Leer over leven en dood in België​

Van 1800 tot nu zijn de sterftepatronen in België ingrijpend veranderd. De negentiende eeuw werd gekenmerkt door hoge sterftecijfers, terugkerende epidemieën en sociale ongelijkheden in overlevingskansen.

De dalende sterfte en de stijgende levensverwachting weerspiegelen ingrijpende veranderingen in de geneeskunde, de volksgezondheid en de sociale organisatie.

Ontdek hoe de sterfterisico’s verschilden tussen sociale groepen en hoe processen van medicalisering, veranderende ziektepatronen en migratie het leven en de dood hebben hervormd.

Grote trends in sterfte

Van de 19de eeuw tot nu

In de 19de eeuw begon men op een heel andere manier te sterven dan voorheen.  Ontdek wat er gebeurde!

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The epidemiological transition

For millennia the average lifespan was around 30 years. Today, in Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82.5 years. In just over two centuries, the health of Belgians has improved enormously. The causes of death have also changed; people no longer die from the same diseases today as they did in the past! Find out why!

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Mortality trends by sex and age

In Belgium, people today live twice as long as they did 180 years ago. In 1840, life expectancy at birth was 40 years; in 2024, it exceeded 82 years. On a global scale, Belgium is one of the countries where people can expect to live the longest. While progress is significant, it has not been consistent. Follow along and discover which breakthroughs and which periods were crucial.

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Migrants and Health

Discover how humanity shifted from infectious diseases to chronic illnesses and why this transformation reshaped life expectancy, health, and modern society.

Hoe gezond waren migranten?

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Migrants and Health

Discover how humanity shifted from infectious diseases to chronic illnesses and why this transformation reshaped life expectancy, health, and modern society.

How healthy were migrants?

Discover how humanity shifted from infectious diseases to chronic illnesses and why this transformation reshaped life expectancy, health, and modern society.

How healthy were migrants?

migrant_health2

Migrants and Health

Discover how humanity shifted from infectious diseases to chronic illnesses and why this transformation reshaped life expectancy, health, and modern society.

Toegang tot medische zorg

Van 1800 tot 2025

In België hebben zich tussen 1800 en vandaag grote veranderingen in de gezondheidszorg voorgedaan. 

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Doctors

Imagine falling ill in Belgium in 1820. Who would you trust to treat you? A village healer, a barber-surgeon, a priest, or a university-trained doctor? Read on to find out what those options entailed and how the advanced medical care Belgium has to offer today, was born.

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Hospitals: From places to die to centres of healing

Did you know that until the mid-nineteenth century, hospitals as we know them today hardly existed? Medical care was mostly provided at home by family members or friends. In fact, that was often safer, because death rates in hospitals were very high. Read on to discover why hospitals were so dangerous and how medical care provided by them gradually changed.

The Ineqkill Digital Atlas of Health Inequalities in Belgium provides detailed information about mortality and diseases in Belgium from 1820 to 2025. 

About

Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Pleinlaan 5 (Room 2.17)
1050 Brussels, Belgium

e-mail: sylvie.gadeyne@vub.be

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