Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Belgium instead of Malta, you would:

Health

be 23.5% less likely to be obese

In Malta, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belgium, that number is 22.1% of people as of 2016.

live 1.3 years less

In Malta, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 21.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Malta, 16.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belgium, however, that number is 13.2% as of 2021.

be 90.4% more likely to be unemployed

In Malta, 2.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 5.6% as of 2022.

pay a 53.4% higher top tax rate

Malta has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.

Life

be 29.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Malta, approximately 4.5 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 14.9% more children

In Malta, there are approximately 9.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 66.7% more likely to die during childbirth

In Malta, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 13.6% more on education

Malta spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belgium spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 66.2% less coastline

Malta has a total of 197 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, Government of Malta - Inland Revenue.

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 Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.

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