Belgium Sees Record Military Recruitment in 2025

(MENAFN) Belgium's armed forces achieved a record-breaking recruitment year in 2025, enlisting nearly 3,000 new professional soldiers alongside 800 reservists and more than 700 civilian employees, according to figures released Wednesday.

Data obtained by Belgian lawmaker Axel Weydts and reported by daily De Morgen revealed that the military brought on 509 new officers and 1,181 non-commissioned officers — both figures surpassing previous years. The intake of regular soldiers held steady at 1,303.

Men accounted for the clear majority of new recruits at 2,561, while female enlistment continued its gradual upward trend, reaching 432.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken has set an ambitious target of growing the armed forces to nearly 35,000 personnel by 2029, encompassing professional soldiers, reservists, and civilian staff. To meet that goal, the military is actively courting technicians and information technology specialists as it grapples with mounting personnel gaps driven by a wave of retirements.

Geographically, the Walloon region produced the highest share of recruits nationally. In Flanders, the province of Limburg outperformed the national average.

Brussels, however, stood in stark contrast — logging just 24 recruitments per 100,000 working-age residents, a notably low figure given the capital's persistently high youth unemployment rate.

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