Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Croatia, you would:
Health
live 3.4 years longer
In Croatia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 32.3% less likely to be obese
In Croatia, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Croatia spends $3,229 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
be 17.1% more likely to die by suicide
Croatia has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Croatia, 20.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 2.2 times more money
Croatia has a GDP per capita of $27,104 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
be 18.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Croatia, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 24.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Croatia, approximately 4.1 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 10.8% more children
In Croatia, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Croatia, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 14.5% more likely to have internet access
In Croatia, approximately 83.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belgium, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.5% more on education
Croatia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 51.0% more on healthcare
Croatia spends 7.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.9% less coastline
Croatia has a total of 5,835 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 43.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Croatia, road accidents kill 8.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 61.2% more likely to be murdered
Croatia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 49.4% more home broadband
Croatia has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 58.3% more electricity
Croatia uses 4,484 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 35.0 times more strain on fresh water
Croatia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Croatia, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 51.3% more CO2
Croatia emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 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: Croatia vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Croatia? See an in-depth size comparison.