Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Italy, you would:
Health
see 50.0% more spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
live 1.7 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 49.0% more likely to be obese
In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
have 14.7% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 40.3% more money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 46.0% more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 34.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 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 54.3% more on education
Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 28.0% more on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.1% less coastline
Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 89.5% more likely to be murdered
Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 39.2% more home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 38.2% more electricity
Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 77.5% more strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 43.9% more CO2
Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Italy vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.