Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Finland, you would:
Health
be 13.8% less likely to be obese
In Finland, 24.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
see 16.4% more spent on your healthcare
Finland spends $6,433 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
be 26.0% more likely to die by suicide
Finland has a suicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 37.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Finland, 9.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Finland, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 17.9% more children
In Finland, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 63.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Finland, approximately 1.9 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.
Geography
see 94.7% less coastline
Finland has a total of 1,250 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 10.2% more likely to be murdered
Finland has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 27.9% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Finland, 86% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Belgium, that number is 62% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 21.2% more home broadband
Finland has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
live with 7.4 times more strain on fresh water
Finland withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
use 52.1% less electricity
Finland uses 14,819 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Finland, air pollution causes 7.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 31.9% more CO2
Finland emits 5.5 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: Finland vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Finland? See an in-depth size comparison.