Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Economy

make 37.1% more money

Spain has a GDP per capita of $46,400 as of 2023, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $63,600 as of 2023.

be 54.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Spain, 12.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

be 39.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Spain, 20.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.

pay a 19.3% higher top tax rate

Spain has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.

Life

have 52.1% more children

In Spain, there are approximately 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 66.7% more likely to die during childbirth

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

be 29.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Spain, 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.

Expenditures

spend 45.7% more on education

Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belgium spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 98.7% less coastline

Spain has a total of 4,964 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, Agencia Tributaria, Spain.

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 Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.

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