Dutch, French, and German are the three official languages in Belgium. It is estimated that about 60% of population have Dutch as their first language and that a little more than 40% have French as their first language. Only 1% of the population have German as their mother tongue.

Belgium is divided into four language regions:
1. Flanders is in the north. Flemish is the official language of this region. Flemish is a version of Dutch.
2. Wallonia, which is in the south, has French as its official language.
3. German is the official language along a narrow strip along the German border.
4. The Brussels region is officially bilingual.

Although the Brussels region is considered officially bilingual, more than 75% of its inhabitants speak French as their primary or only language.

Dutch is the language of education in Flanders, and French is studied as second language. In Wallonia, French is the language of education while Dutch is studied as a second language.

The official status of Dutch and French in Belgium is often debated. Every political party and other official organizations need dual organizations and publications to include both its French and Dutch speakers.

French belongs to the Romance language group and Dutch belongs to the Germanic language group. Both are within the family of Indo-European languages.

Use your international mobile phone rental to find a traslation service near you.