Belgium - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Belgium. Crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals are within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the EU and NATO. Mother's mean age at first birth is 29.2 years (2020 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Geographical data of Belgium
| Location | Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 50 50 N, 4 00 E |
| Map references | Europe |
| Tarrain | flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast |
| Natural Resources | construction materials, silica sand, carbonates, arable land |
| Natural Hazards | flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes |
| Irrigated Land | 57 sq km (2013) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | |
| Major aquifers | |
| Land Boundaries | 1,297 km |
| Border Countries | France 556 km; Germany 133 km; Luxembourg 130 km; Netherlands 478 km |
| Coastline | 66.5 km |
| Climate | temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 30,278 sq km |
| Water Area | 250 sq km |
| comparative Area | about the size of Maryland |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
| Exclusive economic zone | geographic coordinates define outer limit |
| Continental shelf | median line with neighbors |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | Botrange 694 m |
| Lowest point | North Sea 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 181 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 44.1% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 27.2% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 16.1% (2018 est.) |
| Forest | 22.4% (2018 est.) |
| Other | 33.5% (2018 est.) |
Population Distribution
Most of the population concentrated in the northern two-thirds of the country; the southeast is more thinly populated; considered to have one of the highest population densities in the world; approximately 97% live in urban areas
People and Society
In Belgium, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Belgian 75.2%, Italian 4.1%, Moroccan 3.7%, French 2.4%, Turkish 2%, Dutch 2%, other 10.6% (2012 est.)
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 0.53% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 10.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 9.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 11.1% of GDP (2020) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | 5.6 beds/1,000 population (2019) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.76 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 0.86 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 66.7% (2018) |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 43.2% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | |
| Education expenditures | 6.7% of GDP (2020 est.) |
| Net Migration rate | 4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Belgian | Belgian(s) |
| Languages | |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 2.3%, other Christian, 2.8%, Muslim 6.8%, other 1.7%, atheist 9.1%, nonbeliever/agnostic 20.2% (2018 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 16.9% (male 1,038,578/female 990,215) |
| 15-64 years | 62.8% (male 3,796,844/female 3,730,784) |
| 65 years and over | 20.2% (2024 est.) (male 1,073,635/female 1,347,578) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 56.5 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 26.1 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 30.4 |
| Potential support ratio | 3.3 (2021 est.) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 42 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 40.8 years |
| Female | 43.1 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 98.2% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 0.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 2.122 million BRUSSELS (capital), 1.057 million Antwerp (2023). |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.02 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.8 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 3.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 82.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 79.7 years |
| Female | 85 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 100% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 100% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 100% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 0% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 0% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 0% of population (2020 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 100% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 100% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 100% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 0% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 0% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 0% of population (2020 est.) |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 9.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 4.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 3.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 1.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 0.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Tobacco use | |
| Total | 23.4% (2020 est.) |
| Male | 25.8% (2020 est.) |
| Female | 21% (2020 est.) |
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Belgium
Want to know more about Belgium? Check all different factbooks for Belgium below.
