Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Spain instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
live 1.6 years longer
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 26.6% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.
have 20.1% more doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.
be 52.5% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 34.1% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.
Economy
be 75.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.
be 64.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.
make 36.4% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% 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 Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.1% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.
have 29.3% fewer children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.9% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 14.6% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 74.6 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.
Safety
be 36.1% less likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 23.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 18.1% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.
find 11.3% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.
use 26.8% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.3% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Spain
Spain: At a glance
How big is Spain compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.