Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.8 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 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 54.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

be 39.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.

pay a 16.0% higher top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.

Life

be 66.7% more likely to die during childbirth

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

be 93.3% more likely to die during infancy

In Iceland, approximately 1.6 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 14.3% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 13.0% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belgium spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 15.6% more on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Belgium, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 98.7% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 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, Directorate of Internal 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 Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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