Belgium is a high-income country with a population of 11.9M people. The capital and largest city is Brussels, with 1.25M residents. Belgium shares land borders with France, the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg.
Belgium ranks 23/197 by GDP ($665B) and 17/197 by GDP per capita ($55,955). The top export category is chemicals & pharma, while the top import is machinery & equipment.
Main facts and rankings
Belgium
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Population |
11909960
|
83/197 |
| GDP |
$665B
2024 |
23/197 |
| GDP per capita |
$55,955
2024 |
17/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$72,126
2024 |
20/197 |
| Government debt |
$694B
2024 |
16/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
106.4%
2025 |
17/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$58,455
2024 |
5/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$34,348
2025 |
25/197 |
| Land area | 11,774 sq mi | 136/197 |
| Population density | 1,009 ppl/mi² | 23/197 |
| Fertility rate | 1.47 | 151/196 |
| Median age | 42.7 years | 32/196 |
| Life expectancy | 82.4 years | 26/197 |
Belgium trends dashboard: time-series charts
| Year | GDP |
|---|---|
| 1960 | $11,810,619,368 |
| 1961 | $12,561,701,694 |
| 1962 | $13,436,827,167 |
| 1963 | $14,445,805,381 |
| 1964 | $16,168,044,450 |
| 1965 | $17,597,783,297 |
| 1966 | $18,894,891,312 |
| 1967 | $20,252,508,995 |
| 1968 | $21,654,856,965 |
| 1969 | $24,019,653,475 |
| 1970 | $26,706,196,047 |
| 1971 | $29,821,661,870 |
| 1972 | $37,209,418,019 |
| 1973 | $47,743,801,490 |
| 1974 | $56,033,077,879 |
| 1975 | $65,678,189,097 |
| 1976 | $71,113,882,968 |
| 1977 | $82,839,905,459 |
| 1978 | $101,246,526,194 |
| 1979 | $116,315,456,797 |
| 1980 | $126,829,314,388 |
| 1981 | $104,730,018,470 |
| 1982 | $92,095,926,188 |
| 1983 | $87,184,239,053 |
| 1984 | $83,349,530,159 |
| 1985 | $86,268,264,148 |
| 1986 | $120,018,787,249 |
| 1987 | $149,394,404,106 |
| 1988 | $162,299,103,675 |
| 1989 | $164,221,056,511 |
| 1990 | $205,331,747,948 |
| 1991 | $210,510,999,409 |
| 1992 | $234,781,652,447 |
| 1993 | $224,721,795,709 |
| 1994 | $244,884,129,491 |
| 1995 | $288,025,588,396 |
| 1996 | $279,201,433,225 |
| 1997 | $252,708,051,421 |
| 1998 | $258,528,339,631 |
| 1999 | $258,245,733,221 |
| 2000 | $236,792,460,312 |
| 2001 | $236,746,141,604 |
| 2002 | $258,383,599,375 |
| 2003 | $318,082,528,507 |
| 2004 | $369,214,712,443 |
| 2005 | $385,714,762,230 |
| 2006 | $408,259,840,869 |
| 2007 | $470,922,156,309 |
| 2008 | $517,328,087,920 |
| 2009 | $485,014,525,992 |
| 2010 | $481,556,503,720 |
| 2011 | $527,196,649,049 |
| 2012 | $498,414,364,945 |
| 2013 | $524,097,026,599 |
| 2014 | $537,987,419,164 |
| 2015 | $461,044,767,545 |
| 2016 | $474,271,566,740 |
| 2017 | $500,908,767,352 |
| 2018 | $542,638,913,428 |
| 2019 | $536,726,344,405 |
| 2020 | $529,694,473,502 |
| 2021 | $598,522,422,242 |
| 2022 | $593,614,574,326 |
| 2023 | $644,655,275,112 |
| 2024 | $664,564,181,487 |
| Year | GDP per capita |
|---|---|
| 1960 | $1,290 |
| 1961 | $1,368 |
| 1962 | $1,457 |
| 1963 | $1,555 |
| 1964 | $1,724 |
| 1965 | $1,860 |
| 1966 | $1,983 |
| 1967 | $2,114 |
| 1968 | $2,251 |
| 1969 | $2,490 |
| 1970 | $2,766 |
| 1971 | $3,083 |
| 1972 | $3,832 |
| 1973 | $4,901 |
| 1974 | $5,734 |
| 1975 | $6,701 |
| 1976 | $7,243 |
| 1977 | $8,427 |
| 1978 | $10,290 |
| 1979 | $11,811 |
| 1980 | $12,864 |
| 1981 | $10,623 |
| 1982 | $9,344 |
| 1983 | $8,846 |
| 1984 | $8,457 |
| 1985 | $8,751 |
| 1986 | $12,170 |
| 1987 | $15,136 |
| 1988 | $16,391 |
| 1989 | $16,525 |
| 1990 | $20,600 |
| 1991 | $21,042 |
| 1992 | $23,373 |
| 1993 | $22,284 |
| 1994 | $24,209 |
| 1995 | $28,414 |
| 1996 | $27,490 |
| 1997 | $24,821 |
| 1998 | $25,338 |
| 1999 | $25,253 |
| 2000 | $23,099 |
| 2001 | $23,015 |
| 2002 | $25,006 |
| 2003 | $30,655 |
| 2004 | $35,429 |
| 2005 | $36,810 |
| 2006 | $38,705 |
| 2007 | $44,319 |
| 2008 | $48,303 |
| 2009 | $44,923 |
| 2010 | $44,197 |
| 2011 | $47,761 |
| 2012 | $44,874 |
| 2013 | $46,965 |
| 2014 | $47,996 |
| 2015 | $40,894 |
| 2016 | $41,855 |
| 2017 | $44,035 |
| 2018 | $47,487 |
| 2019 | $46,717 |
| 2020 | $45,906 |
| 2021 | $51,658 |
| 2022 | $50,822 |
| 2023 | $54,690 |
| 2024 | $55,955 |
Belgium's life expectancy calculator
| Year | Life expectancy, years |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 66.3 |
| 1951 | 66.7 |
| 1952 | 68 |
| 1953 | 68.4 |
| 1954 | 68.6 |
| 1955 | 68.5 |
| 1956 | 68.8 |
| 1957 | 69.2 |
| 1958 | 69.9 |
| 1959 | 70.3 |
| 1960 | 69.6 |
| 1961 | 70.5 |
| 1962 | 70.2 |
| 1963 | 70 |
| 1964 | 70.7 |
| 1965 | 70.6 |
| 1966 | 70.6 |
| 1967 | 70.9 |
| 1968 | 70.6 |
| 1969 | 70.7 |
| 1970 | 70.9 |
| 1971 | 71.1 |
| 1972 | 71.4 |
| 1973 | 71.6 |
| 1974 | 72 |
| 1975 | 72 |
| 1976 | 72.1 |
| 1977 | 72.8 |
| 1978 | 72.7 |
| 1979 | 73.2 |
| 1980 | 73.2 |
| 1981 | 73.7 |
| 1982 | 73.9 |
| 1983 | 73.9 |
| 1984 | 74.4 |
| 1985 | 74.5 |
| 1986 | 74.7 |
| 1987 | 75.3 |
| 1988 | 75.6 |
| 1989 | 75.6 |
| 1990 | 76.1 |
| 1991 | 76.2 |
| 1992 | 76.4 |
| 1993 | 76.4 |
| 1994 | 76.7 |
| 1995 | 76.8 |
| 1996 | 77.2 |
| 1997 | 77.4 |
| 1998 | 77.5 |
| 1999 | 77.6 |
| 2000 | 77.8 |
| 2001 | 78.1 |
| 2002 | 78.2 |
| 2003 | 78.3 |
| 2004 | 79 |
| 2005 | 79.1 |
| 2006 | 79.4 |
| 2007 | 79.5 |
| 2008 | 79.6 |
| 2009 | 79.8 |
| 2010 | 80 |
| 2011 | 80.4 |
| 2012 | 80.3 |
| 2013 | 80.5 |
| 2014 | 81.1 |
| 2015 | 80.9 |
| 2016 | 81.3 |
| 2017 | 81.4 |
| 2018 | 81.5 |
| 2019 | 81.8 |
| 2020 | 80.8 |
| 2021 | 81.7 |
| 2022 | 81.2 |
| 2023 | 82.1 |
| 2024 | 82.3 |
| 2025 | 82.4 |
Belgium's population clock and projection
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 9,153,489 |
| 1961 | 9,183,948 |
| 1962 | 9,220,578 |
| 1963 | 9,289,770 |
| 1964 | 9,378,113 |
| 1965 | 9,463,667 |
| 1966 | 9,527,807 |
| 1967 | 9,580,991 |
| 1968 | 9,618,756 |
| 1969 | 9,646,032 |
| 1970 | 9,655,549 |
| 1971 | 9,673,162 |
| 1972 | 9,711,115 |
| 1973 | 9,741,720 |
| 1974 | 9,772,419 |
| 1975 | 9,800,700 |
| 1976 | 9,818,227 |
| 1977 | 9,830,358 |
| 1978 | 9,839,534 |
| 1979 | 9,848,382 |
| 1980 | 9,859,242 |
| 1981 | 9,858,982 |
| 1982 | 9,856,303 |
| 1983 | 9,855,520 |
| 1984 | 9,855,372 |
| 1985 | 9,858,308 |
| 1986 | 9,861,823 |
| 1987 | 9,870,234 |
| 1988 | 9,901,664 |
| 1989 | 9,937,697 |
| 1990 | 9,967,379 |
| 1991 | 10,004,486 |
| 1992 | 10,045,158 |
| 1993 | 10,084,475 |
| 1994 | 10,115,603 |
| 1995 | 10,136,811 |
| 1996 | 10,156,637 |
| 1997 | 10,181,245 |
| 1998 | 10,203,008 |
| 1999 | 10,226,419 |
| 2000 | 10,251,250 |
| 2001 | 10,286,570 |
| 2002 | 10,332,785 |
| 2003 | 10,376,133 |
| 2004 | 10,421,137 |
| 2005 | 10,478,617 |
| 2006 | 10,547,958 |
| 2007 | 10,625,700 |
| 2008 | 10,709,973 |
| 2009 | 10,796,493 |
| 2010 | 10,895,586 |
| 2011 | 11,038,264 |
| 2012 | 11,106,932 |
| 2013 | 11,159,407 |
| 2014 | 11,209,057 |
| 2015 | 11,274,196 |
| 2016 | 11,331,422 |
| 2017 | 11,375,158 |
| 2018 | 11,427,054 |
| 2019 | 11,488,980 |
| 2020 | 11,538,604 |
| 2021 | 11,586,195 |
| 2022 | 11,680,210 |
| 2023 | 11,787,423 |
| 2024 | 11,876,844 |
Belgium's birth and fertility rates
| Year | Fertility rate |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.54 |
| 1961 | 2.63 |
| 1962 | 2.59 |
| 1963 | 2.68 |
| 1964 | 2.71 |
| 1965 | 2.61 |
| 1966 | 2.52 |
| 1967 | 2.41 |
| 1968 | 2.31 |
| 1969 | 2.27 |
| 1970 | 2.25 |
| 1971 | 2.21 |
| 1972 | 2.09 |
| 1973 | 1.95 |
| 1974 | 1.83 |
| 1975 | 1.74 |
| 1976 | 1.73 |
| 1977 | 1.71 |
| 1978 | 1.69 |
| 1979 | 1.69 |
| 1980 | 1.68 |
| 1981 | 1.66 |
| 1982 | 1.61 |
| 1983 | 1.57 |
| 1984 | 1.54 |
| 1985 | 1.51 |
| 1986 | 1.54 |
| 1987 | 1.54 |
| 1988 | 1.57 |
| 1989 | 1.58 |
| 1990 | 1.62 |
| 1991 | 1.66 |
| 1992 | 1.65 |
| 1993 | 1.61 |
| 1994 | 1.56 |
| 1995 | 1.56 |
| 1996 | 1.59 |
| 1997 | 1.6 |
| 1998 | 1.6 |
| 1999 | 1.62 |
| 2000 | 1.67 |
| 2001 | 1.67 |
| 2002 | 1.65 |
| 2003 | 1.67 |
| 2004 | 1.72 |
| 2005 | 1.76 |
| 2006 | 1.8 |
| 2007 | 1.82 |
| 2008 | 1.85 |
| 2009 | 1.84 |
| 2010 | 1.86 |
| 2011 | 1.81 |
| 2012 | 1.8 |
| 2013 | 1.76 |
| 2014 | 1.74 |
| 2015 | 1.7 |
| 2016 | 1.68 |
| 2017 | 1.65 |
| 2018 | 1.62 |
| 2019 | 1.6 |
| 2020 | 1.55 |
| 2021 | 1.6 |
| 2022 | 1.53 |
| 2023 | 1.47 |
| Year | Median age, years |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 34.9 |
| 1961 | 34.9 |
| 1962 | 34.9 |
| 1963 | 34.9 |
| 1964 | 34.8 |
| 1965 | 34.8 |
| 1966 | 34.7 |
| 1967 | 34.7 |
| 1968 | 34.7 |
| 1969 | 34.6 |
| 1970 | 34.5 |
| 1971 | 34.4 |
| 1972 | 34.3 |
| 1973 | 34.3 |
| 1974 | 34.3 |
| 1975 | 34.2 |
| 1976 | 34.1 |
| 1977 | 34.1 |
| 1978 | 34.1 |
| 1979 | 34.1 |
| 1980 | 34.2 |
| 1981 | 34.3 |
| 1982 | 34.5 |
| 1983 | 34.8 |
| 1984 | 35 |
| 1985 | 35.2 |
| 1986 | 35.4 |
| 1987 | 35.6 |
| 1988 | 35.9 |
| 1989 | 36.1 |
| 1990 | 36.3 |
| 1991 | 36.5 |
| 1992 | 36.7 |
| 1993 | 37 |
| 1994 | 37.2 |
| 1995 | 37.5 |
| 1996 | 37.8 |
| 1997 | 38.1 |
| 1998 | 38.3 |
| 1999 | 38.6 |
| 2000 | 38.9 |
| 2001 | 39.2 |
| 2002 | 39.4 |
| 2003 | 39.7 |
| 2004 | 40 |
| 2005 | 40.2 |
| 2006 | 40.4 |
| 2007 | 40.6 |
| 2008 | 40.7 |
| 2009 | 40.8 |
| 2010 | 40.8 |
| 2011 | 40.9 |
| 2012 | 41.1 |
| 2013 | 41.2 |
| 2014 | 41.3 |
| 2015 | 41.4 |
| 2016 | 41.4 |
| 2017 | 41.6 |
| 2018 | 41.7 |
| 2019 | 41.8 |
| 2020 | 41.9 |
| 2021 | 42 |
| 2022 | 42.2 |
| 2023 | 42.4 |
| 2024 | 42.7 |
Belgium vs. World: Interactive Maps
Use the buttons below to toggle between world maps that display different statistics comparing Belgium with other countries.
GDP per capita
GDP
Life expectancy
Population
Population density
Fertility rate
Median age
Land area
Belgium: National Statistics
Finance
|
Belgium
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| GNI, Atlas method |
$651B
2024 |
23/194 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
54.6%
2025 |
11/195 |
| Education expenditure, % of GDP |
6.28%
2022 |
20/193 |
| Military expenditure, % of GDP |
1.21%
2023 |
112/163 |
| Armed forces personnel |
24,000
2020 |
96/174 |
| Deficit/surplus, % of GDP |
-5.03%
2025 |
141/188 |
| Unemployment rate |
5.7%
2024 |
84/196 |
| Services, % of GDP |
72.1%
2024 |
20/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
17.6%
2024 |
146/194 |
| Economic freedom index |
69
2025 |
40/197 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
22.2%
2023 |
157/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
3.7%
2023 |
22/169 |
| Number of millionaires |
564,666
2024 |
17/34 |
| Percentage of millionaires |
6.08%
2024 |
7/34 |
| Number of billionaires |
11
2025 |
30/78 |
| Percentage of billionaires |
0.0001%
2025 |
30/78 |
| Listed domestic companies |
117
2015 |
45/103 |
| Market capitalization of domestic companies |
$321B
2018 |
27/100 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$41.4B
2024 |
49/177 |
| Personal remittances received |
$15.2B
2024 |
16/190 |
| International tourist arrivals |
2,584,000
2020 |
53/188 |
| International tourism as share of exports |
1.77%
2020 |
148/184 |
| Banked people share |
98.2%
2024 |
21/158 |
Energy
|
Belgium
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy use, kg of oil equivalent per capita |
4,049 kg
2023 |
22/177 |
| GDP PPP per kg equivalent of energy use |
$17.1
2023 |
51/173 |
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions |
84.3 megatons
2023 |
45/187 |
| CO2 emissions per capita |
7.15 tons
2023 |
32/187 |
| Fossil fuel energy use share |
69.3%
2023 |
77/176 |
| Renewable energy use share |
11.7%
2021 |
136/193 |
| Alternative and nuclear energy use share |
22.3%
2023 |
21/147 |
| Net energy imports use share |
89.2%
2023 |
13/144 |
| Electric power consumption per capita |
6,927 kWh
2023 |
23/147 |
| Renewable electricity output share |
23.5%
2021 |
103/192 |
| Hydroelectric share |
1.98%
2023 |
130/192 |
| Nuclear share |
39.4%
2023 |
8/192 |
| Electricity access |
100%
2023 |
14/195 |
Society
|
Belgium
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world population |
0.15%
2024 |
82/197 |
| Annual migration change |
+36,243
2024 |
31/196 |
| Urban population |
98.2%
2024 |
7/195 |
| Male:Female ratio |
50:50
2024 |
N/A |
| Average male height |
5.88 ft
2025 |
22/190 |
| Average female height |
5.36 ft
2025 |
50/190 |
| Quality of life index |
87.9
2025 |
19/197 |
| Corruption Perceptions Index |
69
2024 |
27/197 |
| Higher education index |
96
2025 |
10/183 |
| Homicides per 100K people |
1.08
2021 |
148/197 |
| Road traffic mortality per 100K people |
5.8
2019 |
157/197 |
| Visa free countries |
175
2025 |
4/195 |
| Adult literacy rate |
99%
2003 |
43/196 |
| English speaking |
59%
2023 |
52/197 |
| People using the Internet |
95.8%
2024 |
21/195 |
Health
|
Belgium
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Government health expenditure per capita |
$5,405
2022 |
15/191 |
| Out-of-pocket health expenditure per capita |
$1,083
2022 |
4/191 |
| Life expectancy |
82.4 years
2025 |
26/197 |
| Foreign aid share of health expenditure |
0.01%
2022 |
144/178 |
| Physicians per 1,000 people |
3.24
2021 |
49/193 |
| Age at first childbirth |
29.5 years
2023 |
25/137 |
| Maternal mortality per 100K births |
4
2023 |
172/193 |
| Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births |
3.6
2023 |
166/192 |
| Obesity rate |
20.5%
2022 |
109/189 |
| Diabetes prevalence |
5.9%
2024 |
152/195 |
| Air quality index |
74
2025 |
53/197 |
| Tobacco use prevalence |
26.7%
2022 |
43/164 |
| Pure alcohol consumption per capita |
9.43 liters
2020 |
36/186 |
Territory
|
Belgium
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world land |
0.02%
2025 |
136/197 |
| Land area per capita |
991 sq mi
2024 |
175/197 |
| Agricultural land area |
5,225 sq mi
2025 |
133/194 |
| Forest area |
2,661 sq mi
2025 |
133/196 |
| Roads length |
73,579 mi
2015 |
47/175 |
Compare Belgium with other countries
Relevant pages:
Belgium topic pages:
Facts comparisons
