Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 37.3% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
be 73.3% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.0 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 91.0% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 84.5% fewer doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 30.2% less access to essential health services
Belgium scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
make 92.6% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 36.2% more children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 11.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 59.1% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.3 times more likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.3% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 93.4% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 72.5% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.