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Healthcare for migrants in Belgium
SHAPE's editorial comparison places migrant healthcare access in Belgium in the most accessible category (Success). Entitlement: CPAS Urgent Medical Aid route for people without lawful residence.
Most accessible category
Provider type: Public/social insurance system / CPAS / NGO · International migrants (2024): 2,349,032
- Access rule: Undocumented people may request Urgent Medical Aid through the municipal CPAS; despite its name, approved assistance can cover preventive, curative and chronic care.
- Main barriers: A means inquiry, proof of residence and local administrative practice can delay or deter access.
- Migration measure: UN DESA estimates 2,349,032 international migrants at mid-year 2024. This is a point-in-time stock, not the number of people who arrived during 2024. The estimate is based on the foreign-born population. Refugee, asylum-seeker or refugee-like population data are incorporated where indicated by UN DESA.
- Origin definition: The origin shares below use country or area of birth for foreign-born estimates and country of citizenship for foreign-citizen estimates. They do not establish a person's nationality, ethnicity, language, reason for migration, legal status, recent-arrival status or undocumented status.
- Measurement basis: Foreign-born population + refugee/asylum adjustments (UN DESA code B R)
- Evidence note: ECDC indicators use 2024 reports: the foreign-born share is calculated only among diagnoses with known origin; late diagnosis is the country-level share with CD4 <350 cells/µL and is not migrant-specific. Data Unavailable means no sufficiently interpretable value was published; a blank is not zero. The status is an editorial comparison of legal entitlement and practical access and does not apply equally to every migrant group.
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Based on public, cited sources and SHAPE's review. Rules and prices change, so please confirm with the national authority or a professional. Found an error? Tell us.