Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Belgium, you would:

Health

live 3.4 years less

In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 89.0% more likely to be unemployed

In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2025.

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make 51.9% less money

Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.

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Life

have 52.5% more children

In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 14.4% less likely to have internet access

In Belgium, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

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Geography

see 33.9 times more coastline

Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

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Infrastructure

find 56.2% less home broadband

Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Caledonia has 19.4 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 2.3 times more CO2

Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Belgium vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 7.1% more expensive than Belgium overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Belgium is about 1.6 times bigger than New Caledonia.
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Moving from Belgium to New Caledonia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.

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