If you lived in Belgium instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

live 23.1 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 2.5 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belgium, that number is 22.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 30.1 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2020, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $48,200 as of 2020.

be 64.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 15.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Belgium, that number is 5.4% as of 2019.

be 73.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Belgium, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2018.

pay a 79.0% higher top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.

Life

be 99.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 1120.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2017.

be 95.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.

have 66.0% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 32.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Belgium, there are 10.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 3.8 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 26% of the population has electricity access as of 2019. In Belgium, 100% of the population do as of 2020.

be 5.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 18.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Belgium, about 92.0% do as of 2020.

be 37.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Belgium, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 31.2% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belgium spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 21.6% more on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Belgium, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 83.5% less coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Service Public Fédéral Finances, The World Factbook, National Revenue Authority.

Belgium: At a glance

Belgium is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 30,278 sq km. Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Political divisions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. Its capital, Brussels, is home to numerous international organizations including the EU and NATO.
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How big is Belgium compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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