The number of bank branches in Belgium decreased by a tenth in 2023

In 2023, approximately one-tenth of all bank branches in Belgium will disappear. That figure is higher than last year. But when viewed over a longer period, the systematic closure of offices only becomes clearly visible.

In the news: In 2023 there were still 3,243 bank branches, according to figures from the banking federation Febelfin. Compared to the previous year, this is a decrease of 9.7 percent.

• That percentage was lower in 2022, but more offices closed in 2018, 2020 and 2021. The very sharp decrease in the number of bank branches is clearly something that has occurred in recent years, as more people only bank digitally.
• Over a period of thirty years, more than eight in ten offices disappeared. In 1993 the number of branches was 17,757.
• Banks with their own offices closed 12.4 percent of their branches last year. This mainly concerns the four major banks ING, BNP Paribas Fortis, Belfius and KBC. This share was smaller among independent banking agents, where 6.2 percent of the branches disappeared.
• The number of banks active in Belgium is also decreasing. Last year there were 77, in 2022 it will still be 79. But here too there is a systematic decline: in 1980 there were just under 100 active.

Zoomed in: Compared to abroad it is not too bad.

• Relative figures show that Belgium had 307 bank branches per 1 million inhabitants in 2022. This puts it in seventh place in Europe.
• Bulgaria has the most offices in relative terms, with 664 offices per million inhabitants. France and Spain also have more branches.
• The Netherlands has the fewest offices in Europe, relatively speaking. There are only 41 establishments per million inhabitants. In 2021, ING closed half of its offices there in one fell swoop.

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