Belgium
Country in Europe
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 11.9M (2025). World rank 81 of 216; in Europe, 11 of 48. Area: 30,528 km². World rank 141 of 249; in Europe, 33 of 52. GDP per person: $60,750 (2025). World rank 21 of 210 (1 = best); in Europe, 14 of 47. From 2015 to 2025: population 11.3M → 11.9M, GDP $461B → $725.5B, and GDP per person $40,894 → $60,750.
State
- Official name
- Kingdom of Belgium
- Local name
- Belgien
- Capital
- Brussels
- Region
- Europe
- Form of government
- Federal parliamentary monarchy
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Philippe of Belgium
- Head of government
- Bart De Wever
- Independence
- October 4, 1830
- Women in parliament
- 41.3% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 11,941,781 2025
- Area
- 30,528 km²
- GDP
- $725.5B 2025
- GDP per person
- $60,750 2025
- Life expectancy
- 82.3 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- German, French, Dutch
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Time zones
- UTC+2
- Calling code
- +32
- Emergency numbers
- 100, 101, 102, 112
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- C, E
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 67
- Neighbours
- France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands
- Agricultural land
- 44.4% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Signal de Botrange, 694 m
- Lowest point
- North Sea, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 181
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 10
- Warmest month in the capital
- July, 19°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- January, 3°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 847 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 391.2 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +0.7% 2025
- Living in cities
- 87.7% 2025
- Net migration per year
- +32K 2025
- Born in another country
- 20% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 15.7% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 63.3% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 21% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 84.4 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 80.3 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 1.4 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 9.2 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 9.5 2024
Society
- Religions
- Catholic 57.1%, no religion 29.3%, Muslim 6.8%, Protestant 2.3%, and other 1.7% (2018)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 79.5 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 75.6 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 79.3 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 76.3 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 83.9 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $74,676 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +1% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- High income
- Gross national income per person
- $59,500 2025
- Inflation
- +2.5% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 82 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 0.7% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 18.6% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 71.2% 2025
- Unemployment
- 5.9% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 17.8% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 49.8% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 75.5% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 77.5% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -0.2% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- -4% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 2.3% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 23% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 26.8 2023
- Living on under $3 a day
- 0.1% 2023
Education
- Primary school enrolment
- 102% 2023
- Secondary school enrolment
- 143% 2023
- Higher education enrolment
- 82.2% 2023
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 6.3% 2022
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 10.8% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $5,931 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 21.5% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 3.6 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 12.9 2021
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 5.4 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 96% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 3.1 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 3.7 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 4 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.2% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 5.9% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 51.1% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 23.5% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 100% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 99.5% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 100% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 1.1 2021
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 5.8 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 18.4 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 68.6 2025
- Natural hazards
- floods
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 8.5 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 7.3 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 9.1 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 22% 2024
- Protected areas
- 18.6% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 1,027 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 52.8% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 95.8% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 104 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 44.2 2024
- Internet domain
- .be
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 100% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 6,963 2025
- Renewable share of energy use
- 11.7% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 23.5% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 24.7% 2025
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 11,390,665 2023
- Airports
- 48 2025
- Railways, km
- 3,602 2020
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 3.3% 2023
- Researchers per million people
- 5,990 2023
- Scientific articles per year
- 16,816 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 647 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 19.8% 2024