Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Romania, you would:
Health
live 5.8 years longer
In Romania, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 35.7% less likely to be obese
In Romania, 32.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Romania spends $2,614 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 10.3% more access to essential health services
Romania scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belgium scores 86 as of 2021.
be 90.9% more likely to die by suicide
Romania has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 33.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Romania, 18.4% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 2.7 times more money
Romania has a GDP per capita of $22,538 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 66.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Romania, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Romania, approximately 6.0 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 22.7% more children
In Romania, there are approximately 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 91.5% more on education
Romania spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 89.1% more on healthcare
Romania spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 70.4% less coastline
Romania has a total of 225 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 52.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Romania, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 23.5% more home broadband
Romania has 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 2.7 times more electricity
Romania uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 6.9 times more strain on fresh water
Romania withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Romania, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 96.5% more CO2
Romania emits 3.7 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: Romania vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Romania? See an in-depth size comparison.