Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Italy instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
live 1.7 years longer
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 32.9% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.
have 17.3% more doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.
be 61.9% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 33.3% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.
Economy
be 63.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.
make 28.7% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.8% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
be 50.0% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
have 31.5% fewer children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.2% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Italy spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 21.9% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 114.3 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.
Safety
be 47.2% less likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 43.6% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.
find 28.1% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.
use 27.6% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 30.5% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Italy
Italy: At a glance
How big is Italy compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.