Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Estonia, you would:
Health
live 3.0 years longer
In Estonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (75 years for men, 84 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 2.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Estonia spends $3,741 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
be 22.9% more likely to die by suicide
Estonia 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 28.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Estonia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 45.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Estonia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 76.5% more money
Estonia has a GDP per capita of $34,418 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Estonia, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 29.6% more children
In Estonia, there are approximately 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Estonia, approximately 1.5 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.
Expenditures
spend 20.5% more on education
Estonia spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 37.8% more on healthcare
Estonia spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.2% less coastline
Estonia has a total of 3,794 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 29.9% less likely to be murdered
Estonia has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 17.6% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Estonia, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Belgium, that number is 62% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 25.1% more home broadband
Estonia has 35.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 34.0% more electricity
Estonia uses 5,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 4.0 times more strain on fresh water
Estonia withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 15.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Estonia, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Estonia vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Estonia? See an in-depth size comparison.