Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of France, you would:
Health
be 86.3% more likely to be obese
In France, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
be 10.7% more likely to die by suicide
France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 21.6% less likely to be unemployed
In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 21.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In France, 15.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 24.0% more money
France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 42.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In France, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 18.0% more on education
France spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 98.6% less coastline
France has a total of 4,853 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 19.4% less likely to be murdered
France has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 24.6% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In France, 82% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 62% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 10.1% more electricity
France uses 6,447 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water
France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 82.7% more CO2
France emits 4.0 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: France vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.