Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 83.4% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Brunei, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.8 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 77.7% more likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 37.0% of people as of 2024.
see 74.7% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Brunei spends $1,896 as of 2023.
have 47.2% fewer doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Brunei has 18.9 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
make 46.9% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
Life
have 44.9% more children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.0 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 Brunei, 36.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.8 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 Brunei, on the other hand, 8.6 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 79.4% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Brunei, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.4 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 21.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Brunei, they kill 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 93.4% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Brunei withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 50.4% more electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Brunei uses 10,674 kWh as of 2023.
find 52.1% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Brunei has 21.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 33.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Brunei, it causes 20.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.8 times more CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.