Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belgium fits inside Ivory Coast 11 times
Belgium: 30,689 km² (2024) · Ivory Coast: 322,460 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ivory Coast’s coastline is 7.7 times as long as Belgium’s
Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · Ivory Coast: 515 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ivory Coast’s highest peak towers 1,058 m above Belgium’s
Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · Ivory Coast: 1,752 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 84% of Ivory Coast, versus 44% of Belgium
Belgium: 44.4% (2024) · Ivory Coast: 83.9% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ivory Coast has 2.7 times as many people as Belgium
Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · Ivory Coast: 32.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Belgium is 3.8 times as densely populated as Ivory Coast
Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · Ivory Coast: 103 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Belgium are 10.9 cm taller than in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019) · Ivory Coast: 168.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Belgium are 4.8 cm taller than in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019) · Ivory Coast: 158.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Belgium is 23 years older than in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · Ivory Coast: 18.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ivory Coast have 2.8 more children on average than in Belgium
Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · Ivory Coast: 4.23 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 2.7% in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 21% (2025) · Ivory Coast: 2.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Belgium hosts 6.8 times as many refugees per resident as Ivory Coast
Belgium: 15.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Ivory Coast: 2.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Belgium has produced 8.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ivory Coast none
Belgium: 8.4 (2026) · Ivory Coast: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Belgium has 3 official languages, Ivory Coast 1
Belgium: 3 (2026) · Ivory Coast: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Belgium’s economy is 7.3 times the size of Ivory Coast’s
Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · Ivory Coast: $99.8 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Belgium produces 9.1 times as much per person as Ivory Coast
Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · Ivory Coast: Int$8,209 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ivory Coast than in Belgium (Gini 8.5 points higher)
Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · Ivory Coast: 35.3 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
21% of people in Ivory Coast live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Belgium
Belgium: 0.1% (2023) · Ivory Coast: 20.8% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 2.3% in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · Ivory Coast: 2.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Belgium spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, Ivory Coast 0.8%
Belgium: 2% (2025) · Ivory Coast: 0.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Belgium’s central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, Ivory Coast’s 13%
Belgium: 23% (2024) · Ivory Coast: 13% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Belgium’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Ivory Coast’s
Belgium: 81% (2025) · Ivory Coast: 37% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Belgium spends 68 times as much on health per person as Ivory Coast
Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · Ivory Coast: $88 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Belgium live 20 years longer than in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 82.3 years (2024) · Ivory Coast: 62.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ivory Coast is 14 times as likely to die before turning one as in Belgium
Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Ivory Coast: 44.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Belgium has 22 times as many doctors per person as Ivory Coast
Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Ivory Coast: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Belgium: 5.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Ivory Coast: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ivory Coast is 9% higher than in Belgium
Belgium: 15.1 per 100k (2023) · Ivory Coast: 16.5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Belgium are obese, versus 12% in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · Ivory Coast: 12% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 7.3% in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · Ivory Coast: 7.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Belgium rate their lives 1.78 points higher than in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · Ivory Coast: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Belgium drink 2.3 times as much alcohol as in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · Ivory Coast: 4.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Belgium has 5 times as much meat per person as Ivory Coast
Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · Ivory Coast: 12 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Belgium has 984 kcal more food per person per day than Ivory Coast
Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Ivory Coast: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ivory Coast put in 510 more hours a year than in Belgium
Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · Ivory Coast: 2,103 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Belgium went to school 7.8 years longer than in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · Ivory Coast: 4.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · Ivory Coast: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Belgium has 11 more World Heritage sites than Ivory Coast (16 against 5)
Belgium: 16 (2026) · Ivory Coast: 5 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Belgium has won 177 Olympic medals, Ivory Coast 5
Belgium: 177 (2026 edition) · Ivory Coast: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Belgium are online, versus 41% in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 96% (2024) · Ivory Coast: 41% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Belgium is 3 times as fast as in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 254 Mbps (2026) · Ivory Coast: 85 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Belgium have electricity, versus 73% in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 100% (2024) · Ivory Coast: 72.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 55% in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 88% (2025) · Ivory Coast: 55% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ivory Coast has 184 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104
Belgium: 104 (2024) · Ivory Coast: 184 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Belgium’s railway network is 5.7 times as long as Ivory Coast’s
Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · Ivory Coast: 639 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Belgium fly 44 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ivory Coast
Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · Ivory Coast: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 22% of Belgium, but only 12% of Ivory Coast
Belgium: 22% (2024) · Ivory Coast: 12.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Belgium emits 16 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · Ivory Coast: 0.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
39% of Belgium’s electricity is renewable, versus 29% in Ivory Coast
Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · Ivory Coast: 28.9% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ivory Coast carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in Belgium
Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Ivory Coast: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · Ivory Coast: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ivory Coast are 4.5 times as deadly as in Belgium
Belgium: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Ivory Coast: 30.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ivory Coast is on average 15.8 °C warmer than Belgium
Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ivory Coast: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ivory Coast gets 32% more rain than Belgium
Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ivory Coast: 1,226 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Belgium bigger than Ivory Coast?
Ivory Coast is larger. Belgium fits inside Ivory Coast 11 times.
Which has more people, Belgium or Ivory Coast?
Ivory Coast has 2.7 times as many people as Belgium (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belgium or Ivory Coast?
People in Belgium live 20 years longer than in Ivory Coast. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Belgium and 62.1 in Ivory Coast.
Are people taller in Belgium or Ivory Coast?
Men in Belgium are 10.9 cm taller than in Ivory Coast (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
