Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Estonia instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 18.6% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Estonia, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.0 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 50.1% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Estonia spends $3,741 as of 2024.
Economy
be 40.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Estonia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
be 82.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Estonia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.
make 43.3% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Estonia, the GDP per capita is $34,418 as of 2025.
Life
be 51.6% less 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 Estonia, on the other hand, 1.5 children do as of 2024.
be 25.0% 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 Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 22.8% fewer children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Estonia, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.0% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Estonia spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 27.4% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Estonia, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 57.1 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Estonia, that number is 3,794 km.
Safety
be 21.3% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Belgium, 62% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Estonia, that number is 75% as of 2021.
be 42.6% more likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Estonia, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 75.3% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Estonia withdraws 13% as of 2022.
find 20.1% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Estonia has 35.4 as of 2024.
use 25.4% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Estonia uses 5,298 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 13.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Estonia, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Estonia
Estonia: At a glance
How big is Estonia compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.