Belgium

België

Waiting for the first voice

تا مرد سخن نگفته باشد / عیب و هنرش نهفته باشد
Until a man has spoken, his faults and his gifts both stay hidden.

Saadi, Gulistan, chapter I, story 3

No advice from here yet. Know an elder from this country? Your recording could be the first: 2–3 minutes on a phone.

After the elections of 13 June 2010, Belgium went 541 days without a government, a Guinness World Record for peacetime. (source)

of people are 65 or older: 21%
people aged 65 or older: 2.5M
will be 65 or older in 2050: 27.8%
is how long people live after 60, on average: 24.5 years
of people 65+ live alone: 29.2%; women 35.9%, men 20.8%
of people 65+ live in collective quarters: care homes, hospitals, hostels and the like: 5.3%

Sources: World Bank, 2025; World Bank projection for 2050; WHO, 2023; UN, 2021; UN, 2011 census

11 languages, 6 of them endangered

Languages and their status: Glottolog v5.3, CC BY 4.0. Names: Wikidata.

Show all 21

List and years: ich.unesco.org

Record their advice in their native language: 2–3 minutes on a phone.