Data · Violence
Femicides in Belgium
What is known, and above all what is not known yet. Every figure is dated and sourced. No map, no ranking, no names.
There is no official femicide figure yet
The law of 13 July 2023, known as the « #StopFeminicide » law, in force since 1 October 2023, defines three forms of femicide:
- Intimate femicide : the intentional killing of a woman because of her gender, by her partner, a former partner or a family member.
- Non-intimate femicide : the intentional killing of a woman because of her gender, by someone else: for example in a context of sexual exploitation, human trafficking, sexual violence or abuse of power.
- Indirect femicide : the death of a woman, without intent to kill, caused by harmful practices (for example genital mutilation), or her suicide when it results from violence.
(Justel, loi du 13 juillet 2023, text as updated on 2 April 2026)
The announced timetable
- Since 1 October 2025, the law requires the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men to publish a yearly statistical report on femicides. « Ces dispositions devaient être appliquées deux ans après l'entrée en vigueur générale de la loi, soit le 1er octobre 2025. » (RTBF, 30 September 2026)
- The royal decree setting out which data must be collected is announced for 2026. « L'arrêté royal devrait être adopté en 2026. » (Rapport de la Belgique au Comité des Parties de la Convention d'Istanbul, IC-CP/Inf(2026)02, p. 2, 29 May 2026)
- The Institute’s first report is announced for the end of 2026. « Le premier rapport annuel recensant les principales statistiques relatives aux féminicides et aux homicides fondés sur le genre ainsi que les violences qui précèdent devrait être publié fin 2026. » (Rapport de la Belgique au Comité des Parties de la Convention d'Istanbul, IC-CP/Inf(2026)02, p. 2, 29 May 2026) « L'Institut veut pouvoir produire un premier rapport cette année, même s'il est partiel et s'il y a certaines données qui ne sont pas encore disponibles » (RTBF, 30 September 2026)
Where things stand: « Près d'un an plus tard, aucune statistique nationale officielle n'a encore été rendue publique. » (RTBF, 30 September 2026)
Meanwhile, this page shows two very different series, which must not be confused: an official series that counts all women killed, and a count by an association based on press reports.
Official figure
Homicides of women, all motives
This is not a count of femicides. This figure counts all women who died from an assault, whatever the motive and whoever the perpetrator.
In 2023, 36 women living in Belgium died from an assault, according to the causes of death statistics. This is the latest year published.
The vertical axis does not start at 0.
Show all values
| Year | Women |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 36 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2021 | 37 |
| 2020 | 30 |
| 2019 | 37 |
| 2018 | 46 |
| 2017 | 54 |
| 2016 | 48 |
| 2015 | 54 |
| 2014 | 44 |
| 2013 | 53 |
| 2012 | 49 |
| 2011 | 63 |
- These are deaths of women who lived in Belgium, in Belgium or abroad, recorded by Statbel from death certificates. The cause « assault » covers murders and fatal blows, without saying who the perpetrator was or why.
- No data is published after 2023.
Source : Statbel (publié par Eurostat) (hlth_cd_aro, updated 24 September 2026, retrieved 21 October 2026).
Association figure, not official
The Stop Féminicide blog count
From 2017 to 2025, the Stop Féminicide blog, run by the « Plateforme féministe contre les violences faites aux femmes », counted each year the women killed in Belgium that it could find in online news. These are minimums: « at least ».
The vertical axis does not start at 0.
2026: 8 as of 08/08/2026, count stopped. Incomplete year: it is not in the chart and not in the trend. « le blog Stop Féminicide a été contraint de mettre fin à ses activités cet été » (RTBF, Les Grenades, 2 October 2026)
Show all values
| Year | Femicides (at least) | Indirect femicides |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (incomplete) | 8 | not stated |
| 2025 | 27 | 2 |
| 2024 | 27 | 1 |
| 2023 | 28 | not stated |
| 2022 | 27 | 2 |
| 2021 | 25 | 1 |
| 2020 | 27 | 1 |
| 2019 | 28 | 1 |
| 2018 | 40 | not stated |
| 2017 | 45 | not stated |
- The blog’s method: « Uniquement à travers un recensement des articles de presse en ligne » (Blog Stop Féminicide, post « Update 2026 », 13 August 2026) A case not reported in the press is not counted. The blog decides for itself what it calls a femicide.
- Past years are revised upwards. EIGE quoted the blog: « According to the blog, between 2017 and 2023, 211 women were killed in Belgium » (EIGE, profil Belgique (Gender-based violence), retrieved 21 October 2026). Today the blog gives 220 for 2017 to 2023.
- Figures read on the blog on 21 October 2026 (post updated 13 August 2026).
- This site only publishes yearly totals: no names, no initials, no individual cases.
Source : Blog Stop Féminicide, recensement à partir de la presse en ligne.
What does not exist
- Police figures (BIPOL) do not say whether the victim is a woman or a man, nor how the victim was related to the perpetrator. They therefore cannot give a number of femicides.
- Attempts are not counted in either series on this page. The law defines them, but no public figure counts them yet.
- The definitions differ: the official series counts all women killed, the blog only counts the cases it considers gender-related, based on the press. The law has its own definition, which no published figure applies yet.
- For these reasons, we calculate no gap and no share between the official series and the blog’s count.