Belgium

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Generally, Belgium is characterized by its low-lying and hilly countryside. However, in its southeast the Ardennes Forest is mountainous and has played an important geostrategic role throughout its history. To the north, it borders the Netherlands, to the east it borders Germany to the southeast it borders Luxembourg, to the south it borders France and to its east is located on the North Sea.

Belgium, which derives its name from the land of the Belgae people, is most famous for its chocolate, waffles as well as housing the political headquarter of the European union and the military headquarter of NATO. It has attained its independence in 1830 when it seceded from the kingdom of the Netherlands and became the kingdom of Belgium. Officially, Belgium is a federal state which is divided up into three regions where the northern part speaks Dutch or Flemish, the southern part speaks French and the capital, Brussels, is home to both languages. A third language, German, is spoken in some small parts in the east of Belgium.

With a total surface area of 30,600 square kilometers, or 11,800 square miles, it is ranked as the 136th largest state in the world with Lesotho being slightly smaller and Moldova being slightly larger than Belgium.

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

It has 251 square kilometers or 97 square miles of permanent bodies of water residing within its territory which ranks it as the 128th state with the largest amount of water.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

In total, the share of water is around 0.82 percent of its total surface. This water mainly consists of rivers that originate from France and flows downstream through Belgium to the Netherlands and the North Sea.

Due to its location on the western part of Europe, it experiences a maritime climate due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. This gives Belgium relatively mild summers and mild winters. On average, the Belgian temperature is 9.3 degrees Celsius or 48.7 degrees Fahrenheit which ranks it as the 163rd warmest state in the world.

Temperature

The warmest periods occur between May and October when the average highest temperature is around 12.5 degrees Celsius or 54.5 degrees Fahrenheit. His ranks Belgium is the 170th warmest state in the world.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Its average lowest temperature occurs during the winter months when temperatures average around 5.1 degrees Celsius or 41.2 degrees Fahrenheit

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

With an average rainfall for 84.1 centimeters or 33 inches, Belgium experiences the 115th highest precipitation in the world. It is rainfall is spread out fairly evenly throughout the year with around 200 days of rain.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital, Brussels is a home to nearly 1 million people and a total of 1.75 million people within its metropolitan area. The capital that is closest to Belgium is Amsterdam, the Netherlands with a distance of 150 kilometers or 93 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Brussels is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 18,721 kilometers or 11,600 miles.

Due to its geographic position as well as its connection to large rivers within Europe, Belgium has transformed its economy towards a transport-oriented economy. It is officially characterized as a capitalist economy with its majority of its GDP being generated by the services sector. Its main trading partners are within the European Union and are France, the Netherlands, and Germany for its imports and the aforementioned including Italy for its exports.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

It is a member of 21 international economic organizations, which ranks it as the 10th most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

African development Bank
Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
Council of Europe Development Bank
Financial Action Task Force
Inter-American Development Bank
International Energy Agency
International Monetary Fund
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
World Bank Group

World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
TRACECA Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia
Group of Ten (economics)
International Energy Agency
Energy Charter Treaty
Energy Community
Nuclear Energy Agency
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance

With a GDP of US$516 billion, Belgium is ranks as the 25th highest in terms of GDP representing around 0.6 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per capita is ranked as the 20th highest in the world with a GDP per capita of US$44,500.

The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Belgian citizen makes.

Its GDP per square kilometer is around US$168,000 or US$435,000 which ranks it as the 13th highest in terms of GDP per square surface area.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The purchasing power parity for a Belgian citizen is around US$50,400 which ranks the purchasing power it as the 22nd highest in the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Belgium.

The Belgian population is the 82nd highest in the world with a total of 11.5 million people. As mentioned earlier the northern part of Belgium speaks Dutch which represents around 60 percent of the total population. The southern part speaks French which represents around 39 percent of the total population and the two small areas in the east speak German, representing around one percent of the total population.

Population

Afghanistan has 36,57 million inhabitants living in its 34 provinces. 50 percent of which are under the age of 18. Compared to the rest of the world, Afghanistan is ranked 128th of the most populated states.

Below, the population of each state is displayed.

Population density

The population per square kilometer is around 376 people or 974 people per square mile. This ranks Belgium as the 25th most densely populated state in the world.

Emigration

Emigration has largely taken place after the end of the second world war. It is estimated that around 570,000 people, or around 4.9 percent of the total population has emigrated. The main emigration destinations were Canada directly after the second world war and the Netherlands, Germany and France from the 1950s onwards.

Immigration

Immigration has largely taken place after the second world war when Belgium attracted a migrant labor force predominantly from Morocco and Turkey with Morocco representing the largest share of immigrants due to the fact that a large proportion of Moroccans also speak French. It also has relatively high immigration rates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo which used to be a Belgian colony. Other forms of immigration mainly take place within Europe with Frace being the largest contributor of European immigrants. In total, around 1.9 million people, or around 16.2 percent of the population are not native to Belgium. This ranks Belgium as the 31st state in terms of highest immigration.

Literacy

The school system of Belgium is divided up into four stages. These are preschool, primary education, secondary education and the University. Due to this extensive schooling network, Belgium is ranked as the 47th most literate state in the world with the literacy rate of 98.6 percent.

Health

Healthcare within Belgium is of fairly high standards. However, due to the high standards of living, Belgium is plagued with Western diseases such as obesity as well as chronic illnesses related to lifestyle choices. Other factors that play a role in health are socio economic factors which drastically lower the life expectancy for Belgians with a lower social economic status. Other communicable diseases are also more prevalent in comparison to neighboring states with HIV incidences being one of the highest within Europe. The average life expectancy is around 82.2 years with women averaging around 84.3 years and man averaging around 80 years. This is the 24th highest life expectancy in the world.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

It is estimated that Belgium is the 30th most multi religious state in the world with Christianity, in particular Catholicism, representing the largest share of religion for centuries. However, since the 1960, Christianity has been on the decline with Muslim immigrants starting to represent a larger share of the population. Even though freedom of religion has been granted by the government, religions that are not formally recognized by the government are still under scrutiny.

At present, the share of Christians within the Belgian population is around 64.4 percent. This is mainly represented in the northern part of Belgium by Roman Catholicism. The decline of Catholicism can be found in the decline in church attendance which is estimated to be just over five percent. Due to the declining share of Christianity, Belgium is ranked as the 104th most Christian state in the world.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Around 6.5 percent of the Belgian population adheres to the Islamic faith which makes it the second largest religion in Belgium. One of the first Muslims that arrived in Belgium was right after its independence. However, the largest share of Muslims came in the form of immigrants after the second world war which mainly attracted Muslims from Turkey as well as northern Africa. At present, the Belgian government has banned the wearing of a burqa in public spaces and tensions between Muslims and the rest of the Belgian population have been rising in recent years.

Buddhism has had a rocky relationship in Belgium. At the end of the 20th century, the Belgian government has started an investigation in minority religions as possible cults. As a result of this, two separates Buddhist institutions were closed. At present, with roughly 1/3 being native Belgian and two thirds coming from outside of Belgium, around 0.2 percent of the Belgian population adheres to the Buddhist faith.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Like Buddhism, Hinduism also represents a very small minority in Belgium. It is estimated that around 0.05 percent of the Belgian population adheres to Hinduism. These are mainly people from Indian origin.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

The history of Jews in Belgium has been difficult. During the Middle Ages, Jews were regularly persecuted and expelled from Belgian territory. Also, during the Crusades many Jews that refuse to convert to Christianity were executed. At present, Jews represent around 0.29 percent of the total Belgian population. Most of these Jews are centered around Antwerp and are largely active in the diamond trade.

Other religions (share of the total population)

In Belgium as well as France, Antoinism has been around for over 150 years. Antoinism represents the largest share of other religions within Belgium which has a total share of 0.17 percent of the total Belgian population.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

It is estimated that around 19.4 percent of the Belgian population do not adhere to any faith.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

The Belgian Army, also known as the Belgian defense force, is appointed the Belgian king, who also serves as the commander in chief. It is comprised of four different branches, namely the air force, the land forces, marine and the medical staff. In total, Belgium spends around US$4.8 billion per year on its military which corresponds to roughly 0.95 percent of its total GDP And ranks Belgium as the 40th highest spender on its military.

Known as the graveyard of empires, Afghanistan has been an internationally contested state that withstood total subversion from major empires throughout its existence. Its most recent encounters with other empires were the British empire (1839-1842) the Soviet Union (1979-1989) and the United States (2001-present). Factors that attribute to this are the fact that the mountains limit the accessibility through Afghanistan. Aside from this, inter tribal wars have regularly occurred which led to the creation of a hostile environment as well as physically defensive structures of each village.

Military membership

it is also a member of 14 international military organizations. This ranks Belgium as the fifth most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Common Security and Defence Policy
Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation
Permanent Structured Cooperation
Member states of NATO
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Conference on Disarmament
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Wassenaar Arrangement
Nuclear Suppliers Group
Australia Group
Missile Technology Control Regime
International Atomic Energy Agency
NATO

Military membership

International wars

Since its existence in 1830, Belgium has fought 7 international wars. These are the following:

Franco-Mexican War 1861-1867
World War I 1914-1918
World War II 1939-1945
Korean conflict 1945-present
Korean War 1950-1953
Libyan Civil War 2011-2011
Syrian Civil War 2011-2025

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

It is ranked as the 21st most politically interconnected state in the world and is a member of 16 international political organizations. These are:

Member states of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
European Union
the Council of Europe
Energy Community
Benelux
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Union for the Mediterranean
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
UNIDROIT
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Western European and Others Group
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Belgium is ranked as the 17th most democratic state in the world. The Belgian government holds regular elections. However there have been instances where the Belgian political parties were not able to form a coalition over a period of just under 500 days.

Democracy/Dictatorship

Belgium has a representative democratic constitutional monarchy with the king as the head of state and the Prime Minister as the head of government. The politics in Belgium are represented by a multiparty system.