Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Hong Kong, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years less
In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Hong Kong, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
have 87.8% more children
In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 21.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.8% more on education
Hong Kong spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 90.9% less coastline
Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to be murdered
Hong Kong has a homicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 11.6% more electricity
Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 58.9% more CO2
Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Hong Kong vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.