Black Belgians

Afro-Belgians (Dutch: Afrobelgen; French: Afrobelges; German: Afrobelgier) or Black Belgians, are defined as Belgians of Sub-Saharan African descent.

A total of 358,268 Sub-Saharan Africans live in Belgium in 2023, comprising 3.06% of the population, according to Statistics Belgium. 95,282 Sub-Saharan Africans live in Brussels.^[1]

Most Sub-Saharan Africans in Belgium originate from Senegal, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo (country), Rwanda, and Burundi. The Brussels neighborhoods of Ixelles and Matonge have large Black populations.^[2][3][4]

Belgium national team

In 2017, 19 out of 52 total players in the men's Belgium national football team were of African origin.^{[citation needed]}

Notable Afro-Belgians

Football players

Stromae

Romelu Lukaku

Élodie Ouédraogo

Michy Batshuayi

Other sports

• Corliss Waitman
• Naomi Schiff
• D. J. Mbenga, basketball player
• Élodie Ouédraogo, track athlete
• Nafissatou Thiam, heptathlon athlete
• Sugar Jackson, boxer

Politicians

• Assita Kanko, politician, member of the European Parliament
• Pierre Kompany, politician, the first black mayor in Belgium, father of football player Vincent Kompany
• Wouter Van Bellingen, politician and the first black alderman in Belgium

Arts and music

• Damso, rapper
• Leki, singer
• Ronny Mosuse, singer-songwriter
• Stromae, singer-songwriter
• Roland Gunst, film director
• Fatou Samba, singer, rapper
• Marc Zinga, actor
• Eric Kabongo, actor
• Marhta Canga Antonio, actress
• Ya Kid K, singer, rapper

References