The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belgium fits inside the United Kingdom 7.9 times.
Belgium: 30,689 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 187 times as long as Belgium’s.
Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Kingdom’s highest peak towers 651 m above Belgium’s.
Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 5.8 times as many people as Belgium.
Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Belgium is 36% more densely populated than the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Belgium and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
The United Kingdom and Belgium are practically level.
Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Belgium is 1.7 years older than in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.1 more children on average than in Belgium.
Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 20% in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 21% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Belgium 7.5.
Belgium: 7.5 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
Belgium has 3 official languages, the United Kingdom 1.
Belgium: 3 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 5.5 times the size of Belgium’s.
Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Belgium produces 16% more per person than the United Kingdom.
Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Kingdom than in Belgium (Gini 5.6 points higher).
Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 4.7% in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Belgium 1.3%.
Belgium: 1.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Belgium’s.
Belgium: 81% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Belgium spends 1% more on health per person than the United Kingdom.
Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Belgium live 0.91 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 82.3 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 32% more likely to die before turning one than in Belgium.
Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Belgium has 8% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 23% in Belgium.
Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Belgium rate their lives 0.23 points higher than in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 9% more alcohol than in Belgium.
Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 41% more meat per person than Belgium.
Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Belgium has 487 kcal more food per person per day than the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Belgium put in 70 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 0.8 years longer than in Belgium.
Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Belgium welcomed 47% more tourists per resident than the United Kingdom (2019).
Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Belgium and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Belgium: 96% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Belgium and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Belgium: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 88% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104.
Belgium: 104 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 4.5 times as long as Belgium’s.
Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 79% more passengers per resident than those from Belgium.
Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 23% of Belgium, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 22.6% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Belgium emits 61% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Belgium.
Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Belgium carries 6% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4% more likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom than in Belgium.
Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Belgium are 92% deadlier than in the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 4.6 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Belgium is on average 1.1 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 15% more rain than Belgium.
Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Belgium bigger than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is larger. Belgium fits inside the United Kingdom 7.9 times.
Which has more people, Belgium or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 5.8 times as many people as Belgium (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belgium or the United Kingdom?
People in Belgium live 0.91 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Belgium and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Belgium or the United Kingdom?
Belgium and the United Kingdom are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
