Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.6 years longer

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 74 years (73 years for men, 76 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 20.5% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 27.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belgium, that number is 22.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 21.9 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $2,900 as of 2021, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $63,600 as of 2023.

be 59.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

be 85.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.

pay a 2.4 times higher top tax rate

Syria has a top tax rate of 22.0% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.

Life

be 83.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Syria, approximately 30.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 79.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Syria, approximately 15.9 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 50.2% fewer children

In Syria, there are approximately 21.7 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 12.4% more likely to have access to electricity

In Syria, approximately 89% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Belgium, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 95.3% more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Belgium, about 91.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 31.4% more on education

Syria spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2009. Belgium spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 65.5% less coastline

Syria has a total of 193 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, Syria.

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 Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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