Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.1 years longer

In Poland, the average life expectancy is 79 years (75 years for men, 83 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

make 44.2% more money

Poland has a GDP per capita of $44,100 as of 2023, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $63,600 as of 2023.

be 89.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Poland, 2.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

pay a 67.8% higher top tax rate

Poland has a top tax rate of 32.0% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.

Life

be 23.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Poland, approximately 4.2 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 28.6% more children

In Poland, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Poland, approximately 2.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 28.8% more on education

Poland spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belgium spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 70.8% more on healthcare

Poland spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Belgium, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 84.9% less coastline

Poland has a total of 440 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, Ministry of Finance, Poland.

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 Poland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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