Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Cabo Verde, you would:
Health
live 6.1 years longer
In Cabo Verde, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 12.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Cabo Verde spends $617 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 4.9 times more doctors per person
Cabo Verde has 7.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
have 21.1% more access to essential health services
Cabo Verde scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belgium scores 86 as of 2021.
be 24.6% more likely to be obese
In Cabo Verde, 16.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
be 23.2% more likely to die by suicide
Cabo Verde has a suicide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Cabo Verde, 11.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 50.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Cabo Verde, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 10.5 times more money
Cabo Verde has a GDP per capita of $5,796 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 90.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cabo Verde, approximately 40.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 70.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Cabo Verde, approximately 10.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
have 24.7% fewer children
In Cabo Verde, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 28.2% more likely to have internet access
In Cabo Verde, approximately 74.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belgium, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.4% more on education
Cabo Verde spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 84.6% more on healthcare
Cabo Verde spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.1% less coastline
Cabo Verde has a total of 965 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 84.5% less likely to be murdered
Cabo Verde has a homicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 72.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cabo Verde, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.3 times more home broadband
Cabo Verde has 8.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
live with 11.5% less strain on fresh water
Cabo Verde withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 74.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cabo Verde, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.7 times more CO2
Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cabo Verde vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Cabo Verde? See an in-depth size comparison.