Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Belgium, you would:

Health

live 3.0 years less

In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 43.9% less money

Belgium has a GDP per capita of $63,600 as of 2023, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $35,700 as of 2021.

be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Belgium, 5.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2023.

be 38.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In New Caledonia, however, that number is 17.0% as of 2008.

Life

have 27.8% more children

In Belgium, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 13.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 56.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Belgium, approximately 3.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In New Caledonia, on the other hand, 5.0 children do as of 2020.

Geography

see 33.9 times more coastline

Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.

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