Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belgium fits inside Sweden 17 times
Belgium: 30,689 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 48 times as long as Belgium’s
Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sweden’s highest peak towers 1,406 m above Belgium’s
Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 44% of Belgium, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Belgium: 44.4% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Belgium has 13% more people than Sweden
Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Belgium is 15 times as densely populated as Sweden
Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 1.4 cm taller than in Belgium
Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 3.3 cm taller than in Belgium
Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Belgium is 1.5 years older than in Sweden
Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Belgium and Sweden are practically level
Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Belgium and Sweden are practically level
Belgium: 21% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Belgium hosts 15% more refugees per resident than Sweden
Belgium: 15.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Sweden: 13.6 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Belgium 8.4
Belgium: 8.4 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Belgium has 3 official languages, Sweden 1
Belgium: 3 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Belgium’s economy is 8% larger than Sweden’s
Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Belgium produces 3% more per person than Sweden
Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sweden than in Belgium (Gini 2.5 points higher)
Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.8% of people in Sweden live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Belgium
Belgium: 0.1% (2023) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 5.9% in Belgium
Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden and Belgium are practically level
Belgium: 2% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Belgium’s 23%
Belgium: 23% (2024) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Belgium’s
Belgium: 81% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 9% more on health per person than Belgium
Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 1.8 years longer than in Belgium
Belgium: 82.3 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Belgium is 55% more likely to die before turning one than in Sweden
Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 23% more doctors per person than Belgium
Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Belgium has 2.9 times as many hospital beds per person as Sweden
Belgium: 5.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Belgium is 19% higher than in Sweden
Belgium: 15.1 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Belgium are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 20% in Sweden
Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.33 points higher than in Belgium
Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Belgium drink 10% more alcohol than in Sweden
Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sweden has 14% more meat per person than Belgium
Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Belgium has 555 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden
Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Belgium put in 162 more hours a year than in Sweden
Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Sweden and Belgium are practically level
Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Belgium welcomed 29% more tourists per resident than Sweden (2019)
Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Belgium has 1 more World Heritage site than Sweden (16 against 15)
Belgium: 16 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, Belgium 177
Belgium: 177 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Belgium and Sweden are practically level
Belgium: 96% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Belgium is 2% faster than in Sweden
Belgium: 254 Mbps (2026) · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Belgium and Sweden are practically level
Belgium: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 88% in Belgium
Belgium: 88% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104
Belgium: 104 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 2.7 times as long as Belgium’s
Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 93% more passengers per resident than those from Belgium
Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 22% of Belgium
Belgium: 22% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Belgium emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sweden
Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Belgium
Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Belgium carries 63% more fine dust than in Sweden
Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6% more likely to be murdered in Sweden than in Belgium
Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Belgium are 2 times as deadly as in Sweden
Belgium: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Belgium is on average 6.7 °C warmer than Sweden
Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Belgium gets 16% more rain than Sweden
Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Belgium bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Belgium fits inside Sweden 17 times.
Which has more people, Belgium or Sweden?
Belgium has 13% more people than Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belgium or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 1.8 years longer than in Belgium. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Belgium and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Belgium or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 1.4 cm taller than in Belgium (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
