Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Malta, you would:
Health
be 31.9% less likely to be obese
In Malta, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
see 31.3% more spent on your healthcare
Malta spends $5,706 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 20.8% fewer doctors per person
Malta has 45.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Malta has a suicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 26.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malta, 16.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 26.8% more money
Malta has a GDP per capita of $47,907 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malta, 2.9% 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 Malta, 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.
be 34.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Malta, approximately 4.7 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.
have 19.5% more children
In Malta, there are approximately 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.3% more on education
Malta spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 22.2% more on healthcare
Malta spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 66.2% less coastline
Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 92.9% more likely to be murdered
Malta 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.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Malta, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 27.2% less strain on fresh water
Malta withdraws 73% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
use 41.6% more electricity
Malta uses 5,013 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 28.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malta, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Malta emits 3.2 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: Malta vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.