Aid, poverty & equality · Europe & Central Asia · High income
Belgium: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 0.1% (2023), 128th of 151 in the world and 33rd of 47 in Europe & Central Asia. Poverty, $4.20/day is 0.1% (2023), 138th of 151 in the world and 38th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia. Poverty, $8.30/day is 0.3% (2023), 143rd of 151 in the world and 40th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia.
Extreme poverty
BelgiumEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
Poverty, $4.20/day
BelgiumEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
11 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: Belgium in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.1%2023 | 128/151 | 33/47 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% | ±0.0 ppsince 2013 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.1%2023 | 138/151 | 38/47 | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.1% | −0.1 ppsince 2013 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.3%2023 | 143/151 | 40/47 | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.3% | −0.2 ppsince 2013 | 4.8% | 1.7% | 46.2% | |
| National poverty ratePoverty at national poverty lines, % of population | 12.3%2022 | 122/145 | 37/47 | · | · | 12.7% | — | — | — | — | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 26.82023 | 138/151 | 38/47 | 33.1 | 28.4 | 26.0 | −3.2%since 2013 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 22.2%2023 | 138/151 | 39/47 | 28.3% | 22.7% | 21.4% | +0.4 ppsince 2013 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 9.1%2023 | 18/151 | 13/47 | 8.4% | 8.6% | 9.4% | +0.5 ppsince 2013 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 2.5%2024 | 110/167 | 10/47 | 2.5%2001 | 2.5% | 2.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2014 | 2.9% | 2.6% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 9.3%2024 | 117/155 | 15/45 | · | · | 4.8% | — | 10.4% | 7.9% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 98.2%2024 | 20/145 | 17/46 | · | 96.3%2011 | 99.0%2021 | +0.1 ppsince 2014 | 89.6% | 94.9% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 41.3%2025 | 24/190 | 9/52 | 23.3% | 39.3% | 41.3% | +2.0 ppsince 2015 | 31.7% | 31.2% | 27.2% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Poverty, $4.20/day−0.1 pp0.1% in 2023
- Poverty, $8.30/day−0.2 pp0.3% in 2023
- Gini index−3.2%26.8 in 2023
- Bottom 20% income share+0.5 pp9.1% in 2023
Worse than ten years ago
- Top 10% income share+0.4 pp22.2% in 2023
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Belgium and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Belgium. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Belgium | Germany | France | Luxembourg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 0.1%2023 | 0.7%2022 | 0.1%2023 | 0.1%2023 |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 0.1%2023 | 0.9%2022 | 0.1%2023 | 0.1%2023 |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 0.3%2023 | 1.6%2022 | 0.3%2023 | 0.2%2023 |
| National poverty rate | 12.3%2022 | 14.8%2021 | 15.6%2021 | 17.3%2021 |
| Gini index | 26.82023 | 33.72022 | 31.82023 | 33.62023 |
| Top 10% income share | 22.2%2023 | 26.2%2022 | 25.0%2023 | 25.0%2023 |
| Bottom 20% income share | 9.1%2023 | 6.9%2022 | 7.7%2023 | 7.1%2023 |
| Undernourishment | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 9.3%2024 | 4.1%2024 | 9.4%2024 | 2.6%2024 |