Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belgium fits inside the United States 320 times
Belgium: 30,689 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 300 times as long as Belgium’s
Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 5,496 m above Belgium’s
Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of the United States, versus 44% of Belgium
Belgium: 44.4% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 29 times as many people as Belgium
Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Belgium is 10 times as densely populated as the United States
Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Belgium are 2.2 cm taller than in the United States
Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Belgium and the United States are practically level
Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Belgium is 3.4 years older than in the United States
Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.2 more children on average than in Belgium
Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 18% in the United States
Belgium: 21% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Belgium hosts 12 times as many refugees per resident as the United States
Belgium: 15.6 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Belgium 8.4
Belgium: 8.4 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Belgium has 3 official languages, the United States 1
Belgium: 3 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 42 times the size of Belgium’s
Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 21% more per person than Belgium
Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Belgium (Gini 15 points higher)
Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.1% of people in the United States live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Belgium
Belgium: 0.1% (2023) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 4.2% in the United States
Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Belgium 2.0%
Belgium: 2% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Belgium’s central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, the United States’ 11%
Belgium: 23% (2024) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Belgium’s
Belgium: 81% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as Belgium
Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Belgium live 3.4 years longer than in the United States
Belgium: 82.3 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 77% more likely to die before turning one than in Belgium
Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 3% more doctors per person than Belgium
Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Belgium has 2 times as many hospital beds per person as the United States
Belgium: 5.4 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Belgium is 14% higher than in the United States
Belgium: 15.1 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 23% in Belgium
Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 16% in the United States
Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Belgium rate their lives 0.11 points higher than in the United States
Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
The United States and Belgium are nearly identical here
Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 2 times as much meat per person as Belgium
Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 26 kcal more food per person per day than Belgium
Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 196 more hours a year than in Belgium
Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 1.2 years longer than in Belgium
Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Belgium welcomed 3.8 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019)
Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 11 more World Heritage sites than Belgium (27 against 16)
Belgium: 16 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Belgium 177
Belgium: 177 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Belgium are online, versus 95% in the United States
Belgium: 96% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 58% faster than in Belgium
Belgium: 254 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Belgium and the United States are practically level
Belgium: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 80% in the United States
Belgium: 88% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104
Belgium: 104 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 41 times as long as Belgium’s
Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 2.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Belgium
Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 22% of Belgium
Belgium: 22% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Belgium
Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
39% of Belgium’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States
Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Belgium carries 24% more fine dust than in the United States
Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.3 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in Belgium
Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 3.9 times as deadly as in Belgium
Belgium: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Belgium is on average 0.7 °C warmer than the United States
Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Belgium gets 9% more rain than the United States
Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Belgium bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Belgium fits inside the United States 320 times.
Which has more people, Belgium or the United States?
The United States has 29 times as many people as Belgium (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belgium or the United States?
People in Belgium live 3.4 years longer than in the United States. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Belgium and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Belgium or the United States?
Men in Belgium are 2.2 cm taller than in the United States (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
