Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Belgium instead of Puerto Rico, you would:

Economy

make 55.4% more money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $34,300 as of 2022, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $53,300 as of 2022.

pay a 62.7% higher top tax rate

Puerto Rico has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.

Life

be 85.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 34.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 47.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 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 38.5% more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 17.1% more likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Belgium, about 91.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 86.1% more on education

Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Belgium spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 86.7% less coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 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, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury.

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 Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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