Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Poland, you would:
Health
live 3.9 years longer
In Poland, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 90.1% more spent on your healthcare
Poland spends $3,939 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 11.3% fewer doctors per person
Poland has 40.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
be 34.3% more likely to die by suicide
Poland has a suicide rate of 13.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.1 times more money
Poland has a GDP per capita of $28,420 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
be 98.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Poland, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 13.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Poland, approximately 3.6 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 33.3% more children
In Poland, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Poland, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 11.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Poland, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.7% more on education
Poland spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 34.0% more on healthcare
Poland spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 84.9% less coastline
Poland has a total of 440 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 5.6 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Poland, 11% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 62% as of 2021.
be 29.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Poland, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 35.0% more likely to be murdered
Poland has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 74.4% more home broadband
Poland has 25.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 62.5% more electricity
Poland uses 4,370 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 62.6% more strain on fresh water
Poland withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 63.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Poland, air pollution causes 41.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Poland vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Poland? See an in-depth size comparison.