Quality of life comparison
If you lived in West Virginia instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
live 9.1 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In West Virginia, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2020.
Economy
be 20.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In West Virginia, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
make 26.4% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $63,600 as of 2023, while in West Virginia, the GDP per capita is $46,834 as of 2024.
be 32.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In West Virginia, however, that number is 16.3% as of 2023.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.
