Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Spain, you would:
Health
see 51.8% more spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
live 1.6 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 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 36.2% more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
have 16.8% fewer doctors per person
Spain has 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Spain has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 43.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 39.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Spain, 20.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 57.3% more money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
have 41.5% more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 19.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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 36.8% more on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 17.1% more on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.7% less coastline
Spain has a total of 4,964 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 56.5% more likely to be murdered
Spain has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 31.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.7% more home broadband
Spain has 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 36.6% more electricity
Spain uses 5,196 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 22.2% more strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% 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 Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 62.1% more CO2
Spain emits 4.5 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: Spain vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.