Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Belgium instead of Norway, you would:

Economy

make 24.2% less money

Norway has a GDP per capita of $63,600 as of 2020, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $48,200 as of 2020.

be 44.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Norway, 3.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Belgium, that number is 5.4% as of 2019.

be 16.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Norway, 12.7% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Belgium, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2018.

pay a 39.4% higher top tax rate

Norway has a top tax rate of 38.5% as of 2017. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.

Life

be 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Norway, approximately 2.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2017.

be 38.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Norway, approximately 2.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.

have 10.2% fewer children

In Norway, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Belgium, there are 10.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 15.8% less on education

Norway spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Belgium spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

Geography

see 99.7% less coastline

Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Service Public Fédéral Finances, The World Factbook, Norwegian Tax Administration.

Belgium: At a glance

Belgium is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 30,278 sq km. Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Political divisions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. Its capital, Brussels, is home to numerous international organizations including the EU and NATO.
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How big is Belgium compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.

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