Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belgium fits inside Romania 7.8 times.
Belgium: 30,689 km² (2023) · Romania: 238,400 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Romania’s coastline is 3.4 times as long as Belgium’s.
Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Romania’s highest peak towers 1,850 m above Belgium’s.
Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Romania has 59% more people than Belgium.
Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Belgium is 4.7 times as densely populated as Romania.
Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Belgium are 1.3 cm taller than in Romania.
Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 1.3 cm taller than in Belgium.
Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 1.2 years older than in Belgium.
Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Belgium have 0.1 more children on average than in Romania.
Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 20% in Romania.
Belgium: 21% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Belgium has produced 7.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Romania 2.1.
Belgium: 7.5 (2025) · Romania: 2.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Belgium has 3 official languages, Romania 1.
Belgium: 3 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Belgium’s economy is 69% larger than Romania’s.
Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Belgium produces 47% more per person than Romania.
Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Romania than in Belgium (Gini 3 points higher).
Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Romania and Belgium are practically level.
Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Belgium 1.3%.
Belgium: 1.3% (2024) · Romania: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Belgium’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Romania’s.
Belgium: 81% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Belgium spends 5.6 times as much on health per person as Romania.
Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Belgium live 5.8 years longer than in Romania.
Belgium: 82.3 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 94% more likely to die before turning one than in Belgium.
Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania has 1% more doctors per person than Belgium.
Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 23% in Belgium.
Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 24% in Belgium.
Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Belgium rate their lives 0.30 points higher than in Romania.
Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 79% more alcohol than in Belgium.
Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 21% more meat per person than Belgium.
Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Belgium has 272 kcal more food per person per day than Romania.
Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Romania put in 233 more hours a year than in Belgium.
Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Belgium went to school 1.1 years longer than in Romania.
Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Belgium welcomed 16% more tourists per resident than Romania (2019).
Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Belgium are online, versus 91% in Romania.
Belgium: 96% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Belgium and Romania are practically level.
Belgium: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Belgium: 88% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Romania has 120 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104.
Belgium: 104 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 3 times as long as Belgium’s.
Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Belgium fly 6.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania.
Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 30% of Romania, but only 23% of Belgium.
Belgium: 22.6% (2023) · Romania: 30.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Belgium emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Romania.
Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Romania’s electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Belgium.
Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Romania carries 54% more fine dust than in Belgium.
Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4% more likely to be murdered in Romania than in Belgium.
Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Romania are 2.1 times as deadly as in Belgium.
Belgium: 4.6 per 100k (2021) · Romania: 9.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Belgium is on average 0.1 °C warmer than Romania.
Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Belgium gets 22% more rain than Romania.
Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Belgium bigger than Romania?
Romania is larger. Belgium fits inside Romania 7.8 times.
Which has more people, Belgium or Romania?
Romania has 59% more people than Belgium (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belgium or Romania?
People in Belgium live 5.8 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Belgium and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in Belgium or Romania?
Men in Belgium are 1.3 cm taller than in Romania (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
