Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
be 93.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Republic of the Congo, 3.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.
live 16.3 years longer
In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 35.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Republic of the Congo spends $209 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 20.7 times more doctors per person
Republic of the Congo has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Republic of the Congo scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belgium scores 86 as of 2021.
be 70.9% more likely to be obese
In Republic of the Congo, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 6.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Republic of the Congo, 19.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 24.2 times more money
Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $2,515 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 241.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 88.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 27.0 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 69.8% fewer children
In Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 94.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belgium, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
be 36.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Belgium, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 88.0% more on education
Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 3.3 times more on healthcare
Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 60.7% less coastline
Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 45.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 34.8 times more home broadband
Republic of the Congo has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 21.0 times more electricity
Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 1761.0 times more strain on fresh water
Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 77.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.5 times more CO2
Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 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: Republic of the Congo vs. Belgium
MORE COMPARISONS
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.