Netherlands vs Belgium: how the neighbours compare
| Indicator | Netherlands | Belgium | Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | |||
| Population | 18.1m2025 | 11.9m2025 | 71 · 81 |
| Area | 41,540 km²2024 | 30,689 km²2024 | 132 · 137 |
| Density | 534.42024 | 388.92024 | 22 · 29 |
| Urban share | 95.9%2025 | 87.7%2025 | 15 · 42 |
| Fertility | 1.432024 | 1.442024 | 170 · 166 |
| Aged 65+ | 20.9%2025 | 21.0%2025 | 30 · 28 |
| Economy | |||
| GDP | $1.3tn2025 | $725bn2025 | 18 · 22 |
| GDP per capita | $73,6842025 | $60,7502025 | 17 · 22 |
| GDP per capita, PPP | $87,3202025 | $74,6762025 | 13 · 24 |
| GDP growth | 1.8%2025 | 1.0%2025 | 154 · 176 |
| Agriculture share | 1.7%2025 | 0.7%2025 | 151 · 177 |
| Industry share | 17.7%2025 | 18.6%2025 | 143 · 134 |
| Services share | 70.4%2025 | 71.2%2025 | 34 · 32 |
| Prices & public finance | |||
| Inflation | 3.2%2025 | 2.5%2025 | 90 · 103 |
| Tax revenue | 25.3%2024 | 23.0%2024 | 14 · 28 |
| Military spending | 2.19%2025 | 2.01%2025 | 52 · 64 |
| Trade & investment | |||
| Exports | 80.7%2025 | 75.5%2025 | 16 · 22 |
| FDI inflows | 0.3%2025 | -4.0%2025 | 166 · 195 |
| Labour | |||
| Unemployment | 3.9%2025 | 5.9%2025 | 121 · 81 |
| Aid, poverty & equality | |||
| Women in parliament | 43.3%2025 | 41.3%2025 | 20 · 24 |
| Education | |||
| Tertiary enrolment | 86.6%2023 | 82.1%2023 | 19 · 24 |
| Education spending | 5.2%2022 | 6.3%2022 | 56 · 23 |
| Health | |||
| Life expectancy | 82.0 yrs2024 | 82.3 yrs2024 | 37 · 31 |
| Infant mortality | 3.42024 | 3.12024 | 165 · 169 |
| Health spending | 10.0%2024 | 10.8%2023 | 29 · 19 |
| Physicians | 3.882022 | 3.572022 | 34 · 43 |
| Digital & energy access | |||
| Internet users | 97.0%2024 | 95.8%2024 | 17 · 20 |
| Fixed broadband | 43.02024 | 44.22024 | 20 · 17 |
| Electricity access | 100.0%2024 | 100.0%2024 | 73 · 14 |
| Environment | |||
| CO₂ per person | 6.60 t2024 | 7.31 t2024 | 37 · 31 |
| Renewable energy | 12.2%2021 | 11.7%2021 | 132 · 136 |
| Forest cover | 11.0%2024 | 22.0%2024 | 166 · 128 |
Higher value in each row is highlighted; it is not always the better one (think inflation or emissions). Ranks are world positions.
GDP per capita
NetherlandsBelgium
Life expectancy
NetherlandsBelgium
Population
NetherlandsBelgium
Internet users
NetherlandsBelgium
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
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