Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
live 4.4 years longer
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.
be 4.2 times more likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 5.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belgium, that number is 22.1% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 3.9 times more money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $12,500 as of 2020, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $48,200 as of 2020.
be 11.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Belgium, that number is 5.4% as of 2019.
be 3.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sri Lanka, 4.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Belgium, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2018.
pay a 3.6 times higher top tax rate
Sri Lanka has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.
Life
be 86.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sri Lanka, approximately 36.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2017.
be 61.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Sri Lanka, approximately 8.2 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 20.7% fewer children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 13.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Belgium, there are 10.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 35.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Belgium, about 92.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 3.0 times more on education
Sri Lanka spends 2.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Belgium spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
spend 2.6 times more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Belgium, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 95.0% less coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 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, Sri Lanka Inland Revenue Department.
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.