History of Belgium in Timeline

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a Northwestern European country located in the Low Countries. It borders the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France, and has a coastline on the North Sea. With an area of 30,689 km2 and a population exceeding 11.8 million, Belgium has a high population density. Brussels is its capital and largest metropolitan region. Other significant cities include Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.

1900: Growing international concern for the treatment of the Congolese population

Around 1900, growing international concern arose regarding the extreme and savage treatment of the Congolese population under Leopold II's rule.

1907: Development of Bakelite

Bakelite was developed between 1907-1909 by Leo Baekeland.

1908: Belgian state assumes responsibility for the Congo

In 1908, the Belgian state assumed responsibility for the government of the Congo, which was then called the Belgian Congo, due to international outcry over the treatment of the Congolese population.

1909: Development of Bakelite

Bakelite was developed between 1907-1909 by Leo Baekeland.

1910: Belgium Among Most Industrialized Nations

By 1910, Belgium was one of the three most industrialized nations in the world, due to the rapid development of mining and steelmaking, especially in the Sambre and Meuse valley.

1911: Solvay Conferences Started

In 1911, Ernest Solvay started a series of conferences, the Solvay Conferences on Physics and Chemistry, which have had a deep impact on the evolution of quantum physics and chemistry.

1911: Nobel Prize in Literature

The poet and playwright Maurice Maeterlinck won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911.

August 1914: Germany invades Belgium

In August 1914, Germany invaded Belgium as part of the Schlieffen Plan to attack France, marking the beginning of the Rape of Belgium.

1919: Jules Bordet Wins Nobel Prize

In 1919, Jules Bordet of the Université libre de Bruxelles was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

1919: Estimation of Congo's population

In 1919, a Belgian commission estimated that Congo's population was half what it was in 1879, reflecting the impact of Leopold II's exploitative rule.

1919: Abolition of plural voting

In 1919, plural voting was abolished in Belgium.

1920: Summer Olympics

The 1920 Summer Olympics were held in Antwerp.

1922: Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union

Since 1922, Belgium and Luxembourg have formed a single trade market with a customs and currency union through the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union.

1924: League of Nations mandates Ruanda-Urundi to Belgium

In 1924, the League of Nations mandated Ruanda-Urundi to Belgium.

1925: Belgium annexes Eupen and Malmedy

In 1925, after World War I, Belgium annexed the Prussian districts of Eupen and Malmedy.

1927: Big Bang Theory Proposed

In 1927, Monsignor Georges Lemaître proposed the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe.

1938: Corneille Heymans Wins Nobel Prize

In 1938, Corneille Heymans of the University of Ghent was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

May 1940: Germany invades Belgium

In May 1940, German forces invaded Belgium again.

September 1944: Liberation of Belgium begins

From September 1944, the Allies began liberating Belgium.

February 1945: Liberation of Belgium ends

In February 1945, the Allies completed the liberation of Belgium.

March 1948: Treaty of Brussels Signed

In March 1948, Belgium signed the Treaty of Brussels, prioritizing collective security after World War II.

1949: Universal suffrage for women

In 1949, universal suffrage was introduced for women in Belgium.

1951: Founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community

In 1951, Belgium became one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community.

1951: King Leopold III abdicates

In 1951, King Leopold III abdicated in favor of his son, Prince Baudouin, after a general strike.

1957: Founding member of the European Atomic Energy Community and European Economic Community

In 1957, Belgium became one of the six founding members of the European Atomic Energy Community and the European Economic Community.

1958: String of Christian Democrat coalition governments

A string of Christian Democrat coalition governments began in 1958.

1960: Belgian Congo gains independence

In 1960, the Belgian Congo gained independence during the Congo Crisis.

1960: Independence of the Belgian Congo

In 1960, the Belgian Congo gained its independence, marking a significant shift in Belgium's colonial history.

1960: Life Expectancy Trends

Since 1960, life expectancy in Belgium has, in line with the European average, grown by two months per year.

1962: Independence of Ruanda-Urundi

In 1962, Ruanda-Urundi gained independence, completing the decolonization of Belgium's major African colonies.

1967: Dutch version of the Constitution accepted

In 1967, the parliament accepted a Dutch version of the Constitution, officially recognizing Dutch as a language of the country.

1970: Decrease in Rail Network Density

From 1970 to 1999, Belgium observed an 18% decrease in rail network density.

1970: Start of state reforms

In 1970, Belgium initiated a series of state reforms, marking the beginning of the transition from a unitary to a federal structure, driven by rising tensions between the Dutch-speakers and French-speakers.

1970: Constitutional Revision

In 1970, based on the language areas defined in 1962–63, there was a revision of the country's constitution that established a unique form of a federal state with segregated political power into three levels.

1970: Significant national Belgian political parties split

Since about 1970, the significant national Belgian political parties have split into distinct components that mainly represent the political and linguistic interests of these communities.

1972: Euro 1972

Belgium hosted the Euro 1972.

1973: Oil Crisis Impact on Economy

In 1973, the oil crisis sent the Belgian economy into a recession, which was particularly prolonged in Wallonia due to the decline of the steel industry.

1974: Albert Claude and Christian de Duve Win Nobel Prize

In 1974, Albert Claude of the Université libre de Bruxelles, together with Christian de Duve of the Université catholique de Louvain, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

1977: Ilya Prigogine Wins Nobel Prize

In 1977, Ilya Prigogine of the Université libre de Bruxelles was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

1977: European Basketball Championship

The 1977 European Basketball Championship was held in Liège and Ostend.

1978: Pierre Deligne Wins Fields Medal

In 1978, Belgian mathematician Pierre Deligne was awarded the Fields Medal.

1979: Second Oil Crisis Impact on Economy

In 1979, the second oil crisis further impacted the Belgian economy, prolonging the recession, particularly in Wallonia where the steel industry continued to decline.

1980: Creation of Communities and Regions

In 1980, Communities and Regions were created based on language areas, which allowed for seven parliaments and governments. Flemish politicians decided to merge both, resulting in a single institutional body for all matters except federal and specific municipal issues.

1980: Constitutional Revision

In 1980, based on the language areas defined in 1962–63, there was a revision of the country's constitution that established a unique form of a federal state with segregated political power into three levels.

1980: Euro

The Belgium national football team achieved the silver medals at Euro 1980.

1984: Modification of Belgian Nationality Law

Since the modification of the Belgian nationality law in 1984, over 1.3 million migrants have acquired Belgian citizenship.

1988: Constitutional Revision

In 1988, based on the language areas defined in 1962–63, there was a revision of the country's constitution that established a unique form of a federal state with segregated political power into three levels.

1990: Forest cover in Belgium

In 1990, forest cover in Belgium was around 677,400 hectares.

1993: Constitutional Revision

In 1993, based on the language areas defined in 1962–63, there was a revision of the country's constitution that established a unique form of a federal state with segregated political power into three levels.

1993: Transition to a federal structure

In 1993, the transition from a unitary to a federal structure was completed.

1994: Jean Bourgain Wins Fields Medal

In 1994, Belgian mathematician Jean Bourgain was awarded the Fields Medal.

1995: Abolishment of conscription

In 1995, conscription was abolished and the Belgian military consists of volunteers

1998: Sunday Church Attendance Statistics

Sunday church attendance in Belgium in 1998 was 11% overall.

1999: Motorway Network Growth

By 1999, the density of km motorways per 1000 km and 1000 inhabitants amounted to 55.1 and 16.5 respectively, and were significantly superior to the EU's means of 13.7 and 15.9.

1999: Verhofstadt becomes Prime Minister

In 1999, Guy Verhofstadt became Prime Minister, leading a government that achieved a balanced budget and initiated some tax reforms.

1999: End of Christian Democrat coalition governments

In 1999, a string of Christian Democrat coalition governments was broken after the first dioxin crisis.

1999: Minting of Euro Coins

In 1999, the first sets of euro coins were minted in Belgium, showing the portrait of the monarch.

2000: Daily temperature minimums of 7 °C

Averages for the years 2000 show daily temperature minimums of 7 °C.

2000: Euro 2000

Belgium co-hosted the Euro 2000 with the Netherlands.

2000: Antwerp Harbor Growth

In 2000, the port of Antwerp handled a gross weight of goods of 115,988,000 tons after a growth of 10.9% over the preceding five years, making it the second European harbor.

2002: Postsecondary Education Enrollment

Among OECD countries in 2002, Belgium had the third highest proportion of 18- to 21-year-olds enrolled in postsecondary education, at 42%.

2002: Adoption of the Euro

In 2002, Belgium switched to the euro, replacing the Belgian franc, which had been the currency since 1832.

2003: Belgium legalises same-sex marriage

In 2003, Belgium became one of the first countries in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.

2003: Purple coalition formed

In 2003, a "purple coalition" of Liberals and Social Democrats formed after the Greens lost most of their seats in the election.

2005: Economic Data

In 2005, Belgium's real GDP growth rate was 1.5%, slightly above the average for the Euro area, and the unemployment rate was 8.4%.

2006: Religious Beliefs in Flanders

A 2006 inquiry in Flanders showed that 55% of the population considered themselves religious, and 36% believed that God created the universe.

2006: Economic Data

As of 2006, Belgium's budget was balanced and public debt was equal to 90.30% of GDP. The real GDP growth rate was 3.0%, and the unemployment rate was 8.2%.

2006: Daily temperature maximums of 14 °C

Averages for the years 2006 show daily temperature maximums of 14 °C.

June 2007: Elections and political crisis

In June 2007, Verhofstadt's coalition fared badly in the elections, leading to a political crisis.

June 2007: Yves Leterme wins federal elections

Yves Leterme won the federal elections of June 2007.

December 2007: Temporary Verhofstadt III Government

From 21 December 2007, the temporary Verhofstadt III Government was in office.

2007: Economic Gap Between Flanders and Wallonia

As of 2007, the unemployment rate of Wallonia was over double that of Flanders, highlighting the economic gap between the two regions.

2007: Belgium's Position as a Trading Nation

In 2007, Belgium was the world's 15th largest trading nation due to its globalized economy and transport infrastructure integrated with the rest of Europe.

2007: Belgian Citizenship and Foreign Nationals

In 2007, approximately 92% of the population held Belgian citizenship, with citizens of other European Union countries comprising about 6%. Italian, French, Dutch, Moroccan, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, and German nationals were the most prevalent foreign demographics. There were also 1.38 million foreign-born residents in Belgium, which accounted for 12.9% of the total population in 2007.

2007: End of Verhofstadt's government

In 2007, the government led by Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt ended.

March 2008: End of temporary Verhofstadt III Government

Until 20 March 2008 the temporary Verhofstadt III Government was in office.

July 2008: Leterme offers resignation

On 15 July 2008, Yves Leterme offered the resignation of the cabinet to the King, as no progress in constitutional reforms had been made.

December 2008: Leterme offers resignation

In December 2008, Yves Leterme offered his resignation after a crisis surrounding the sale of Fortis to BNP Paribas.

2008: Muslim Population Estimate

In 2008, an estimated 6% of the Belgian population (628,751 people) was Muslim. Muslims constituted 23.6% of the population of Brussels, 4.9% of Wallonia and 5.1% of Flanders.

November 2009: Van Rompuy designated President of the European Council

After Herman Van Rompuy was designated the first permanent President of the European Council on 19 November 2009, he offered the resignation of his government.

2009: Sunday Church Attendance Statistics

In 2009, Sunday church attendance in Belgium was 5% overall, with 3% in Brussels and 5.4% in Flanders. Church attendance in 2009 was roughly half of what it was in 1998.

April 2010: Leterme again offered the resignation of his cabinet

On 22 April 2010, Yves Leterme again offered the resignation of his cabinet to the King after one of the coalition partners, the OpenVLD, withdrew from the government, and on 26 April 2010 King Albert officially accepted the resignation.

June 2010: Parliamentary elections

The Parliamentary elections in Belgium on 13 June 2010 saw the Flemish nationalist N-VA become the largest party in Flanders, and the Socialist Party PS the largest party in Wallonia.

October 2010: Unemployment Rate

By October 2010, Belgium's unemployment rate had grown to 8.5%, compared to an average of 9.6% for the European Union as a whole (EU 27).

2010: Eurobarometer Belief Statistics

According to the Eurobarometer in 2010, 37% of Belgian citizens believed in God, 31% believed in some sort of spirit or life-force, and 27% did not believe in any spirit, God, or life-force.

2010: Traffic Congestion

In 2010, commuters to the cities of Brussels and Antwerp spent respectively 65 and 64 hours a year in traffic jams.

2010: Federal election and government formation deadlock

The 2010 federal election resulted in a fragmented political landscape, leading to a record 589 days without a government formation.

March 2011: Belgium sets new world record

By 30 March 2011, Belgium set a new world record for the elapsed time without an official government.

December 2011: Di Rupo Government sworn in

In December 2011 the Di Rupo Government led by Walloon socialist Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo was sworn in.

2012: Largest Religion in Belgium

A Eurobarometer survey held in 2012 found that Christianity was the largest religion in Belgium, accounting for 65% of Belgians.

2012: Average Life Expectancy

According to 2012 estimates, the average life expectancy in Belgium is 79.65 years.

2012: Foreign Background Population Estimate

At the beginning of 2012, it was estimated that people of foreign background and their descendants formed approximately 25% of the total population in Belgium, which is about 2.8 million people. Among these, 1,200,000 have European ancestry, while 1,350,000 originate from non-Western countries.

2012: Philippe Gilbert World Champion

Philippe Gilbert was the 2012 world champion in cycling.

2013: François Englert Wins Nobel Prize

In 2013, François Englert of the Université libre de Bruxelles was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

2013: Monarch Portrait on Euro Coins

Since 2013, King Philippe's portrait has been featured on the standard Belgian euro coins designated for circulation.

July 2014: Formation of the Michel Government

In July 2014, King Philippe nominated Charles Michel and Kris Peeters to form a new federal cabinet composed of N-VA, CD&V, Open Vld, and MR parties, leading to the Michel Government.

2014: Senate members directly elected

Prior to 2014, most of the Senate's members were directly elected.

November 2015: Belgium National Football Team FIFA Ranking

The Belgium national football team reached the top spot on the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in November 2015.

2015: Eurobarometer Religion Statistics

According to the Eurobarometer survey in 2015, 60.7% of the total population of Belgium adhered to Christianity, with Catholicism being the largest denomination at 52.9%. Non-religious people comprised 32.0% of the population. A further 5.2% of the population was Muslim and 2.1% were believers in other religions.

2015: Forest area reported to be under public ownership

For the year 2015, 47% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership.

2016: Biocapacity Deficit

In 2016, Belgium was running a biocapacity deficit of 5.5 global hectares per person, with a biocapacity of 0.8 global hectares and an ecological footprint of consumption of 6.3 global hectares.

2016: Port of Antwerp Traffic

In 2016, the port of Antwerp handled 214 million tons after a year-on-year growth of 2.7%.

2018: Forest Landscape Integrity Index

In 2018, Belgium had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 1.36/10, ranking it 163rd globally out of 172 countries.

2018: New calculation method of Belgium's total surface

In 2018, a new calculation method was used to measure Belgium's total surface, revealing the country to be 160 km² larger than previously thought.

2018: FIFA World Cup

The Belgium national football team achieved the bronze medals at World Cup 2018.

May 2019: Federal Elections and Gains for Vlaams Belang

In May 2019, the federal elections in Flanders saw major gains for the far-right Vlaams Belang party, while Socialists remained strong in Wallonia, and the N-VA remained the largest party in parliament.

July 2019: Charles Michel Selected as President of the European Council

In July 2019, Charles Michel was selected to be the President of the European Council, and Sophie Wilmès became Belgium's first female prime minister, leading the caretaker government from October 2019.

October 2019: Sophie Wilmès Leads Caretaker Government

Since October 2019, Sophie Wilmès led the caretaker government after Charles Michel was selected as President of the European Council in July 2019.

2019: Belgium's Defense Budget

In 2019, Belgium's defense budget totaled €4.303 billion ($4.921 billion), representing 0.93% of its GDP.

October 2020: Alexander De Croo Becomes Prime Minister

In October 2020, Alexander De Croo became the new prime minister after parties agreed on the federal government 16 months after the elections.

2020: Forest cover in Belgium

In 2020, forest cover in Belgium was around 23% of the total land area, equivalent to 689,300 hectares.

January 2021: Belgian Population Origin Figures

According to figures released by Statbel as of January 2021, 67.3% of the Belgian population was of ethnic Belgian origin, while 32.7% were of foreign origin or nationality. Furthermore, 20.3% of those with a foreign nationality or ethnic group originated from neighboring countries.

2022: Remco Evenepoel World Champion

Remco Evenepoel was the 2022 world champion in cycling.

2023: Belgium emitted 106.82 million tonnes of greenhouse gases

In 2023, Belgium emitted 106.82 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.

2023: Belgian Armed Forces Personnel

In 2023, the Belgian Armed Forces had 23,200 active personnel and 5,900 reserve personnel, distributed among the Land, Naval, Air, and Medical Components, and joint service.