Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.4 years longer

In Russia, the average life expectancy is 72 years (67 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 81.9% more money

Russia has a GDP per capita of $26,500 as of 2020, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $48,200 as of 2020.

be 16.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Russia, 4.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Belgium, that number is 5.4% as of 2019.

be 17.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Russia, 12.6% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Belgium, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2018.

pay a 4.1 times higher top tax rate

Russia has a top tax rate of 13.0% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.

Life

be 70.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Russia, approximately 17.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2017.

be 50.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Russia, approximately 6.4 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 15.9% more children

In Russia, there are approximately 9.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Belgium, there are 10.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 36.2% more on education

Russia spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Belgium spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 87.7% more on healthcare

Russia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Belgium, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 99.8% less coastline

Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.

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

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 Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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