Editing Hasselt (section)

==Demographics==
In 1977, the merger of Hasselt with several surrounding municipalities added 22.309 inhabitants at the time to its own population of 40.446 inhabitants. As of 1 October 2024, Hasselt had a total population of 81.708 (40.070 men and 41.638 women).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Globaal bevolkingscijfers per gemeente |url=https://www.ibz.rrn.fgov.be/fileadmin/user_upload/nl/bev/statistieken/stat-1-1_n.pdf}}</ref>

===Languages===
* [[Dutch language|Dutch]] in Hasselt is often spoken with a distinctive Limburgish [[Accent (dialect)|accent]] and vocabulary, which should not be confused with the Limburgish language.
* [[Limburgish]] (or ''Limburgian'') is the overlapping term for the [[tonal languages|tonal]] dialects spoken in the Belgian and Dutch provinces of Limburg. The [[Hasselt dialect]] is only one of many variants of Limburgish.<ref>{{citation|last=Peters|first=Jörg|year=2006|title=The dialect of Hasselt|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association|volume=36|issue=1|page=117|doi=10.1017/S0025100306002428|doi-access=free}}</ref> Limburgish is a language, and not the same as the regional variation of [[Dutch language|Dutch]] spoken in [[Dutch Limburg]] and [[Belgian Limburg]].[[File:Sint Quintinuskathedraal.jpg|thumb|[[St. Quentin's Cathedral]]]] Since Limburgish is still the mother tongue of many inhabitants, Limburgish grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation can however have a significant impact on the way locals speak Dutch in public life.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2007 |title=Limburgismen in het handschrift-Borgloon |journal=Tijdschrift voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letterkunde |volume=123 |pages=298–332 |hdl=1887/14150}}</ref>
*French was historically spoken by some of the city population within living memory.

=== Religion ===
Hasselt is the main seat of the Catholic diocese of Hasselt, which covers the entire Belgian province of Limburg. The main church is [[St. Quentin Cathedral, Hasselt|St. Quentin's Cathedral]]. Hasselt also consists of about 30 parishes. Next to the Catholic Church, Hasselt houses both a Moroccan and Turkish mosque as both communities are well-established in the city and the surrounding municipalities.