Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belgium fits inside India 107 times.
Belgium: 30,689 km² (2023) · India: 3,287,260 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
India’s coastline is 105 times as long as Belgium’s.
Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · India: 7,000 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 7,892 m above Belgium’s.
Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · India: 8,586 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 123 times as many people as Belgium.
Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · India: 1.46 billion (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 26% more densely populated than Belgium.
Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · India: 492 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Belgium are 12.6 cm taller than in India.
Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019) · India: 166.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Belgium are 8.2 cm taller than in India.
Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019) · India: 155.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Belgium is 13 years older than in India.
Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · India: 28.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in India have 0.5 more children on average than in Belgium.
Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · India: 1.96 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 7.4% in India.
Belgium: 21% (2025) · India: 7.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Belgium has produced 7.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, India 0.1.
Belgium: 7.5 (2025) · India: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Belgium and India are practically level.
Belgium: 3 (2026) · India: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 5.5 times the size of Belgium’s.
Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · India: $3.96 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Belgium produces 6.4 times as much per person as India.
Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · India: Int$11,748 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Belgium than in India (Gini 1.3 points higher).
Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · India: 25.5 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 4.2% in India.
Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · India: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
India spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Belgium 1.3%.
Belgium: 1.3% (2024) · India: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Belgium’s price level (US = 100) is 3.5× India’s.
Belgium: 81% (2025) · India: 23% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Belgium spends 70 times as much on health per person as India.
Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · India: $85 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Belgium live 10 years longer than in India.
Belgium: 82.3 years (2024) · India: 72.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 7.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Belgium.
Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Belgium has 4.9 times as many doctors per person as India.
Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Belgium are obese, versus 8.0% in India.
Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · India: 8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 23% in India.
Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · India: 22.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Belgium rate their lives 2.39 points higher than in India.
Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · India: 4.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Belgium drink 82% more alcohol than in India.
Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · India: 5.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Belgium has 7.4 times as much meat per person as India.
Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · India: 8.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Belgium has 1,253 kcal more food per person per day than India.
Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · India: 2,669 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 789 more hours a year than in Belgium.
Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · India: 2,383 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Belgium went to school 5.8 years longer than in India.
Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · India: 6.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Belgium welcomed 120 times as many tourists per resident as India (2019).
Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · India: 0.01 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Belgium are online, versus 70% in India.
Belgium: 96% (2024) · India: 70% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
Belgium and India are practically level.
Belgium: 100% (2024) · India: 99.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 36% in India.
Belgium: 88% (2025) · India: 36% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Belgium has 104 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79.
Belgium: 104 (2024) · India: 79 (2024)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 19 times as long as Belgium’s.
Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · India: 68,103 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Belgium fly 7.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from India.
Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · India: 0.12 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 25% of India, but only 23% of Belgium.
Belgium: 22.6% (2023) · India: 24.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Belgium emits 3.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in India.
Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · India: 2.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
39% of Belgium’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in India.
Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · India: 24.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 4.8 times as much fine dust as in Belgium.
Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.6 times as likely to be murdered in India as in Belgium.
Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · India: 2.8 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in India are 3.2 times as deadly as in Belgium.
Belgium: 4.6 per 100k (2021) · India: 14.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
India is on average 13.4 °C warmer than Belgium.
Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
India gets 37% more rain than Belgium.
Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Belgium bigger than India?
India is larger. Belgium fits inside India 107 times.
Which has more people, Belgium or India?
India has 123 times as many people as Belgium (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belgium or India?
People in Belgium live 10 years longer than in India. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Belgium and 72.2 in India.
Are people taller in Belgium or India?
Men in Belgium are 12.6 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
