Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Germany instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
see 17.8% more spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Germany spends $8,826 as of 2024.
have 26.9% more doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Germany has 45.3 as of 2022.
be 29.7% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Germany, it is 12.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.5 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Germany, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 37.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Germany, that number is 3.7% as of 2025.
be 20.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Germany, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2021.
Life
have 12.0% fewer children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Germany, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.6% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Germany spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 13.6% more on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Germany, that number is 12.3% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 35.9 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Germany, that number is 2,389 km.
Safety
be 15.7% less likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Germany, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 16.6% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Belgium, 62% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Germany, that number is 72% as of 2020.
be 28.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Germany, they kill 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 33.1% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Germany withdraws 35% as of 2022.
use 13.9% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Germany uses 6,109 kWh as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2020–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Germany
Germany: At a glance
How big is Germany compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.