Explore diseases and causes of death over time

This page contains articles on the main causes of death in Belgian history. The articles are based on the latest scientific knowledge and explain how diseases change over time and space. 

Alcoholisme – Cardiovascular disease –Dementia – Cancer historical – Cancer today – Cholera in Brussels – Cholera in the countryside – Spanish Flu – Malaria – Measles – Suicide – Tuberculosis – Vague causes of death

Dementia

Cardiovascular Disease

Cancer

Vague Causes of Death

Tuberculosis

Cholera

 

Alcohol

Malaria

Suicide

Flu

Measles

Bronchitis

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Vague causes of death: what can we learn from the ill-defined?

Belgium has been collecting cause-of-death data since the mid-nineteenth century. Despite continued efforts to improve data collection, a small but meaningful share of deaths did not get a precise cause. Instead, these deaths were recorded under vague labels such as convulsions, old age, or simply unknown. At first glance, these categories seem frustratingly imprecise. But when we look more closely, they tell a revealing story about age, class, and changing medical and administrative practices.

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Dementia: the rise of a leading cause of death and its unequal toll on women

In Belgium, as in many high-income countries, dementia has emerged as a leading cause of death, particularly among women aged 65 and above. A little over 100 years ago, when Alois Alzheimer studied the brains of his patient Auguste Deter, the disease was unknown. Discover how scientific advances accompanied a growing awareness of the disease, and a growing number of patients.

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The rise of cancer in Belgium: real change or better reporting?

Cancer is one of the most widespread diseases of our time. Yet two centuries ago, it barely appeared in the historical record. Over time, medical innovations and shifting ways of life changed cancer mortality risks dramatically. Discover here how cancer gradually became visible, how it was counted, and which areas in Belgium were impacted first and most.

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Alcohol’s under-estimated death toll in Belgium

For most of Belgium’s history, alcohol killed almost no one, at least on paper. In Belgium, officially, alcoholism accounted for only 4 out of every 1000 deaths at its pre-war peak in the early 1900s. Today, we know alcohol is responsible for many more deaths than just those that are directly due to alcoholism. This article explores the death toll, both historical and modern, of Belgium’s favourite drug.

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Two centuries of heart disease in Belgium

During the twentieth century, cardiovascular disease became the world’s leading cause of death. Today, people with lower income or less education have been more likely to die from it. But the past tells a different story. In nineteenth-century Belgium higher occupational groups were at higher risk. Let’s find out why.

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Tuberculosis: the 19th century's silent killer

For centuries, tuberculosis was one of humanity’s deadliest companions. It was likely the leading cause of death in human history. In Belgium, tuberculosis was a major killer well into the nineteenth century, particularly as urbanization and industrialization reshaped living conditions.

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Cholera: the deadliest epidemic in Belgian History?

In the nineteenth century, cholera swept through the country multiple times, leaving devastation in its wake. Half of those touched by the disease would not survive. The poor suffered the most, but the wealthy were touched as well. Was it simply bad luck, or did deeper patterns of inequality determine who lived and who died?

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Malaria

Was Belgium covered by a thick jungle hosting tropical diseases at some point in the late 19th century? Of course not! Yet one disease that is now associated almost exclusively with the tropics was once found in Belgium and Europe. Today, malaria still causes high mortality, especially among children in Sub Saharan Africa. Where was this disease found in our regions and why did it eventually disappear?

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Cholera in the Belgian countryside

Cholera is mainly known as an urban disease. Two-thirds of the cholera deaths in 1866 were recorded in cities. However, some rural areas in Namur and Luxembourg were also affected severely, with up to 9% off the entire population of some towns dying. How did this mainly urban disease spread to these remote and rural provinces and what made some places more at risk than others?

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Suicide in Belgium across time and space

Suicide is one of the most stable causes of death across societies and time. While its social meanings and the ways it is recorded have evolved, the phenomenon itself has remained a consistent feature of human life. In Belgium, like in many other European countries, the question of who dies by suicide, where, and how, has long preoccupied researchers, policymakers, and the public alike.

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Measles

Measles might seem like a disease from the past, but recent outbreaks in Belgium tell a different story. Cases are now resurfacing mainly in major cities such as Brussels and Antwerp. A look at Belgium’s history of measles mortality, responsible for over 173,000 deaths between 1851 and 2025, helps explain why vaccination remains crucial today.

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The cancer burden in Belgium today

Cancer is not a new disease. What is new, however, is the scale at which it impacts contemporary societies. Today, cancer is the leading cause of death, accounting for 1 in four of all fatalities in Belgium in 2023. Mapping this impact highlights a major public health challenge for our country.

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Spanish Flu

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