Languages of Belgium

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Languages of Belgium

Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. There are four linguistic areas that help organize the country’s politics and public life: the Dutch-speaking area (Flanders and the Dutch-speaking part of Brussels), the French-speaking area (Wallonia and the French-speaking part of Brussels), the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, and the German-speaking area in the east.

Who speaks what
- Dutch: most Belgians speak Dutch as their first language (about 59% overall), mainly in Flanders.
- French: about 40% speak French as their first language, mainly in Wallonia and parts of Brussels.
- German: around 1% speak German as their first language, in the German-speaking Community in the east.

Public life and education
- Public life follows language areas. Government work and official documents are produced in the region’s official language.
- Education is organized by language communities: Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia and Brussels, and German in the German-speaking community.
- English is increasingly common in higher education and among younger people.

Regional and minority languages
- In addition to the official languages, several regional and minority languages are spoken.
- Dutch-related dialects in Belgium include Brabantian, West Flemish, East Flemish, and Limburgish (the latter is recognized as a regional language in some contexts).
- In Wallonia, regional languages like Walloon, Picard, Champenois, and Lorrain are recognised as regional languages.
- Other regional language notes: Limburgish and Luxembourgish are recognized in certain contexts; Marols (Brussels dialect) is nearly extinct; Yiddish is spoken within Antwerp’s Jewish community; there are also various Romani languages.

Sign languages
- Flemish Sign Language (VGT) in Flanders.
- French Belgian Sign Language (LSFB) in Wallonia and Brussels.
- German Sign Language (DGS) in the German-speaking areas.

Other languages brought by immigrants
- Belgium today hosts communities speaking English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Turkish, Portuguese, Polish, Greek, and more.

Other facts
- Belgium uses the Belgian AZERTY keyboard layout.
- The country has a long history of linguistic coexistence, with laws supporting language use in private life and specific rules for official acts and government communication.