | 18.0 | 17.8 | 15.9 | 14.5 | 13.6 | -3.1 | -3.0 |
| EU27 | -- | -- | -- | 18.3 | 18.2 | 17.3 | 17.6 | -- | -- | -- |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Note: break in series: BE 2019; BE 2020 data collection impacted by Covid-19 pandemic; EU27 estimation. The 95% confidence interval for the share of people confronted with noise pollution in 2024 is 12.2% to 15.1% for Belgium.
Source: Statbel (2025), SILC-SDG-indicators 2004-2024, https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/households/poverty-and-living-conditions/risk-poverty-or-social-exclusion#figures (consulted on 28/08/2025); Statbel (2025), drect communication 18/11/2025; Statbel; Eurostat (2025), Noise from neighbours or from the street, ilc_mddw01, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat, last update of data 18/07/2025 23:00 (consulted on 28/08/2025)
Noise pollution by region - Belgium
percentage of population
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2024 | 2024//2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels-Capital Region | 24.7 | 21.3 | 21.2 | 20.7 | 19.7 | -4.4 |
| Flemish Region | 14.7 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 11.4 | 12.0 | -4.0 |
| Walloon Region | 14.9 | 15.9 | 17.4 | 15.4 | 14.5 | -0.5 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||
Note: break in series: 2019; 2020 data collection impacted by Covid-19 pandemic. The 95% confidence interval for the share of people confronted with noise pollution in 2024 is 16.4% to 23.0% for Brussels, 10.1% to 14% for Flanders and 12.1% to 17.0% for Wallonia.
Source: Statbel (2025), SILC-SDG-indicators 2004-2024, https://statbel.fgov.be/nl/themas/huishoudens/armoede-en-levensomstandigheden/risico-op-armoede-sociale-uitsluiting#figures (consulted on 14/08/2025); Statbel (2025), dirct communication 18/11/2025
Noise pollution by sex - Belgium
percentage of population
| 2004 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2019 | 2024//2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| females | 25.2 | 24.0 | 19.4 | 18.8 | 17.6 | 15.6 | 14.5 | 13.2 | -3.3 | -3.2 |
| males | 24.7 | 22.5 | 18.2 | 17.3 | 18.0 | 16.1 | 14.4 | 14.1 | -2.6 | -2.8 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Note: break in series: 2019; 2020 data collection impacted by Covid-19 pandemic
Source: Statbel (2025), SILC-SDG-indicators 2004-2024, https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/households/poverty-and-living-conditions/risk-poverty-or-social-exclusion (consulted on 06/10/2025)
Noise pollution by age - Belgium
percentage of population
| 2004 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2019 | 2024//2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <18 | 25.6 | 23.7 | 19.2 | 17.8 | 18.6 | 16.7 | 14.7 | 12.4 | -5.8 | -3.6 |
| 18-24 | 28.6 | 23.4 | 19.6 | 20.6 | 18.6 | 14.3 | 16.2 | 13.5 | -1.1 | -3.7 |
| 25-49 | 25.6 | 23.2 | 20.6 | 18.9 | 18.3 | 16.8 | 15.6 | 14.9 | -2.4 | -2.7 |
| 50-64 | 24.5 | 23.3 | 17.8 | 19.1 | 17.8 | 16.2 | 14.3 | 13.4 | -3.7 | -3.0 |
| >64 | 21.2 | 22.1 | 15.5 | 14.3 | 15.4 | 13.5 | 11.6 | 13.1 | -0.6 | -2.4 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Note: break in series: 2019; 2020 data collection impacted by Covid-19 pandemic
Source: Statbel (2025), SILC-SDG-indicators 2004-2024, https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/households/poverty-and-living-conditions/risk-poverty-or-social-exclusion (consulted on 06/10/2025)
Noise pollution by education - Belgium
percentage of population
| 2004 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2019 | 2024//2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| at most lower secondary | 24.2 | 22.9 | 19.3 | 17.8 | 18.3 | 15.7 | 14.6 | 15.5 | -0.3 | -2.2 |
| upper secondary | 25.1 | 22.3 | 19.3 | 18.3 | 16.7 | 15.6 | 14.5 | 14.6 | -1.3 | -2.7 |
| tertiary | 25.2 | 23.8 | 17.5 | 17.8 | 17.8 | 15.5 | 14.4 | 12.5 | -4.2 | -3.4 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Note: break in series: 2019; 2020 data collection impacted by Covid-19 pandemic
Source: Statbel (2025), SILC-SDG-indicators 2004-2024, https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/households/poverty-and-living-conditions/risk-poverty-or-social-exclusion (consulted on 06/10/2025)
Noise pollution by household type - Belgium
percentage of population
| 2004 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2019 | 2024//2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| single person | 24.8 | 23.2 | 22.8 | 21.3 | 18.3 | 17.0 | 17.6 | 17.4 | 0.5 | -1.8 |
| single-parent family | 35.9 | 30.1 | 28.1 | 23.3 | 21.2 | 19.2 | 20.5 | 18.6 | -0.6 | -3.2 |
| 2 adults <65 | 26.0 | 21.1 | 19.9 | 19.4 | 19.1 | 16.3 | 17.3 | 15.3 | -1.3 | -2.6 |
| 2 adults, at least 1 >64 | 20.8 | 23.2 | 13.9 | 14.6 | 16.0 | 14.0 | 11.0 | 13.0 | -1.5 | -2.3 |
| 2 adults, 1 or more children | 24.6 | 23.3 | 16.3 | 16.9 | 17.9 | 16.0 | 12.9 | 10.8 | -7.6 | -4.0 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Note: break in series: 2019; 2020 data collection impacted by Covid-19 pandemic
Source: Statbel (2025), SILC-SDG-indicators 2004-2024, https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/households/poverty-and-living-conditions/risk-poverty-or-social-exclusion (consulted on 06/10/2025)
Noise pollution by activity status - Belgium
percentage of population
| 2004 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2019 | 2024//2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| employed | 24.5 | 22.3 | 18.3 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 15.5 | 14.3 | 13.0 | -3.5 | -3.1 |
| unemployed | 30.5 | 25.5 | 26.6 | 27.4 | 23.1 | 21.4 | 20.0 | 18.1 | -3.3 | -2.6 |
| retired | 22.1 | 22.4 | 15.2 | 14.5 | 15.8 | 13.8 | 12.0 | 12.6 | -1.8 | -2.8 |
| other inactive | 26.2 | 23.5 | 20.3 | 21.8 | 20.6 | 16.8 | 16.9 | 16.6 | -0.2 | -2.3 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Note: break in series: 2019; because of the widespread use of temporary unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ?unemployed? category in SILC 2021 includes not only the long-term unemployed, but also people who have been temporarily unemployed for more than 6 months and who generally live in less precarious conditions.
Statbel (2025), SILC-SDG-indicators 2004-2024, https://statbel.fgov.be/nl/themas/huishoudens/armoede-en-levensomstandigheden/risico-op-armoede-sociale-uitsluiting#figures (consulted on 14/08/2025); Statbel (2025), Microfiles SILC 2024: SILC_2024_CI
Noise pollution by income - Belgium
percentage of population
| 2004 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | 2024//2019 | 2024//2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| quintile 1 | 30.3 | 27.7 | 25.1 | 24.9 | 22.3 | 19.1 | 17.5 | 18.9 | -0.2 | -2.3 |
| quintile 2 | 24.4 | 24.1 | 19.0 | 18.6 | 17.3 | 16.3 | 15.9 | 13.6 | -3.6 | -2.9 |
| quintile 3 | 23.5 | 22.6 | 19.7 | 18.2 | 18.5 | 16.6 | 15.2 | 14.4 | -2.8 | -2.4 |
| quintile 4 | 21.8 | 21.4 | 16.8 | 14.1 | 16.0 | 13.1 | 11.5 | 11.2 | -3.1 | -3.3 |
| quintile 5 | 24.9 | 20.6 | 13.6 | 14.5 | 14.7 | 14.1 | 12.2 | 10.1 | -6.5 | -4.4 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||||
Note: break in series: 2019; 2020 data collection impacted by Covid-19 pandemic
Source: Statbel (2025), SILC-SDG-indicators 2004-2024, https://statbel.fgov.be/nl/themas/huishoudens/armoede-en-levensomstandigheden/risico-op-armoede-sociale-uitsluiting#figures (consulted on 14/08/2025)
Definition: this indicator measures the share of the population that reported suffering from noise from neighbours or the street. The sensitivity to noise is subjective. A variation in the indicator may be due either to a change in the actual noise nuisance or to a change in the sensitivity to noise of the persons interviewed.
The data on this indicator are based on the Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey of the European Union. Statistics Belgium organises this EU-harmonised survey in Belgium and makes the results available, in particular to Eurostat. 2004 is the first year for which European harmonised data have been collected to calculate the indicator. The data used here come from Eurostat, which publishes detailed and comparable results between EU Member States. Since these data are based on a survey, a margin of uncertainty must be taken into account. The confidence intervals for these data are available on request from Statistics Belgium.
From 2019 onwards, the survey methodology has been thoroughly reviewed for better accuracy. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic impacted data collection. This makes it difficult to compare the results of SILC 2020 with those of previous years. (Statbel, 2021). Therefore, they are not used to calculate and evaluate the long-term trend.
The following breakdowns are available for this indicator: region, sex, income, age, education, household type and activity status.
Goal: the share of the population suffering from noise must decrease.
The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015 include 2 targets, which mention access to adequate housing (11.1 “By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums) and the reduction of the environmental impact of cities (11.6 “By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management”).
The Federal Long-Term Strategic Vision for Sustainable Development contains objective 25 “the use of means of transport shall be accompanied by the emission of the least possible (...) noise”. In addition, the foreword to the first objective mentions decent housing as one of the preconditions for well-being.
Finally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published in 2018 the "Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region" (WHO, 2018). It formulates recommendations on the maximum noise level to which the public should be exposed. The WHO also states that " noise is one of the leading environmental risks for physical and mental health and well-being" (WHO, 2024).
Therefore, he share of the population that reported suffering from noise from neighbours or the street must decrease.
UN indicator: the selected indicator does not correspond to any monitoring indicator for the SDGs but is related to target 11.6 which calls for a reduction in the negative environmental impact of cities, including noise nuisance.
Sources
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Belgian Official Gazette: http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi/welcome.pl; research on http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/doc/rech_f.htm.
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WHO (2018), Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region, https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289053563 (consulted on 19/12/2025).
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WHO (2024), How much does environmental noise affect our health? WHO updates methods to assess health risks, https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-08-2024-how-much-does-environmental-noise-affect-our-health--who-updates-methods-to-assess-health-risks (consulted on 19/12/2025).
- Statbel (2021), SILC FAQ, https://statbel.fgov.be/fr/themes/menages/pauvrete-et-conditions-de-vie/faq, see in particular "Y a-t-il des ruptures de séries dans la chronologie de l'enquête SILC ?" (consulted on 19/12/2025).
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