Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Economy

pay a 16.2% lower top tax rate

Belgium has a top tax rate of 53.7% as of 2016. In Spain, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

make 27.0% less money

Belgium has a GDP per capita of $63,600 as of 2023, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $46,400 as of 2023.

be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Belgium, 5.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 12.1% as of 2023.

be 64.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.

Life

be 40.0% less likely to die during childbirth

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

be 22.6% less 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 34.3% fewer children

In Belgium, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 31.3% less on education

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

Geography

see 74.6 times more coastline

Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Service Public Fédéral Finances, The World Factbook, Agencia Tributaria, Spain.

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
Read more

How big is Spain compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Spain.or Belgium It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.