Market Research Companies in Brussels

Key figures for researchers

Population

1,255,834 in the Brussels-Capital Region (1 January 2026)¹

Municipalities

19; the largest are the City of Brussels (198,314), Schaerbeek (129,775) and Anderlecht (128,724) (1 January 2025)²

Languages

officially bilingual: French and Dutch³

Foreign nationals

37% of residents; largest groups: French, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Moroccan (1 January 2025)⁴

Born with a foreign nationality

61% of residents, most often Moroccan (1 January 2025)⁴

Age

average 38.1 years; 21.4% under 18, 13.1% aged 65 and over (2025)²

Households

581,970 private households, 2.14 people on average (1 January 2025)²

EU institutions

41,775 staff (31 December 2024)²

Economy

GDP of €103,285 million (2023); ILO unemployment rate 11.9% (2024)²

Hotel nights

7,000,280 in 2024, of which 3,246,350 for leisure²

Research guide

Research landscape

Brussels is the base of many Belgian agencies and of offices that coordinate studies across Belgium and Europe. Full-service agencies work alongside qualitative specialists, B2B and healthcare firms, field and telephone teams and online panel providers.

The city is also a centre for public-affairs and B2B research: the EU institutions had 41,775 staff at the end of 2024, and the region’s GDP was €103,285 million in 2023. Conferences and business trips matter too: 2,235,322 hotel nights in 2024 were for conferences, conventions and seminars.

Who you will interview

The Brussels-Capital Region had 1,255,834 residents on 1 January 2026, almost the same as a year earlier. It is very international: 37% of residents did not hold Belgian nationality on 1 January 2025, and 61% were born with a foreign nationality. The largest foreign groups are French (71,597), Romanian (46,518), Italian (37,222), Spanish (33,276) and Moroccan (32,699) nationals.

The region is officially bilingual (French and Dutch). In the regional parliament, 72 members are elected on French-speaking lists and 17 on Dutch-speaking lists. Offer both languages to every respondent, and add English or other languages when expatriates or recent migrants are in the target.

Brussels is younger than the rest of the country: the average age was 38.1 in 2025, with 21.4% of residents under 18 and 13.1% aged 65 or over. Households are small (2.14 people on average), so set quotas on household type for family studies.

Fieldwork in practice

The region has 19 municipalities (communes / gemeenten) on 162 km². Their size varies a lot, from the City of Brussels (198,314 residents) and Schaerbeek (129,775) to Koekelberg (22,979). Sampling or quotas by municipality help control the spread of interviews.

The population moves a lot. In 2024, 54,267 people arrived from abroad and 34,869 left for abroad, while about 43,000 moved to Flanders or Wallonia and 25,100 came from there. Address and phone lists age quickly, so plan more contact attempts for door-to-door and telephone work.

Many people who work in Brussels live in Flanders or Wallonia. For studies of workers, shoppers or commuters, decide whether non-residents are in scope and set quotas on place of residence.

Focus groups and qualitative research

In-person focus groups are usually held in dedicated studios with a one-way mirror and video streaming. Run separate groups in French and in Dutch, or in English for expatriate targets: mixed-language groups are hard to moderate.

Ask the agency for its Brussels incentive levels, recruitment lead times and checks against repeat respondents. Senior B2B, EU and public-affairs respondents often prefer short online interviews scheduled around office hours.

Timing

Two school calendars run side by side in Brussels. French-speaking schools follow the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles calendar and Dutch-speaking schools the Flemish one. French-speaking schools had 76,216 primary pupils in 2023–2024, Dutch-speaking schools 21,201.

In 2026–2027, autumn holidays are 19 to 30 October 2026 in French-speaking schools and 2 to 8 November 2026 in Dutch-speaking schools. Christmas holidays start on 21 December 2026 in both. The February break is 22 February to 5 March 2027 (French-speaking) and 8 to 14 February 2027 (Dutch-speaking); the spring break is 26 April to 7 May 2027 (French-speaking) and 29 March to 11 April 2027 (Dutch-speaking). Summer holidays start on 1 July 2027 in Dutch-speaking schools and on 3 July 2027 in French-speaking schools.

8 May is the Brussels-Capital Region holiday (Fête de l’Iris). 11 July (Flemish Community) and 27 September (Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles) are also community holidays. They are not national public holidays, but some public services close. Check national public holidays in the Belgium guide.

Working with a Brussels agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, municipalities, method, languages and deadline.
• Ask for French and Dutch questionnaires as standard, and English or other languages when expatriates or migrants are in scope.
• Say whether people who work in Brussels but live in Flanders or Wallonia are part of the target.
• For focus groups, ask for the studio address, viewing room capacity, streaming options, language of moderation and incentive levels.
• Check the schedule against both school calendars and the 8 May regional holiday.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 Brussels companies from this page.

National rules (data protection, holidays, sampling across regions) are covered in our guide to market research in Belgium.