Municipality · NIS 44088 · closed 24/04/2026
Merelbeke-Melle
Compare 2 places: Merelbeke-Melle and…
1 941provisional
+4,0 % in 2025 compared with 2024 (1 867)
2025: first publication (closed 24/04/2026), provisional figures. Late reports are added in later bulletins, which revise the figures upwards. The 2025/2024 change may therefore overstate the fall. Learn more
51,94 offences per 1,000 inhab. in 2025 (pop. 37 369 on 1/1/2025)
Source: Oost_Vlaanderen_Merelbeke-Melle_fr.pdf · 128 pages
PNG image to share yourself (key figures, mayor, sources); it is not published on the site. The text in the image is in French.
Local executive
Mayor: Egbert Lachaert
List: Blauw · Party / affiliation: not provided
Since 02/01/2025 · In office on 08/10/2026 · source (official source)
Majority (lists on the executive): Blauw / cd&v / N-VA
Derived from the lists of the executive members · In office on 08/10/2026 · source (official source)
Next elections: municipal and provincial elections: 13/10/2030 · regional, federal and European elections: 2029.
Profile
Official sources (Statbel), edition shown on each line.
- Population on 1 January 2026
- 37 675
Statbel, 1/1/2026
- Foreign nationals (non-Belgian nationality)
- 6,2 %2 333 out of 37 675
2025 : 6,0 % · 2026 : 6,2 %The vertical axis does not start at 0. Annual series
1 January Foreign nationals Share 2025 2 256 6,0 % 2026 2 333 6,2 % Statbel, 1/1/2026, series 2025-2026
- Non-Belgians by group of nationality of origin
- Neighbouring countries*1,0 %(377)
- EU27 excluding neighbouring countries2,2 %(836)
- Non-EU273,0 %(1 120)
* Germany, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, United Kingdom (Statbel grouping).
Statbel, 1/1/2026, share of the population
- Origin (indicator separate from nationality)
- Belgians of Belgian origin82,7 %(31 154)
- Belgians of foreign origin11,1 %(4 188)
- Non-Belgians6,2 %(2 333)
Statbel, 1/1/2026
- Age
- 0-17 years19,1 %(7 187)
- 18-64 years59,2 %(22 310)
- 65 and over21,7 %(8 178)
Statbel, 1/1/2026
- Area and density
52,3 km² · 714 inhab./km²
Statbel, 1/1/2025
- Median income per tax return
Not published for this municipality code (municipality merged in 2025: 2023 income published for the former municipalities).
Statbel, income 2023
Definitions
- « Foreign national » = person with a non-Belgian nationality in the national register, on 1 January. Naturalised Belgians or Belgians of foreign origin are counted as Belgians.
- Origin (Statbel): based on current nationality, the person's first registered nationality and that of their parents. Official categories: Belgian of Belgian origin, Belgian of foreign origin, non-Belgian.
- Group of nationality of origin: Statbel grouping into neighbouring countries, EU27 excluding neighbouring countries, and non-EU27; this is not a strict EU / non-EU split (the United Kingdom is classed as a neighbouring country).
- Merged or renumbered municipalities: no reconstructed series before the date of the new code (same rule as for the reference population).
- These figures are not cross-referenced with any crime statistics.
Elections
- Valid votes: 18,488
- Registered: 28,413 · turnout 65.7 %
- Blank and void: 167 (0.9 % of ballots)
| List | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blauw | 4,651 | 25.2 % | 9 |
| cd&v | 4,412 | 23.9 % | 8 |
| GROEN | 3,467 | 18.8 % | 6 |
| N-VA | 2,674 | 14.5 % | 5 |
| Vooruit+ | 2,284 | 12.4 % | 4 |
| VLAAMS BELANG | 1,000 | 5.4 % | 1 |
Source: Vlaanderen kiest (Flemish Home Affairs agency), official results (local elections of 13/10/2024). Local lists, under the filed name, not linked to any party. National view
Main categories
Click a category to open the annual series (2000, 2015-2025; 2025 provisional).
| Category | 2025prov. | Change 2025/2024 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 941 | +4,0 % | 1 646 | |
| 438 | -12,0 % | 586 | |
| 310 | +9,2 % | 121 | |
| 162 | +10,2 % | 226 | |
| 155 | -8,8 % | 100 | |
| 150 | +72,4 % | 52 | |
| 120 | +10,1 % | - | |
| 103 | +30,4 % | 37 | |
| 91 | +28,2 % | 6 | |
| 76 | -14,6 % | 46 | |
| 70 | +18,6 % | 119 | |
| 46 | +7,0 % | 27 | |
| 44 | -12,0 % | - | |
| 43 | +22,9 % | 22 | |
| 37 | +12,1 % | 29 | |
| 30 | +87,5 % | 23 | |
| 29 | +3,6 % | 108 | |
| 17 | -29,2 % | 10 | |
| 15 | +25,0 % | 1 | |
| 14 | -57,6 % | 65 | |
| 10 | +11,1 % | 4 | |
| 6 | +20,0 % | 13 | |
| 6 | +500,0 % | 2 | |
| 4 | -77,8 % | 13 | |
| 4 | -20,0 % | 3 | |
| 1 | 0,0 % | 3 | |
| 1 | -83,3 % | 2 | |
| 1 | -50,0 % | - | |
| 1 | -50,0 % | 7 | |
| 1 | - | 1 | |
| - | - | 6 | |
| - | - | - | |
| - | - | 8 | |
| - | - | - | |
| - | - | - | |
| - | - | 1 | |
| - | - | - | |
| - | - | 5 | |
| - | - | - |
Change 2025/2024: change in 2025 compared with 2024 (e.g. −10 % = 2025 is 10 % lower than 2024, not the reverse).
2025 provisional: first publication. Reports registered late are added in later bulletins, which revise the figures upwards, so the 2025/2024 fall may be overstated.
Source of figures: police crime statistics bulletin, Q4 2025 (closed 24/04/2026). Click a category to show the full available annual series.