Capital

Belgien

name: Brussels

geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: may derive from the Old Dutch bruoc/broek, meaning "marsh" and sella/zele/sel signifying "home" to express the meaning "home in the marsh"

Citizenship

Belgien

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Belgium

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Legal system

Belgien

civil law system based on the French Civil Code; note - Belgian law continues to be modified in conformance with the legislative norms mandated by the European Union; judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage

Belgien

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Area

Belgien

total: 30,528 sq km

land: 30,278 sq km

water: 250 sq km

Land use

Belgien

agricultural land: 44.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 27.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 16.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 22.4% (2018 est.)

other: 33.5% (2018 est.)

Location

Belgien

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands

Age structure

Belgien

0-14 years: 17.03% (male 1,038,921/female 990,288)

15-64 years: 63.06% (male 3,788,406/female 3,724,202)

65 years and over: 19.91% (2023 est.) (male 1,049,402/female 1,322,414)

Birth rate

Belgien

10.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Belgien

9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Belgien

Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%

major-language sample(s):
Het Wereld Feitenboek, een onmisbare bron van informatie. (Dutch)

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Belgien

total population: 82.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 79.5 years

female: 84.8 years

Major urban areas - population

Belgien

2.122 million BRUSSELS (capital), 1.057 million Antwerp (2023)

Median age

Belgien

total: 41.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 40.7 years

female: 43 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Belgien

29.2 years (2020 est.)

Net migration rate

Belgien

4.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Belgien

most of the population concentrated in the northern two-thirds of the country; the southeast is more thinly populated; considered to have one of the highest population densities in the world; approximately 97% live in urban areas

Population growth rate

Belgien

0.55% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Belgien

1.77 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Belgien

urban population: 98.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Belgien

6.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Belgien

total: 19 years

male: 18 years

female: 20 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Belgien

-1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Belgien

1.28% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Belgien

5.24 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Belgien

14.8% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate

Belgien

6.42% (2021 est.)

5.55% (2020 est.)

5.36% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Belgien

119.43% of GDP (2020 est.)

103.38% of GDP (2019 est.)

101.39% of GDP (2018 est.)

note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions; general government debt is defined by the Maastricht definition and calculated by the National Bank of Belgium as consolidated gross debt; the debt is defined in European Regulation EC479/2009 concerning the implementation of the protocol on the excessive deficit procedure annexed to the Treaty on European Union (Treaty of Maastricht) of 7 February 1992; the sub-sectors of consolidated gross debt are: federal government, communities and regions, local government, and social security funds

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Belgien

2.44% (2021 est.)

0.74% (2020 est.)

1.44% (2019 est.)

Exports

Belgien

$515.625 billion (2021 est.)

$417.222 billion (2020 est.)

$441.566 billion (2019 est.)

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Exports - partners

Belgien

Germany 17%, France 14%, Netherlands 13%, United Kingdom 8%, United States 6%, Italy 5% (2019)

Imports

Belgien

$509.018 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$408.343 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$438.221 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Belgien

Netherlands 16%, Germany 13%, France 10%, United States 8%, Ireland 5%, China 5% (2019)

Airports

Belgien

41 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Belgien

total: 4,734,210 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Belgien

total: 10.92 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 91% (2021 est.)

Railways

Belgien

total: 3,602 km (2020) 3,160 km electrified

Roadways

Belgien

total: 118,414 km (2015)

paved: 118,414 km (2015) (includes 1,747 km of expressways)

Telephones - fixed lines

Belgien

total subscriptions: 3,293,420 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 28 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Belgien

total subscriptions: 11,740,118 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 101 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Belgien

2,043 km (2012) (1,528 km in regular commercial use)

Disputes - international

Belgien

none identified