Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.5 years less

In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Slovakia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

pay a 53.4% lower top tax rate

Belgium has a top tax rate of 53.7% as of 2016. In Slovakia, the top tax rate is 25.0% as of 2016.

make 38.2% less money

Belgium has a GDP per capita of $63,600 as of 2023, while in Slovakia, the GDP per capita is $39,300 as of 2023.

be 11.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Slovakia, however, that number is 13.7% as of 2021.

Life

be 51.1% 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 Slovakia, on the other hand, 4.8 children do as of 2022.

have 17.2% fewer children

In Belgium, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Slovakia, there are 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 31.3% less on education

Belgium spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Slovakia spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 35.1% less on healthcare

Belgium spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Slovakia, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Service Public Fédéral Finances, The World Factbook, Tax Directorate, Slovakia.

Slovakia: At a glance

Slovakia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 48,105 sq km. Slovakia's roots can be traced to the 9th century state of Great Moravia. Subsequently, the Slovaks became part of the Hungarian Kingdom, where they remained for the next 1,000 years. Following the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (Magyarization) resulted in a strengthening of Slovak nationalism and a cultivation of cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who were under Austrian rule. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I, the Slovaks joined the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar period, Slovak nationalist leaders pushed for autonomy within Czechoslovakia, and in 1939 Slovakia became an independent state allied with Nazi Germany. Following World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and came under communist rule within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004 and the euro zone on 1 January 2009.
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