Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
live 13.6 years longer
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.
be 4.9 times more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belgium, that number is 22.1% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 21.0 times more money
Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $2,300 as of 2020, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $48,200 as of 2020.
be 69.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Ethiopia, 17.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2012. In Belgium, that number is 5.4% as of 2019.
be 37.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Ethiopia, 23.5% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Belgium, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2018.
pay a 53.4% higher top tax rate
Ethiopia has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.
Life
be 98.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 401.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2017.
be 90.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Ethiopia, approximately 33.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.
have 64.1% fewer children
In Ethiopia, there are approximately 30.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Belgium, there are 10.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 2.1 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Ethiopia, approximately 47% of the population has electricity access as of 2019. In Belgium, 100% of the population do as of 2020.
be 3.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 24.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Belgium, about 92.0% do as of 2020.
be 30.9% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Ethiopia, approximately 76% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Belgium, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 25.5% more on education
Ethiopia spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Belgium spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
spend 3.3 times more on healthcare
Ethiopia spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Belgium, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Service Public Fédéral Finances, The World Factbook, Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority.
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.