Number of passenger cars

This indicator measures the size of the vehicle fleet in Flanders.

3,562,489 cars

That is 0.53 cars per inhabitant.

What do we see? 

Since 2010, the number of passenger cars in Flanders has increased by 15%. Today, more than 3.5 million cars are registered. The annual increase was briefly interrupted in 2020, at the time of the COVID crisis. Afterwards, the increase continued, albeit slightly less steep than the period before 2020. In 2019, the number of passenger cars per capita had risen to a value of 0.53, after which it stagnated.



What’s the aim?

In the circular economy, we want to meet mobility needs with as little consumption of materials as possible. The large vehicle fleet in Flanders implies a large consumption of, among other things, metals, plastics, fuels and maintenance products. The Flemish Mobility Vision 2040 proposes a 60% reduction in the materials footprint of mobility. This will require a reduction of the car fleet, which in turn will require greater use of alternative means of transport such as public transport and cycling. The Flemish Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 proposes a 40% share of sustainable modes of transport by 2030.

What does this indicator measure?

This indicator measures the number of passenger cars registered annually in Flanders by individuals and companies. These data were taken from Ecoscore, which is managed by VITO. The basic data come from the FPS Mobility and Transport.

Discover more topics

Modal split in passenger kilometres
66% by car

Modal split in passenger kilometres

This indicator indicates the number of passenger kilometres travelled per mode of transport.
Car use efficiency
1.8 passengers/car

Car use efficiency

This indicator shows the average occupancy during car trips.
Car sharing
173,759 users

Car sharing

This indicator shows the number of car-sharing memberships in Flanders.
Number of buses
2,235 public transport buses

Number of buses

This indicator shows the number of buses in Flanders.
Bus use intensity
83,136 km/year

Bus use intensity

This indicator outlines how intensely buses are used.
Number of freight vehicles
598,585 vehicles

Number of freight vehicles

This indicator provides information on the number and type of freight vehicles.