People speak Flemish mainly in the northern part of Belgium , in the region called Flanders , and in a few small areas just across the borders in the Netherlands and France.

Quick Scoop: Where do they speak Flemish?

  • Main area: Flanders (northern Belgium) – the everyday language of millions.
  • Secondary areas:
    • Zeelandic Flanders in the Netherlands (southernmost part of Zeeland province).
* **French Flanders** near Lille, Dunkirk, and Douai in northern France, where a few thousand still speak it.

In short: if you’re standing in Flanders, you’re in the heart of the Flemish- speaking world.

What exactly is “Flemish”?

Flemish isn’t one single language, but a name for several Dutch dialects used in Flanders and nearby areas.

  • linguistically, it’s a variety of Dutch (West Germanic), very closely related to standard Dutch.
  • in everyday speech, people often mean “Flemish Dutch” or the colloquial mix called Tussentaal (“in-between language”) when they say “Flemish”.

So “where do they speak Flemish” is really: “where do they speak Dutch- influenced dialects that locals call Flemish?”

The main regions in detail

1. Flanders, Belgium (the big one)

Flanders is the Dutch-speaking northern region of Belgium , made up of five provinces:

  1. West Flanders
  2. East Flanders
  3. Antwerp (Antwerpen)
  4. Flemish Brabant
  5. Limburg

In all of these, Flemish Dutch is the dominant spoken language; the official language in administration and education is Dutch, but with a Flemish accent, vocabulary, and quirks.

Brussels is officially bilingual (Dutch/French), but it sits inside the Flemish Region and has a large Flemish-speaking population.

2. Zeelandic Flanders, Netherlands

This is the southernmost part of Zeeland province , just across the Belgian border:

  • It’s the continuation of the historical Flanders region that now lies in the Netherlands.
  • Here people speak Zeelandic Flemish , a dialect very close to the Belgian Flemish varieties.

You can think of it as a small “Flemish pocket” in the Netherlands.

3. French Flanders, France

French Flanders is in the Hauts-de-France region, around:

  • Lille
  • Dunkirk (Duinkerke)
  • Douai

Here, a few thousand people still use Flemish dialects, mostly in older generations or in specific local communities. It’s not widespread, but it does exist.

How many people speak it?

Estimates vary, but:

  • Around 5.5–6.5 million people speak Flemish dialects or Flemish Dutch, mostly in Belgium.
  • That’s roughly 55% of Belgium’s population.
  • A small number (a few thousand) are in France.

Common misconceptions

  • “Flemish is a separate language” – Not really. It’s a set of Dutch dialects / a Belgian variety of Dutch, not an independent language like French or German.
  • “Everyone in Belgium speaks Flemish” – No. Southern Belgium (Wallonia) is mostly French-speaking, and there’s also a small German-speaking area.
  • “Flemish = only in Belgium” – Technically incorrect, because Zeelandic Flanders (Netherlands) and French Flanders (France) also have Flemish speakers.

If you’re traveling

If you visit:

  • Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels (north side), or any town in West/East Flanders, Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, or Limburg – you’ll hear Flemish spoken everywhere.
  • Southern Zeeland (Netherlands) – you’ll hear Zeelandic Flemish in local speech.
  • Lille/Dunkirk area (France) – you might hear it in small pockets, but French is dominant.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.