Mobility in Belgium: the key figures
At 1uh January 2022, we were 11,584,008 inhabitants in Belgium. Citizens who have mobility and service needs. This involves various and varied means of transport and travel. Mobia has published precise figures on the Belgian mobility landscape. Here are the most interesting ones to remember, especially when it comes to discussing means of transport.
Mobility barometer
Mode(s) of travel per day
|
Number of users
|
Difference compared to 2011
|
Car
|
5.4 million
|
-2.8%
|
Walk
|
5.02 million
|
-1.4%
|
By bike (electric or not)
|
1.53 million
|
+0.67%
|
Public transport
|
990,000
|
+2.8%
|
Other alternative means
|
320,000
|
-1.11%
|
It should be noted that 12.9% of people say they do not (or hardly) move around. A figure down from -4.52% compared to 2011.
In terms of mileage, the car concerns 67.34% of trips dailies. Public transport 10.76%. The other means turn between 7.16 (two wheels) and 7.55%.
Number of vehicles in circulation
Vehicle type
|
Number in circulation in 2021
|
Typical ratio of motorization (rounded)
|
Cars
|
5.9 million
|
· Gasoline: 52%
· Diesel: 43%
· Electrified (hybrid and EV): 5%
· Others: less than 1%
|
Bikes
|
5.6 million
|
· Human strength: 80%
· Electrical assistance: 20%
|
Light duty
|
850,000
|
· Diesel: 90%
· Gas: 6.5%
· Other: 3.5%
|
Motorcycles / Scooters
|
525,000
|
· Gasoline: 99%
· Other (EV): 1%
|
Heavyweight
|
150,000
|
· Diesel: 99%
· Other (including EV and H2): 1%
|
If diesel has lost its place as the preferred fuel for households, it remains dominant among utilities. Electricity has already found its niche among cyclists, but not yet for other users, compared to the overall fleet. The market figures below, however, make it possible to draw the trend for the years to come.
The market in 2021
Vehicle type
|
Purchases in 2021
|
Engine type ratio (rounded)
|
Second-hand cars
|
709,000
|
· Gasoline: 51%
· Diesel: 44%
· Electricity: 5%
|
New cars
|
383,000
|
· Fuel: 50%
· Diesel: 25%
· Electrified: 25%
|
Bikes
|
585,000
|
· Human strength: 62%
· Electric: 38%
|
Light duty
|
80,000
|
· Diesel: 93%
· Gasoline: 7%
|
Motorcycles / Scooters
|
24,000
|
· Gasoline: 99%
|
Heavyweight
|
8000
|
· Diesel: 96%
· Other: 4%
|
The electrification of the vehicle fleet mainly involves new passenger cars. Or, families buy more used cars than new cars. Because this market is mainly professional (company cars), since 62% of new cars purchased in 2021 were in the name of a company or a self-employed person.
Breakdown of new cars in detail (market 2021)
B2B (company)
· 37% gasoline
· 23% Diesel
· 23% PHEV (plug-in hybrid)
· 12% 100% electric
· 5% HEV
i.e. 40% of the fleet electrified to varying degrees
B2C (private consumer)
· 70.1% gasoline
· 11% HEV
· 10.3% Diesel
· 3.7% PHEV
· 3.3% 100% electric
· 1.6% other
The new private fleet is much less electric (18%), mainly self-recharging hybrids (HEV) with very low autonomy. These even lead to Diesel.
Changing habits
Are energy prices and environmental awareness, or even obligations, changing Belgians’ relationship to mobility?
· Car use is down -13% compared to the previous year
· Train use is down -9%
· The use of public transport (bus, tram, metro) is also down: -6%
· The use of company cars and shared cars is down by -2%
· E-bike use is on the rise 9%
· Non-electric bicycle use is up by 5%
· The other users have not changed their habits.
Overall, the bicycle is the only vehicle to gain some ground, in a context of successive crises that have caused a reduction in travel.
Conclusion
The thermal car remains the means of transport most used by Belgians, both for leisure and for business or necessary travel. However, the automobile, thermal or electrified, remains more often in the garage or parked since more journeys are made by bicycle. This strongly depends on the urban fabric in which the user moves and the public transport offer. Thus, in large cities, there are fewer people with their own vehicle at their disposal. In the Brussels Region, for example, alternatives to the car are – logically – more often requested due to a wider range of mobility solutions.