Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
be 41.9% more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
be 59.7% more likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
be 52.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 17.6% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 21.2% more on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 85.3% less coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 56.5% more likely to be murdered
Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 35.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 11.2% more electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 3.2 times more strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 15.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.8% more CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 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: Netherlands vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.