Databases

The information on the maps and graphs of this atlas has mainly been derived from digitised historical and contemporary databases containing causes of death. Information on both aggregated and individual-level data was used. Additionally, information has been derived from the civil registers of birth and death of the studied cities. 

Causes-of-death registers

From 1851 onwards, every Belgian municipality was required to keep a register in which the presumed cause of death was recorded for each deceased person. In most cases, the register included the name of the deceased, date of death, age, sex, occupation, marital status and cause of death. 

This system was introduced following the cholera epidemics of the 1840s and provided, for the first time, a detailed picture of the population’s health.

In cities, a physician usually determined the cause of death, but in many villages this task fell to family members or neighbours, resulting in a wide range of descriptions – often vague or imprecise – being added to the registers. Because there was initially no uniform list of diseases, many terms were difficult to compare. With the introduction of an official Belgian nomenclature in 1867 and the later adoption of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) in the early 20th century, the quality of the registration improved significantly.

From the 1930s onwards, Belgium gradually shifted to confidential, anonymous cause-of-death forms: first in East Flanders (1930) and subsequently in all provinces by 1954. This transition marked the end of the traditional registers.

For privacy reasons, most of the historical causes-of-death registers were destroyed over time. However, a small number of municipalities have preserved (parts of) their series. The longest uninterrupted sequence is found in the city of Antwerp (1820–1946). The Antwerp data has been made accessible through the S.O.S. Antwerp database. In other municipalities as well, such as Châtelet (1867–1920) and Zele (1852–1920), the surviving register data have been compiled into scientific databases. 

Page from the cause of death register, City of Antwerp, 1891

The Mouvement de la population et de l’état civil is a serie of annual statistics that provide detailed information on population trends in Belgium. Alongside the censuses, it forms the second pillar of historical population statistics. The registers begin in 1841 and run until 1976. They contain basic statistics per municipality, district and province on births, deaths, marriages, divorces, migration and, from 1852 onwards, causes of death. These data were compiled by local authorities on pre-printed forms and forwarded to the central government via the districts and provinces. 

The digitized images and inventories of the registers can be consulted on the website of the Belgian State Archives. 

A selection of data derived from this source is also available in the HISSTER database of the Quetelet Center (Ghent University). 

Page from the Mouvement de la Population, Cadre supplémentaire: causes de déces, Province of Brabant, 1895

DEMOBEL is a database with individual level anonymized data made available to researchers authorized by STATBEL (the Belgian statistical office). This database is based primarily on linked data from the National Population Register and census data since 1991. The database includes date of birth, gender, municipality of residence, statistical sector of residence, family relationships, and socio-economic characteristics recorded in the censuses. 

For administrative purposes, the Belgian central government mandated the maintenance of a population register in each municipality starting in 1846. Every person officially residing in the municipality had to be registered in the municipal population register.

The first register was compiled from the data of the 1846 census. This was a continuous registration system where every person officially entering the municipality to reside there was required to register. The population registers thus contained, for each address, the surname, given name, marital status, date of birth and date of marriage, date of entry into the municipality, and date of departure. With each new census, the registers underwent a specific reordering process. 

For more than a century, these registers were maintained on paper by individual municipalities. The original volumes are preserved in municipal archives and constitute an important source for historical demographic research.

From the late 20th century onwards, this paper-based system was gradually replaced by a centralised, computerised register. The law of 8 August 1983 formally established the Belgian National Register, bringing population information from individual municipalities together in a central digital database. It replaced the population register. In 1988, all Belgian municipalities joined the national register, the data from which has been available for research since 1991.

The data integrated into DEMOBEL provides a snapshot of the population on January 1st of each year with elements such as date of birth, gender, municipality of residence… as well as information on births, deaths, internal or international migrations, changes of nationality or civil status that occur during a given year. 

For policy purposes, the Belgian central government organized general population censuses at regular intervals from the early 19th century onwards. For every inhabitant of the country, a range of basic information was collected and recorded, including age, marital status, place of birth, occupation, and education.

Between 1800 and 2001, nineteen general censuses were conducted on Belgian territory with direct surveys: in 1801, 1816, 1830, 1846, 1856, 1866, 1876, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1947, 1961, 1970, 1981, 1991, and 2001. The 2001 census, known as the Socio-Economic Survey, was the last of its kind. 
Since 2011, population censuses have been based solely on administrative databases, without new direct surveys of all residents.

The results of the censuses from 1801 to 1970 that are available at the municipal level have largely been compiled in the LOKSTAT database of the Quetelet Center (Ghent University). Some data from recent censuses (2011 and 2021) are available on the website of  STATBEL.

S.O.S. Antwerp is the name of a database containing information on all individuals who died within the city of Antwerp between 1820 and 1946. It includes basic data on more than 480.000 persons, with detailed information on each death (cause, date, place, institution, attending physician, undertaker) and each deceased individual (age, marital status, occupation, place of birth, residence). 

The database is the result of the citizen science project S.O.S. Antwerp: Social Inequality in Mortality, 1820–1946, a collaboration between Ghent University, the University of Antwerp, the Felix Archives, and Histories vzw. During this project (2020–2025), 761 volunteers transcribed all death cause registers of the city under the supervision of researchers from the Quetelet Center (Ghent University). 

The data can be consulted via the website of the website of the Antwerp Felix Archives.  

The Spanish flu database contains information on all individuals who died in 1912, 1913, 1918, and 1919 in a sample of 35 Belgian municipalities, containing a total of over 73.000 people. It includes information on each death (date) and on each deceased individual (age, marital status, occupation (or occupation of father, spouse, etc.), and address). This database was compiled from civil registration records (deaths). 

The Spanish flu database was created to study the Spanish flu epidemic as part of the EPIBEL project, funded by BELSPO. It is the result of a collaboration between the Quetelet Center (Ghent University) and the Centre for Demographic Research (UCLouvain).  

The data can be consulted at the Quetelet Center and the Centre for Demographic Research. 

Following the cholera epidemics of 1840, each Belgian municipality was required to keep lists of individuals affected by cholera, regardless of the outcome of the illness. These documents were transmitted by the municipalities to the provinces, which allowed for the preservation of some of them. Thus, the cholera epidemic of 1866 is particularly well documented. These lists include for everyone affected by the disease the person’s full name, age, occupation, the date the illness began and ended, as well as its outcome (recovery or death). In addition, the list includes the address or neighbourhood and, where applicable, remarks about the epidemic, or, depending on the municipality, the number of cases within the household. 

Data concerning the municipalities of the provinces of Namur and Luxembourg have been encoded and are available at the Centre for Demography (UC Louvain) (for the other Walloon provinces, the data are lost except for a few exceptions such as Mons). Data for the city of Brussels were collected by  the Quetelet Center (Ghent University). 

Timeline

On the infographic below, you can find a timeline that shows which periods are covered by which datasets.

About the maps

The maps in the Mortality Atlas help you explore how mortality in Belgium varied across places and changed over time. They bring historical data to life, revealing geographical patterns in causes of death and differences in mortality between regions and periods. Each map focuses on a particular aspect of mortality, so the geographical areas, time periods and measures shown may differ.

Understanding the maps

The maps present different types of information. Some show the number of deaths, while others display mortality rates or other measures that allow comparisons between places or periods. These measures tell different stories. Always check the title, legend and accompanying text to understand what a map shows.

The maps use different geographical divisions, depending on the data available and the subject being explored. More information about the geographical divisions of Belgium can be found on the page The territorial organisation of Belgium. 

Historical boundaries do not always correspond to those used today. Where necessary, historical data may be presented using a common geographical framework to make comparisons across time possible. In other cases, the maps reflect the geographical divisions associated with the original data.

The accompanying text explains the geographical framework used where this is relevant. Keep these differences in mind when comparing places or interpreting changes over time.

Maps can reveal where particular causes of death were more common, how mortality differed between regions and how these patterns changed over time. They can also raise questions about the influence of living conditions, work, population structure, public health and access to medical care.

However, a geographical pattern does not explain itself. Differences in mortality may have several causes, and historical records have limitations. Changes in the classification or recording of causes of death can also affect the patterns visible in the data.

The maps are therefore a starting point for exploring Belgium’s history of mortality, disease and inequality. Read them alongside the accompanying explanations to understand what the data can tell us—and where caution is needed.

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