Brussels – Europe and the Arabs

As part of the quarterly monitoring of personal well-being and living conditions, Statbel (the Belgian statistical office) conducted surveys among approximately 5,000 residents of Belgium aged 16 to 74. Results from the second quarter of 2026 show that 35.1% of Belgians experience feelings of loneliness—whether always, often, or sometimes. However, the data reveals a disparity between the responses of women and men.
In the second quarter of 2026, 38.7% of women reported feeling lonely—always, often, or sometimes—compared to 31.4% of men. Conversely, 39.4% of men reported never feeling lonely during the four weeks prior to the survey, whereas this figure stood at only 31.7% for women.
This gender difference has been observed since the IALC survey began in 2021. In contrast, no significant differences were found between men and women regarding feelings of happiness, life satisfaction, personal relationships, or financial status.
Additionally, the survey indicates that in the second quarter of 2026:
40.4% of Belgians reported difficulty covering basic expenses;
20.0% indicated that their income was higher than the previous year, while 68.3% reported income levels roughly similar to the previous year;
66.5% felt happy always or most of the time. While 6.8% felt happy rarely (5.1%) or never (1.7%);
55.9% reported a high level of general life satisfaction;
70.3% expressed a high level of satisfaction with personal relationships;
And 36.8% of Belgians expressed a high level of satisfaction with their financial situation.