Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands is 35% bigger than Belgium
Belgium: 30,689 km² (2024) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Netherlands’ coastline is 6.8 times as long as Belgium’s
Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Netherlands’ highest peak towers 168 m above Belgium’s
Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 53% of the Netherlands, versus 44% of Belgium
Belgium: 44.4% (2024) · Netherlands: 53.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 51% more people than Belgium
Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 37% more densely populated than Belgium
Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 4.7 cm taller than in Belgium
Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 7.0 cm taller than in Belgium
Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
Belgium and the Netherlands are practically level
Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Belgium and the Netherlands are practically level
Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Belgium and the Netherlands are practically level
Belgium: 21% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The Netherlands and Belgium are nearly identical here
Belgium: 15.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Netherlands: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Belgium 8.4
Belgium: 8.4 (2026) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Belgium has 3 official languages, the Netherlands 1
Belgium: 3 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 84% larger than Belgium’s
Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 17% more per person than Belgium
Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Belgium than in the Netherlands (Gini 1.1 points higher)
Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Belgium and the Netherlands are practically level
Belgium: 0.1% (2023) · Netherlands: 0.1% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands
Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands and Belgium are practically level
Belgium: 2% (2025) · Netherlands: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Netherlands’ central government collects 25% of GDP in tax, Belgium’s 23%
Belgium: 23% (2024) · Netherlands: 25.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1× Belgium’s
Belgium: 81% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 15% more on health per person than Belgium
Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
Belgium and the Netherlands are practically level
Belgium: 82.3 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Netherlands is 10% more likely to die before turning one than in Belgium
Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 8% more doctors per person than Belgium
Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Belgium has 2.2 times as many hospital beds per person as the Netherlands
Belgium: 5.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Belgium is 57% higher than in the Netherlands
Belgium: 15.1 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Belgium are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands
Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 21% in the Netherlands
Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.30 points higher than in Belgium
Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Belgium drink 11% more alcohol than in the Netherlands
Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 19% more meat per person than Belgium
Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Belgium has 454 kcal more food per person per day than the Netherlands
Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Belgium put in 155 more hours a year than in the Netherlands
Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Belgium and the Netherlands are practically level
Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 12% more tourists per resident than Belgium (2019)
Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Belgium has 3 more World Heritage sites than the Netherlands (16 against 13)
Belgium: 16 (2026) · Netherlands: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Netherlands has won 524 Olympic medals, Belgium 177
Belgium: 177 (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 524 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 96% in Belgium
Belgium: 96% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the Netherlands is 28% faster than in Belgium
Belgium: 254 Mbps (2026) · Netherlands: 324 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Belgium and the Netherlands are practically level
Belgium: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 88% in Belgium
Belgium: 88% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104
Belgium: 104 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Belgium’s railway network is 19% longer than the Netherlands’
Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 2.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Belgium
Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 22% of Belgium, but only 11% of the Netherlands
Belgium: 22% (2024) · Netherlands: 11% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Belgium emits 16% more CO₂ than someone in the Netherlands
Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Belgium
Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 3% more fine dust than in Belgium
Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 56% more likely to be murdered in Belgium than in the Netherlands
Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Belgium are 33% deadlier than in the Netherlands
Belgium: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Netherlands is on average 0.2 °C warmer than Belgium
Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Belgium gets 5% more rain than the Netherlands
Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Belgium bigger than the Netherlands?
The Netherlands is larger. The Netherlands is 35% bigger than Belgium.
Which has more people, Belgium or the Netherlands?
The Netherlands has 51% more people than Belgium (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belgium or the Netherlands?
Belgium and the Netherlands are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Belgium and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Belgium or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 4.7 cm taller than in Belgium (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
