Belgium is relatively sparsely populated compared with the big five countries of Western Europe (its population is around 25% that of Spain), but it occupies an important strategic position within Western Europe. Brussels is home to a number of key European Union institutions.

European institutions based in the capital include the European Commission (the executive arm of the EU), the Council of Ministers and the European Council. Belgium is therefore an important location for market research with a European political or regulatory dimension.

Belgium is divided into three autonomous regions: Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north, French-speaking Wallonia in the south and the Brussels-Capital region in the center, where the majority of inhabitants also speak French as their first language (although English is also widely spoken in Brussels). It’s important to take these linguistic differences into account when planning national market research in Belgium.