Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Economy

make 52.5% more money

Portugal has a GDP per capita of $41,700 as of 2023, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $63,600 as of 2023.

be 15.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Portugal, 6.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

be 25.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.

Life

be 58.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Portugal, approximately 12.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

have 33.3% more children

In Portugal, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Belgium, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 27.6% more likely to die during infancy

In Portugal, approximately 2.5 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.

Basic Needs

be 11.0% more likely to have internet access

In Portugal, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Belgium, about 91.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 34.0% more on education

Portugal spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belgium spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 96.3% less coastline

Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.

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

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 Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.

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