Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
live 2.1 years less
In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 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 84.7% more likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
see 29.4% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 20.2% fewer doctors per person
Switzerland has 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
be 31.0% more likely to die by suicide
Switzerland has a suicide rate of 14.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 22.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Switzerland, 15.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
be 21.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Switzerland, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 47.1% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 29.2% more on education
Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 80.0% more likely to be murdered
Switzerland has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 13.7% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Switzerland, 72% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Belgium, that number is 62% as of 2021.
be 91.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 8.1 times more strain on fresh water
Switzerland withdraws 6% 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 Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 94.9% more CO2
Switzerland emits 3.8 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Switzerland vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.