Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belgium fits inside Australia 252 times
Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2024) · Belgium: 30,689 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Australia’s coastline is 387 times as long as Belgium’s
Australia: 25,760 km (2026 edition) · Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Australia’s highest peak towers 1,534 m above Belgium’s
Australia: 2,228 m (2026 edition) · Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 47% of Australia, versus 44% of Belgium
Australia: 47.3% (2024) · Belgium: 44.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Australia has 2.3 times as many people as Belgium
Australia: 27.6 million (2025) · Belgium: 11.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Belgium is 109 times as densely populated as Australia
Australia: 4 per km² (2025) · Belgium: 392 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Belgium and Australia are practically level
Australia: 178.8 cm (2019) · Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Australia are 1.3 cm taller than in Belgium
Australia: 164.7 cm (2019) · Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Belgium is 3.7 years older than in Australia
Australia: 37.8 years (2023) · Belgium: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Australia and Belgium are practically level
Australia: 1.48 children per woman (2024) · Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 18% in Australia
Australia: 18.1% (2025) · Belgium: 21% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Belgium hosts 13 times as many refugees per resident as Australia
Australia: 1.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Belgium: 15.6 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Belgium has produced 8.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Australia 3.6
Australia: 3.6 (2026) · Belgium: 8.4 (2026)
How many official languages?
Belgium has 3 official languages, Australia 1
Australia: 1 (2026) · Belgium: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Australia’s economy is 2.5 times the size of Belgium’s
Australia: $1.8 trillion (2025) · Belgium: $725 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Belgium produces 4% more per person than Australia
Australia: Int$71,934 (2025) · Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Australia than in Belgium (Gini 7 points higher)
Australia: 33.8 (2020) · Belgium: 26.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.9% of people in Australia live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Belgium
Australia: 0.9% (2020) · Belgium: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 4.1% in Australia
Australia: 4.1% (2025) · Belgium: 5.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Belgium and Australia are practically level
Australia: 1.9% (2025) · Belgium: 2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Australia’s central government collects 24% of GDP in tax, Belgium’s 23%
Australia: 23.6% (2022) · Belgium: 23% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Australia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Belgium’s
Australia: 91% (2025) · Belgium: 81% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Australia spends 18% more on health per person than Belgium
Australia: $6,980 (2023) · Belgium: $5,931 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Australia live 0.75 years longer than in Belgium
Australia: 83.1 years (2024) · Belgium: 82.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Australia and Belgium are nearly identical here
Australia: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Australia has 14% more doctors per person than Belgium
Australia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Belgium has 42% more hospital beds per person than Australia
Australia: 3.8 per 1,000 (2016) · Belgium: 5.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Belgium is 20% higher than in Australia
Australia: 12.6 per 100k (2023) · Belgium: 15.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
32% of adults in Australia are obese, versus 23% in Belgium
Australia: 32.4% (2024) · Belgium: 22.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 12% in Australia
Australia: 11.6% (2024) · Belgium: 23.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Belgium and Australia are practically level
Australia: 6.92 (2025) · Belgium: 6.93 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Australia drink 10% more alcohol than in Belgium
Australia: 10.5 litres (2023) · Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Australia has 95% more meat per person than Belgium
Australia: 116.8 kg (2023) · Belgium: 60 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Belgium has 359 kcal more food per person per day than Australia
Australia: 3,562 kcal (2023) · Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Australia put in 18 more hours a year than in Belgium
Australia: 1,611 hours (2023) · Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Australia went to school 0.18 years longer than in Belgium
Australia: 12.9 years (2023) · Belgium: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Australia: no data · Belgium: 0.81 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Australia has 5 more World Heritage sites than Belgium (21 against 16)
Australia: 21 (2026) · Belgium: 16 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Australia has won 619 Olympic medals, Belgium 177
Australia: 619 (2026 edition) · Belgium: 177 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Australia and Belgium are practically level
Australia: 96% (2024) · Belgium: 96% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Australia is 3% faster than in Belgium
Australia: 261 Mbps (2026) · Belgium: 254 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Australia and Belgium are practically level
Australia: 100% (2024) · Belgium: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
Australia and Belgium are practically level
Australia: 88% (2025) · Belgium: 88% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Australia has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104
Australia: 113 (2024) · Belgium: 104 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Australia’s railway network is 9 times as long as Belgium’s
Australia: 32,606 km (2022) · Belgium: 3,612 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Australia fly 2.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Belgium
Australia: 2.5 (2023) · Belgium: 0.95 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 22% of Belgium, but only 17% of Australia
Australia: 17.4% (2024) · Belgium: 22% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Australia emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Belgium
Australia: 14.5 t (2024) · Belgium: 7.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Belgium and Australia are practically level
Australia: 38.6% (2025) · Belgium: 38.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Belgium carries 72% more fine dust than in Australia
Australia: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 26% more likely to be murdered in Belgium than in Australia
Australia: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Australia are 10% deadlier than in Belgium
Australia: 7.5 per 100k (2023) · Belgium: 6.8 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Australia is on average 11.4 °C warmer than Belgium
Australia: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Belgium gets 2.1 times as much rain as Australia
Australia: 447 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Australia bigger than Belgium?
Australia is larger. Belgium fits inside Australia 252 times.
Which has more people, Australia or Belgium?
Australia has 2.3 times as many people as Belgium (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Australia or Belgium?
People in Australia live 0.75 years longer than in Belgium. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Australia and 82.3 in Belgium.
Are people taller in Australia or Belgium?
Belgium and Australia are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
