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Belgium

Kingdom of Belgium · Western Europe

Position of Belgium on a world map

At a glance

CapitalBrussels
Most common first languageDutch60% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languagesDutch, French, German
Currencyeuro
Drives on theright
Highest pointSignal de Botrange694 m
Biggest category of goods exportedmanufactured goods69% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports29.2%of everything sold abroad, 2025
Internet domain.be

Facts about Belgium

Belgium hosts four of the world's two dozen or so diamond bourses — more than any other, and including the only one that trades rough stones exclusively.

Source: awdc.be · checked 2026-08-08

Belgium by the numbers

Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.

MeasureValueRank
PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year.11.9m (2025)81st
of 209
GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices.$725bn (2025)22nd
of 203
Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory.30.5k km² (2023)136th
of 209
Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations.$8.56bn (2024)32nd
of 151
Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined.$547bn (2025)19th
of 180
Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents.12.2m (2024)83rd
of 205
Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive.6.89k km² (2023)133rd
of 203
Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture.13.5k km² (2023)133rd
of 206
COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes.87 Mt (2024)43rd
of 198
Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them.10.5m (2025)65th
of 209
Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed.82.3 years (2024)31st
of 209
GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population.$60,750 (2025)21st
of 205
Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months.95.8% (2024)20th
of 191
InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods.2.5% (2025)104th
of 182
UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.5.9% (2025)79th
of 185
Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas.87.7% (2025)37th
of 209
Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates.1.44 (2024)162nd
of 209
Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces.1.28% of GDP (2024)98th
of 155
Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies.152.9% of GDP (2025)19th
of 183
COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population.7.26 t (2024)31st
of 198
Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1.0.951 (2023)10th
of 193

Land borders

🇫🇷 France🇩🇪 Germany🇱🇺 Luxembourg🇳🇱 Netherlands

Belgium shares these with other countries

Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has dutch as its most common first language 3Has french as an official language 28Has german as an official language 6Has dutch as an official language 4Uses the euro 20Is a constitutional monarchy 40Is a member of nato 30Is a member of the schengen area 28Is a member of the european union 26Mainly exports manufactured goods 83Is in western europe 8

Belgium in the Daily Ceteris

Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is Belgium.

Which country hosts four of the world's two dozen or so diamond bourses — more than any other, and including the only one that trades rough stones exclusively?

Antwerp lost the rough-diamond crown to Dubai in 2021 and its total trade has since fallen to under half Dubai's, yet the bourses stay put. What Antwerp still sells is not location but institution: 140 years of arbitration rules, credit networks and compliance paperwork that a lower-cost rival cannot simply undercut. source

Among OECD countries, which has the highest tax wedge — the gap between what an average employer pays and what an average worker takes home?

Just over half of what an average Belgian worker costs their employer disappears in income tax and social contributions before it reaches a payslip — the OECD's highest tax wedge, well above Germany's second-highest 47.9%. source

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Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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