Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 26.1 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 years for women) as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 2.7 times more likely to be obese

In Somalia, 8.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belgium, that number is 22.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 42.4 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2023, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $63,600 as of 2023.

be 71.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 19.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

be 77.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Somalia, 54.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.

Life

be 99.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Somalia, approximately 621.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 96.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Somalia, approximately 86.5 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.

have 71.1% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 37.4 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 2.0 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Somalia, approximately 49% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Belgium, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 6.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 14.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Belgium, about 91.0% do as of 2021.

be 18.8% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Somalia, approximately 84% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Belgium, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 22.3 times more on education

Somalia spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Belgium spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 97.8% less coastline

Somalia has a total of 3,025 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 Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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