Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of United States, you would:
Health
live 1.3 years longer
In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 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 39.0% less likely to be obese
In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belgium, that number is 22.1% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 12.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Belgium, however, that number is 13.2% as of 2021.
make 17.5% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $64,600 as of 2022, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $53,300 as of 2022.
be 52.3% more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 5.6% as of 2022.
pay a 35.6% higher top tax rate
United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.
Life
be 76.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2020.
be 38.3% less likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.2 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 11.5% fewer children
In United States, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.0% less on healthcare
United States spends 18.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Belgium, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 99.7% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 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, Internal Revenue Service.
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.