Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belgium fits inside Ecuador 8.4 times
Belgium: 30,689 km² (2024) · Ecuador: 256,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ecuador’s coastline is 34 times as long as Belgium’s
Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · Ecuador: 2,237 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ecuador’s highest peak towers 5,573 m above Belgium’s
Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · Ecuador: 6,267 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 44% of Belgium, versus 20% of Ecuador
Belgium: 44.4% (2024) · Ecuador: 20.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ecuador has 53% more people than Belgium
Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · Ecuador: 18.3 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Belgium is 5.3 times as densely populated as Ecuador
Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · Ecuador: 74 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Belgium are 11.8 cm taller than in Ecuador
Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019) · Ecuador: 167.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Belgium are 8.2 cm taller than in Ecuador
Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019) · Ecuador: 155.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Belgium is 13 years older than in Ecuador
Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · Ecuador: 28.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ecuador have 0.4 more children on average than in Belgium
Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · Ecuador: 1.81 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Ecuador
Belgium: 21% (2025) · Ecuador: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Belgium hosts 11 times as many refugees per resident as Ecuador
Belgium: 15.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Ecuador: 1.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Belgium has produced 8.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ecuador none
Belgium: 8.4 (2026) · Ecuador: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Belgium has 3 official languages, Ecuador 1
Belgium: 3 (2026) · Ecuador: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Belgium’s economy is 5.6 times the size of Ecuador’s
Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · Ecuador: $130 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Belgium produces 4.5 times as much per person as Ecuador
Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · Ecuador: Int$16,757 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ecuador than in Belgium (Gini 19.1 points higher)
Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · Ecuador: 45.9 (2025)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
3.4% of people in Ecuador live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Belgium
Belgium: 0.1% (2023) · Ecuador: 3.4% (2025)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 3.3% in Ecuador
Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · Ecuador: 3.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Ecuador and Belgium are practically level
Belgium: 2% (2025) · Ecuador: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Belgium’s central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, Ecuador’s 13%
Belgium: 23% (2024) · Ecuador: 13.1% (2022)
How expensive is it?
Belgium’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Ecuador’s
Belgium: 81% (2025) · Ecuador: 43% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Belgium spends 12 times as much on health per person as Ecuador
Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · Ecuador: $509 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Belgium live 4.7 years longer than in Ecuador
Belgium: 82.3 years (2024) · Ecuador: 77.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ecuador is 3.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Belgium
Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Ecuador: 10.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Belgium has 55% more doctors per person than Ecuador
Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Ecuador: 2.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How many hospital beds are there?
Belgium has 4.1 times as many hospital beds per person as Ecuador
Belgium: 5.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Ecuador: 1.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Belgium is 2.7 times that in Ecuador
Belgium: 15.1 per 100k (2023) · Ecuador: 5.5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Ecuador are obese, versus 23% in Belgium
Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · Ecuador: 28.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 10% in Ecuador
Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · Ecuador: 10.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Belgium rate their lives 0.78 points higher than in Ecuador
Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · Ecuador: 6.14 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Belgium drink 3 times as much alcohol as in Ecuador
Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · Ecuador: 3.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Belgium has 7% more meat per person than Ecuador
Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · Ecuador: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Belgium has 1,300 kcal more food per person per day than Ecuador
Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Ecuador: 2,621 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Ecuador and Belgium are practically level
Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · Ecuador: 1,594 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Belgium went to school 3.7 years longer than in Ecuador
Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · Ecuador: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · Ecuador: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Belgium has 11 more World Heritage sites than Ecuador (16 against 5)
Belgium: 16 (2026) · Ecuador: 5 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Belgium has won 177 Olympic medals, Ecuador 10
Belgium: 177 (2026 edition) · Ecuador: 10 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Belgium are online, versus 77% in Ecuador
Belgium: 96% (2024) · Ecuador: 77% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Ecuador is 14% faster than in Belgium
Belgium: 254 Mbps (2026) · Ecuador: 290 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Belgium have electricity, versus 99% in Ecuador
Belgium: 100% (2024) · Ecuador: 98.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 63% in Ecuador
Belgium: 88% (2025) · Ecuador: 63% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Belgium has 104 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ecuador 102
Belgium: 104 (2024) · Ecuador: 102 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Belgium’s railway network is 3.7 times as long as Ecuador’s
Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · Ecuador: 965 km (2022)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Belgium fly 3.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ecuador
Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · Ecuador: 0.25 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Ecuador, but only 22% of Belgium
Belgium: 22% (2024) · Ecuador: 49.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Belgium emits 2.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ecuador
Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · Ecuador: 2.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
79% of Ecuador’s electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Belgium
Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · Ecuador: 79.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ecuador carries 90% more fine dust than in Belgium
Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Ecuador: 17.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 42 times as likely to be murdered in Ecuador as in Belgium
Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · Ecuador: 45.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ecuador are 4.5 times as deadly as in Belgium
Belgium: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Ecuador: 30.8 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ecuador is on average 10.2 °C warmer than Belgium
Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ecuador: 21.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ecuador gets 3.5 times as much rain as Belgium
Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ecuador: 3,204 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Belgium bigger than Ecuador?
Ecuador is larger. Belgium fits inside Ecuador 8.4 times.
Which has more people, Belgium or Ecuador?
Ecuador has 53% more people than Belgium (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belgium or Ecuador?
People in Belgium live 4.7 years longer than in Ecuador. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Belgium and 77.6 in Ecuador.
Are people taller in Belgium or Ecuador?
Men in Belgium are 11.8 cm taller than in Ecuador (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
