Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Poland instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
have 12.8% more doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Poland has 40.3 as of 2023.
be 25.5% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Poland, it is 13.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.9 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Poland, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
see 47.4% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Poland spends $3,939 as of 2024.
Economy
be 49.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Poland, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 53.2% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Poland, the GDP per capita is $28,420 as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% less 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 Poland, 2.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.1% 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 Poland, on the other hand, 3.6 children do as of 2024.
have 25.0% fewer children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Poland, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.4% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Poland spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 25.4% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Poland, that number is 8.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.6 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Poland, that number is 440 km.
Safety
be 25.9% less likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Poland, that number is 0.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 82.0% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Belgium, 62% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Poland, that number is 11% as of 2022.
be 41.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Poland, they kill 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 38.5% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Poland withdraws 32% as of 2022.
find 42.7% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Poland has 25.4 as of 2024.
use 38.4% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Poland uses 4,370 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Poland, it causes 41.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Poland
Poland: At a glance
How big is Poland compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.