Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 50.8% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 49.6% more money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 63.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
have 61.4% more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.1% more on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 86.7% less coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 92.6% less likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 63.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 58.0% more home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
live with 2.7 times more strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 51.7% more CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.