Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
see 52.0% more spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
be 15.4% more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
have 38.9% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
be 59.4% more likely to die by suicide
Portugal 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 25.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 89.4% more money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 73.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Portugal, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 16.5% more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 14.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Portugal, approximately 2.7 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.
Expenditures
spend 38.0% more on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 96.3% less coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 36.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 50.0% more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 34.1% more electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 4.3 times more strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 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: Portugal vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.