Belgium

Europe · Western Europe · capital Brussels

About Belgium

The capital of Belgium is Brussels. Brussels is the seat of national government for Belgium, a country in Western Europe.

Belgium has a population of about 11.8 million people, the 81st largest population in the world. Population figures come from World Bank estimates.

Belgium covers 30,528 square kilometers (11,787 square miles), making Belgium the 141st largest country in the world by area.

Belgium borders 4 countries: France, Germany, Luxembourg and Netherlands.

Life expectancy at birth in Belgium is 82.4 years, the 28th highest of any country in the world.

Belgium is in Europe, in the Western Europe region. Belgium is one of 53 countries and territories in Europe.

Data updated April 1, 2026

Statistics and world rankings for Belgium
Populationtotal people	11.8Mpeople	81st
Land Areatotal km²	30.5Kkm²	141st
GDP per PersonUSD per person	$55.3K	22nd
Total GDPUSD · whole economy	$651.3B	22nd
Life Expectancyyears, at birth	82.4years	28th
Urban Population% living in cities	87.6%	41st
Internet Users% of people online	94.6%	28th
Fertility Ratechildren per woman	1.47births/woman	165th
Tourist Arrivalsvisitors per year	9.3Marrivals/year	38th
Forest Cover% of land forested	22.6%	127th
Unemployment Rate% of labor force	5.5%	86th
Military Spending% of GDP	1.2%of GDP	106th
Renewable Energy% of energy use	11.7%	136th
Inflation Rateannual CPI change	4.0%	129th
Beer Consumptionliters per year	74.6L/year	14th
Coffee Consumptionkg per year	6.8kg/year	8th
Wine Consumptionliters per year	21L/year	13th
Education Spending% of GDP	6.3%of GDP	20th
Health Spending% of GDP	10.8%of GDP	19th
Arable Land% of land arable	28.3%	33rd
Foreign Direct InvestmentUSD inflow/year	-$4.2B	191st

ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 BE · alpha-3 BEL · Western Europe