Geography
Climate: temperate.
CIA 2026
Data as of May 5, 2026
Belgium
EuropeGlobal Leader
Globally, Belgium places #10 in human development index. Ready to explore more about Belgium?
Globally, Belgium places #10 in human development index. This ranking reflects a standout track record. Ready to explore more about Belgium?
50.8, 4.0 - Europe
Area
31K km²
Pop.
11.96M
Stats
192
Reality brief
Belgium is a country in Europe with a population of 11.96M and an area of 30,528 km². Life expectancy is 82.4 years.
Short factual summary generated from the same country data used in game rounds.
Core numbers
Stats worth knowing
Fast scan first, deep dive later.
Human Development Index
0.95#10globally
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
$72,236.91#23globally
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
GDP Per Capita
$63,083.18#24globally
GDP per person adjusted for purchasing power in constant 2017 international dollars, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
University Enrollment Rate
82.15%#19globally
Total university and college enrollment as a percentage of the typical college-age population.
Life Satisfaction
7.6 pts#12globally
Average self-reported life satisfaction on a 0-10 scale, from OECD How's Life / Well-Being.
Internet Users (%)
95.78%#28globally
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
Country briefing
Grounded facts about Belgium
A quick real-world briefing before you dive deeper into rankings, surprises, and matchups.
Culture
Major languages include Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%.
CIA 2026
Identity
Formal name: Kingdom of Belgium.
CIA 2026
Cities
Cities in Belgium
Browse this country's cities before City Detective asks you to guess.
Top stats
Where They Stand Out
The strongest source-backed stats before the deeper data table.
R&D Spending (% GDP)
3.4% of GDP#5globallyTop stat
Research and development spending as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.
Electricity Access (%)
100%#13globallyTop stat
The percentage of the population with access to electricity.
GDP (Nominal)
$671,370,081,636.41#22globallyTop stat
The country's total economic output in current US dollars.
Women in Parliament (%)
41.33%#20globallyTop stat
The percentage of parliament seats held by women.
Reality checks
Did You Know?
The stats that tend to surprise players in real rounds.
Only ranks #193 in fdi inflows (% gdp)
#193-6.16% of GDPFDI Inflows (% GDP)
Foreign direct investment net inflows as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.
Has one of the highest suicide rate figures
#1518.36 per 100kSuicide Rate
Suicide mortality rate per 100,000 people, from World Bank Open Data.
Keeps inequality (gini) unusually low
#9826.8Inequality (Gini)
A measure of income inequality where 0 means everyone earns the same and 100 means one person has everything.
Ranks #20 globally in health spending (% gdp)
#2010.76% of GDPHealth Spending (% GDP)
Current health expenditure as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.
Only ranks #193 in teen birth rate
#1933.7 per 1kTeen Birth Rate
The number of births per 1,000 women aged 15-19.
Compared with the region
How Belgium Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
Belgium
Europe avg
World avg
GDP per Capita
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
- Country
- $72,236.91
- Region avg
- $57,483.02
- World avg
- $31,844.55
Belgium$72,236.91
Europe$57,483.02
World$31,844.55
+127% above worldWB 2023
Life Expectancy
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
- Country
- 82.4 years
- Region avg
- 80.0 years
- World avg
- 73.7 years
Belgium82.4 years
Europe80.0 years
World73.7 years
+12% above worldWB 2023
Human Development Index
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
- Country
- 0.95
- Region avg
- 0.89
- World avg
- 0.74
Belgium0.95
Europe0.89
World0.74
+28% above worldOWID 2023
Internet Users
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
- Country
- 95.78%
- Region avg
- 90.13%
- World avg
- 70.29%
Belgium95.78%
Europe90.13%
World70.29%
+36% above worldWB 2023
Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Play this countryFactbook notes
About Belgium
Country briefing
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II.
Read the full Factbook note
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. In recent years, longstanding tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemish of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. The capital city of Brussels is home to numerous international organizations, including the EU and NATO.
Geography & Climate6 facts
- Location
- Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
- Climate
- temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
- Terrain
- flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
- Natural Resources
- construction materials, silica sand, carbonates, arable land
- Natural Hazards
- flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
- Size Comparison
- about the size of Maryland
People & Culture4 facts
- Languages
- Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 2.3%, other Christian, 2.8%, Muslim 6.8%, other 1.7%, atheist 9.1%, nonbeliever/agnostic 20.2% (2018 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Belgian 75.2%, Italian 4.1%, Moroccan 3.7%, French 2.4%, Turkish 2%, Dutch 2%, other 10.6% (2012 est.)
- Major Cities
- 2.122 million BRUSSELS (capital), 1.057 million Antwerp (2023)
Government & History10 facts
- Government Type
- federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
- Capital
- Brussels
- Capital Coordinates
- 50 84 N, 4 35 E
- Capital Timezone
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Official Name
- Kingdom of Belgium
- Name Origin
- the name derives from the Belgae, an ancient Celtic tribal confederation that inhabited an area between the English Channel and the west bank of the Rhine in the first centuries B.C.
- Independence
- 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)
- National Symbols
- golden rampant lion
- National Anthem
- "La Brabançonne" (The Song of Brabant)
- UNESCO Heritage
- 16 (15 cultural, 1 natural)
Economy & Trade7 facts
- Overview
- high-income, core EU and eurozone economy; slow growth with weakened domestic consumption and export demand; high public debt and structural deficits linked to social spending; aging workforce with weak productivity growth and participation rates
- Industries
- engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, base metals, textiles, glass, petroleum
- Agricultural Products
- sugar beets, milk, potatoes, wheat, pork, lettuce, maize, chicken, barley, pears (2023)
- Export Partners
- France 20%, Netherlands 15%, Germany 14%, Italy 6%, USA 5% (2023)
- Export Commodities
- refined petroleum, natural gas, vaccines, cars, packaged medicine (2023)
- Import Partners
- Netherlands 20%, Germany 13%, France 11%, USA 7%, Ireland 4% (2023)
- Import Commodities
- cars, natural gas, vaccines, packaged medicine, crude petroleum (2023)
Infrastructure & Defense5 facts
- Military Forces
- Belgian Armed Forces (Defensie or La Défense): Land Component, Marine (Naval) Component, Air Component, Medical Component, Cyber Command (2025)
- Military Service
- 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; maximum age varies by position; conscription abolished in 1995 (2025)
- Energy Mix
- fossil fuels: 24.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 40.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 9.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 20% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: -0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) note: Belgium has negative net hydroelectric power generation based on losses from use of pumped storage hydropower; biomass and waste: 6.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Broadcast Media
- a segmented market with the three major linguistic communities (Flemish-, French-, and German-speaking) each responsible for their own broadcast media; multiple TV channels exist for each community; over 90% of households are connected to cable and can access TV broadcasts from neighboring countries; each community has a public radio network coexisting with private broadcasters
- Space Program
- builds satellites, particularly research/science/technology and remote sensing platforms; researches, develops, and produces a wide variety of space technologies, including telecommunications, optics, robotics, scientific instruments, and space launch vehicle components; founding member of the ESA and participates in a variety of ESA and EU projects, such as Space Surveillance and Tracking, Copernicus Earth observation, and Galileo global navigation satellite system; hosts the European Space Security and Education Center (established 1968); participates in international astronomy efforts, particularly through the European Southern Observatory (ESO); has worked with a variety of foreign space agencies and commercial entities outside Europe, including those of Argentina, China, India, Russia, South Africa, UAE, Vietnam, and the US (2025)
Source:World Factbook archive 2026
Data vault
Deep Dive
Every tracked stat, grouped for fast scanning.
Education & Future8 statsBest: #5
Health & Survival9 statsBest: #6
Doctors (per 1,000)
Suicide Rate
Health Spending (% GDP)
Life Expectancy
Hospital Beds (per 1,000)
Smoking Rate
Obesity Rate
Child Mortality
Infant Mortality
Energy2 statsBest: #6
Nuclear Electricity Share
41.2%#6
Electric Generating Capacity
28.25M kW#39
Wealth & Economy13 statsBest: #8
GDP (Nominal)
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
GDP Per Capita
Government Debt (% GDP)
High-Tech Exports (%)
Long-Term Unemployment
Youth Unemployment Rate
Unemployment Rate
Inflation Rate
Employment Rate (%)
GDP Growth Rate
Gender Pay Gap (%)
FDI Inflows (% GDP)
Society & Equality6 statsBest: #12
Environment9 statsBest: #13
Electricity Access (%)
CO2 Per Capita
Total CO2 Emissions
Protected Land (%)
Renewable Energy (%)
Forest Coverage (%)
Forest Area
Irrigated Land
57 km²#147
Air Pollution (PM2.5)
Technology3 statsBest: #28
Demographics12 statsBest: #28
Population Density
Elderly Population (%)
Urban Population (%)
Median Age
Death Rate
Population
Dependency Ratio
Land Area
Youth Population (%)
Birth Rate
Fertility Rate
Teen Birth Rate
Lifestyle5 statsBest: #29
Land & Sea4 statsBest: #50
Lowest Elevation
0 m#50
Land Border Length
1.3K km#113
Coastline Length
66.5 km#171
Highest Elevation
694 m#185
Infrastructure3 statsBest: #54
Keep exploring
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Where Belgium leads
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Belgium
#10 in Human Development Index
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
Top 5% globally
0.95
Frequently Asked Questions about Belgium
What is the population of Belgium?
Belgium has a population of 11.96M, ranking #82 globally by population.
What continent is Belgium in?
Belgium is located in Europe. It has an area of 30,528 km².
What is the life expectancy in Belgium?
Life expectancy in Belgium is 82.4 years, ranking #28 globally.
What is the GDP per capita of Belgium?
Belgium's GDP per capita (PPP) is $72,236.91, ranking #23 globally.
What is Belgium known for in global statistics?
Belgium ranks particularly high in Human Development Index (#10), GDP Per Capita (PPP) (#23), GDP Per Capita (#24).
What is Belgium's Human Development Index?
Belgium has an HDI of 0.951, ranking #10 globally. The HDI combines life expectancy, education, and income indicators.
How densely populated is Belgium?
Belgium has a population density of 386.3 people per km², ranking #28 globally.