Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
live 8.4 years longer
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 32.2% less likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
see 6.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 47.3% more doctors per person
Dominican Republic has 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
have 11.7% more access to essential health services
Dominican Republic scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belgium scores 86 as of 2021.
be 4.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 28.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Dominican Republic, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 5.5 times more money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
be 16.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 96.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 88.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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 47.8% fewer children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 67.0% more on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 94.8% less coastline
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 90.1% less likely to be murdered
Dominican Republic has a homicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 56.2% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Dominican Republic, 40% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 62% as of 2021.
be 83.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.9 times more home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 3.8 times more electricity
Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 33.6% more strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 44.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominican Republic vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.