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Belgium's area vs China's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

China is 313 times bigger by total area compared to Belgium: 3,705,407 sq mi vs 11,849 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of China is 3,624,808 sq mi vs 11,774 sq mi for Belgium — a 308 times difference in territory size.

  • Belgium ranks 137/197 by total surface area vs 4/197 for China.
  • Belgium occupies 0.02% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 6.3% for China.
  • 44.4% of Belgium's area is agricultural land vs 55.4% in China.
  • Belgium has 0.03% of the world's agricultural land area — China has 10.9%.
  • 22.6% of Belgium is covered by forests, compared to 24% in China.
  • 0.02% of the world's forests are in Belgium, and 5.58% are in China.

True size map comparison: Belgium vs China

See how Belgium and China compare in true size on the map. Drag the outlines to different latitudes to see how the Mercator projection affects their apparent size.

Total size and land area comparison

Belgium China
Total area 11,849
sq mi
3,705,407
sq mi
Size difference ratio 1 313
Total area rank 137/197 4/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.006% 1.88%
Land area 11,774
sq mi
3,624,808
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 1 308
Land area rank 136/197 2/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.02% 6.3%
Population 11,858,610 1,408,975,000
Population density 1,011 ppl/mi² 387 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Belgium China
Forest area 2,661
sq mi
871,112
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 22.6% 24%
Forest area rank 133/196 5/196
World's forests share 0.02% 5.58%
Agricultural land area 5,225
sq mi
2,009,326
sq mi
Agricultural land share 44.4% 55.4%
Agricultural land area rank 133/194 1/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.03% 10.9%
Arable land 3,333
sq mi
418,639
sq mi
Arable land share 28.3% 11.5%
Arable land area rank 112/191 4/191
Permanent cropland 89.6
sq mi
73,950
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 0.76% 2.04%
Permanent cropland area rank 145/192 2/192
Water area 74.9
sq mi
80,599
sq mi
Water as share of total area 0.63% 2.18%
Water area rank 129/197 5/197
Roads length 73,579
mi
3,411,576
mi
Land borders length 806
mi
13,954
mi
Coastline length 41.3
mi
9,010
mi
Share of marine protected waters 38.3% 4.8%

Belgium vs China size on the map

Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2026, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/size/belgium/china | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of Belgium and China but is not accurate for size comparison because it's a 2d map with Mercator projection that distorts territories near the poles. The farther a country is from the equator, the more magnified it appears. More about country size projections.

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Data sources:

  1. World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2023–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
  2. Wikidata (2026, retrieved 2026-02-08)
  3. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2025, retrieved 2026-02-20)
  4. United Nations | World Population Prospects (2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)

Total agricultural land encompasses all areas used for agriculture: territories under permanent and temporary crops and pastures. It includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vineyards, but excludes sites utilized for timber production.

Arable land encompasses fields utilized for temporary crop production, pastures, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallowed land. Land abandoned due to shifting cultivation practices is not included.

Permanent cropland refers to farmland for the long-term cultivation of crops, such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber, which do not require replanting after each harvest. This category encompasses land with permanent crops like flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vines, but does not include land under trees for timber production.

Inland areas under water, such as large rivers, lakes, and some coastal waterways.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.