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Europe
Page last updated: July 25, 2023
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. In recent years, political divisions between the Dutch-speaking Flemish of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. The capital city of Brussels is home to numerous international organizations, including the EU and NATO.
Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
50 50 N, 4 00 E
Europe
Total: 30,528 sq km
Land: 30,278 sq km
Water: 250 sq km
About the size of Maryland
Area comparison map:
Total: 1,297 km
Border countries (4): France 556 km; Germany 133 km; Luxembourg 130 km; Netherlands 478 km
66.5 km
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit
Continental shelf: median line with neighbors
Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Highest point: Botrange 694 m
Lowest point: North Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 181 m
Construction materials, silica sand, carbonates, arable land
Agricultural land: 44.1% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 27.2% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 16.1% (2018 est.)
Forest: 22.4% (2018 est.)
Other: 33.5% (2018 est.)
57 sq km (2013)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Seine (78,919 sq km), Rhine-Maas (198,735 sq km)
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
Flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals are within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the EU and NATO
11,913,633 (2023 est.)
Noun: Belgian(s)
Adjective: Belgian
Belgian 75.2%, Italian 4.1%, Moroccan 3.7%, French 2.4%, Turkish 2%, Dutch 2%, other 10.6% (2012 est.)
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%
Major-language sample(s):
Het Wereld Feitenboek, een onmisbare bron van informatie. (Dutch)
The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
French audio sample:
Dutch audio sample:
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.)
0-14 years: 17.03% (male 1,038,921/female 990,288)
15-64 years: 63.06% (male 3,788,406/female 3,724,202)
65 years and over: 19.91% (2023 est.) (male 1,049,402/female 1,322,414)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 56.5
Youth dependency ratio: 26.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 30.4
Potential support ratio: 3.3 (2021 est.)
Total: 41.6 years
Male: 40.4 years
Female: 42.8 years (2020 est.)
0.55% (2023 est.)
10.86 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
9.57 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
4.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
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
Urban population: 98.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
2.122 million BRUSSELS (capital), 1.057 million Antwerp (2023)
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: 0.79 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
29.2 years (2020 est.)
5 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Total: 3.15 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 3.58 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Total population: 82.06 years
Male: 79.47 years
Female: 84.79 years (2023 est.)
1.77 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.86 (2023 est.)
66.7% (2018)
Improved: urban: 100% of population
Rural: 100% of population
Total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
11.1% of GDP (2020)
6.08 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
5.6 beds/1,000 population (2019)
Improved: urban: 100% of population
Rural: 100% of population
Total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
22.1% (2016)
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.)
Total: 23.4% (2020 est.)
Male: 25.8% (2020 est.)
Female: 21% (2020 est.)
1% (2014/15)
43.2% (2023 est.)
6.7% of GDP (2020 est.)
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA
Total: 19 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 20 years (2020)
Total: 19.6%
Male: 18.9%
Female: 20.4% (2021 est.)
Intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries
Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Agricultural land: 44.1% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 27.2% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 16.1% (2018 est.)
Forest: 22.4% (2018 est.)
Other: 33.5% (2018 est.)
Urban population: 98.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
0.02% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 12.88 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 96.89 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 7.78 megatons (2020 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 4.708 million tons (2015 est.)
Municipal solid waste recycled annually: 1,614,985 tons (2015 est.)
Percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 34.3% (2015 est.)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Seine (78,919 sq km), Rhine-Maas (198,735 sq km)
Municipal: 740 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 3.47 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
18.3 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
Conventional short form: Belgium
Local long form: Royaume de Belgique (French)/Koninkrijk Belgie (Dutch)/Koenigreich Belgien (German)
Local short form: Belgique/Belgie/Belgien
Etymology: the name derives from the Belgae, an ancient Celtic tribal confederation that inhabited an area between the English Channel and the west bank of the Rhine in the first centuries B.C.
Federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Name: Brussels
Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Etymology: may derive from the Old Dutch bruoc/broek, meaning "marsh" and sella/zele/sel signifying "home" to express the meaning "home in the marsh"
3 regions (French: regions, singular - region; Dutch: gewesten, singular - gewest); Brussels-Capital Region, also known as Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (Dutch), Region de Bruxelles-Capitale (French long form), Bruxelles-Capitale (French short form); Flemish Region (Flanders), also known as Vlaams Gewest (Dutch long form), Vlaanderen (Dutch short form), Region Flamande (French long form), Flandre (French short form); Walloon Region (Wallonia), also known as Region Wallone (French long form), Wallonie (French short form), Waals Gewest (Dutch long form), Wallonie (Dutch short form)
Note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; the 2012 sixth state reform transferred additional competencies from the federal state to the regions and linguistic communities
4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)
Belgian National Day (ascension to the throne of King LEOPOLD I), 21 July (1831)
History: drafted 25 November 1830, approved 7 February 1831, entered into force 26 July 1831, revised 14 July 1993 (creating a federal state)
Amendments: "revisions" proposed as declarations by the federal government in accord with the king or by Parliament followed by dissolution of Parliament and new elections; adoption requires two-thirds majority vote of a two-thirds quorum in both houses of the next elected Parliament; amended many times, last in 2019
Civil law system based on the French Civil Code; note - Belgian law continues to be modified in conformance with the legislative norms mandated by the European Union; judicial review of legislative acts
Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Belgium
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Chief of state: King PHILIPPE (since 21 July 2013); Heir Apparent Princess ELISABETH (daughter of the monarch, born 25 October 2001)
Head of government: Prime Minister Alexander DE CROO (since 1 October 2020); Deputy Prime Ministers Vincent Van QUICKENBORNE (since 1 October 2020), Vincent VAN PETEGHEM (since 1 October 2020), Frank VANDENBROUCKE (since 1 October 2020), Pierre-Yves DERMAGNE (since 1 October 2020), Petra DE SUTTER (since 1 October 2020), Georges GILKINET (since 1 October 2020), David CLARINVAL (since 15 July 2022)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and approved by Parliament
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of:
Senate or Senaat (in Dutch), Senat (in French) (60 seats; 50 members indirectly elected by the community and regional parliaments based on their election results, and 10 elected by the 50 other senators; members serve 5-year terms)
Chamber of Representatives or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers (in Dutch), Chambre des Representants (in French) (150 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections:
Senate - last held 26 May 2019 (next to be held in 2024)
Chamber of Representatives - last held on 26 May 2019 (next to be held in 2024); note - elections coincided with the EU elections
Election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - N-VA 15%, VB 12%, PS 12%, MR 12%, CD&V 8.3%, Open VLD 8.3%, Ecolo 15%, SP.A 6.7%, CDH 3.3%, PVDA-PTB 8.3%; seats by party - N-VA 9, VB 7, PS 7, MR 7, CD&V 5, Open VLD 5, Ecolo 9, SP.A 4, CDH 2, PVDA-PTB 5; composition as of March 2022 - men 31, women 29, percent of women 48.3%
Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - N-VA 16.7%, VB 12%, PS 13.3%, CD&V 8%, PVDA-PTB 8%, Open VLD 8%, MR 9.3%, SP.A 6%, Ecolo 8.7%, Green 5.3%, CDH 3.3%, Defi 1.3%; seats by party - N-VA 25, VB 18, PS 20, CD&V 12, PVDA+PTB 12, Open VLD 12, MR 14, SP.A 9, Ecolo 13, Green 8, CDH 5, Defi 2; composition as of March 2022 - men 87, women 63, percent of women 42%; note - overall Parliament percent of women 43.8%
Note: the 1993 constitutional revision that further devolved Belgium into a federal state created three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments, each with its own legislative assembly; changes above occurred since the sixth state reform
Highest court(s): Constitutional Court or Grondwettelijk Hof (in Dutch) and Cour Constitutionelle (in French) (consists of 12 judges - 6 Dutch-speaking and 6 French-speaking); Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) and Cour de Cassation (in French) (court organized into 3 chambers: civil and commercial; criminal; social, fiscal, and armed forces; each chamber includes a Dutch division and a French division, each with a chairperson and 5-6 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Constitutional Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates submitted by Parliament; judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 70; Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates submitted by the High Council of Justice, a 44-member independent body of judicial and non-judicial members; judges appointed for life
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; regional courts; specialized courts for administrative, commercial, labor, immigration, and audit issues; magistrate's courts; justices of the peace
Flemish parties:
Christian Democratic and Flemish or CD&V [Sammy MAHDI]
Forward [Conner ROUSSEAU] (formerly Social Progressive Alternative or SP.A)
Groen or Green [Nadia NAJI and Jeremie VANEECKHOUT] (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens)
New Flemish Alliance or N-VA [Bart DE WEVER]
Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats or Open VLD [Egbert LACHAERT]
Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Tom VAN GRIEKEN]
Francophone parties:
Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Marc NOLLET and Rajae MAOUANE]
Francophone Federalist Democrats or Defi [Francois DE SMET]
Les Engages [Maxime PREVOT] (formerly Humanist and Democratic Center or CDH)
Reform Movement or MR [George-Louis BOUCHEZ]
Socialist Party or PS [Paul MAGNETTE]
Workers' Party or PVDA-PTB [Raoul HEDEBOUW]
ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the vertical design was based on the flag of France; the colors are those of the arms of the duchy of Brabant (yellow lion with red claws and tongue on a black field)
Golden rampant lion; national colors: red, black, yellow
Name: "La Brabanconne" (The Song of Brabant)
Lyrics/music: Louis-Alexandre DECHET [French] and Victor CEULEMANS [Dutch]/Francois VAN CAMPENHOUT
Note: adopted 1830; according to legend, Louis-Alexandre DECHET, an actor at the theater in which the revolution against the Netherlands began, wrote the lyrics with a group of young people in a Brussels cafe
Total World Heritage Sites: 15 (14 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales: Belfries of Belgium (c); Historic Brugge (c); The Grand Place, Brussels (c); Major Town Houses of Victor Horta (c); Notre-Dame Cathedral, Tournai (c); Spa, Liege (c); Primeval Beech Forests - Sonian Wood (n); Stoclet Palace (c)
High income economy with strong but moderate growth; high public debt; aging labor force; low labor force participation of low-skilled, migrant, and older workers; strong welfare system; high congestion; complex business permitting and judicial systems
$599.814 billion (2021 est.)
$565.149 billion (2020 est.)
$597.165 billion (2019 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
6.13% (2021 est.)
-5.36% (2020 est.)
2.24% (2019 est.)
$51,700 (2021 est.)
$49,000 (2020 est.)
$52,000 (2019 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
$533.028 billion (2019 est.)
2.44% (2021 est.)
0.74% (2020 est.)
1.44% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: AA- (2016)
Moody's rating: Aa3 (2011)
Standard & Poors rating: AA (2011)
Note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Agriculture: 0.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 22.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 77.2% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: agriculture 207; industry 131; services 41
Household consumption: 51.2% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 23.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.3% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 85.1% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -84.4% (2017 est.)
Sugar beets, milk, potatoes, wheat, pork, lettuce, poultry, maize, barley, pears
Engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, base metals, textiles, glass, petroleum
1.28% (2021 est.)
5.24 million (2021 est.)
Agriculture: 1.3%
Industry: 18.6%
Services: 80.1% (2013 est.)
6.42% (2021 est.)
5.55% (2020 est.)
5.36% (2019 est.)
Total: 19.6%
Male: 18.9%
Female: 20.4% (2021 est.)
14.8% (2018 est.)
27.2 (2019 est.)
On food: 13.4% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
On alcohol and tobacco: 4.3% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
Lowest 10%: 3.4%
Highest 10%: 28.4% (2006)
Revenues: $267.105 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $277.492 billion (2019 est.)
-1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
119.43% of GDP (2020 est.)
103.38% of GDP (2019 est.)
101.39% of GDP (2018 est.)
Note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions; general government debt is defined by the Maastricht definition and calculated by the National Bank of Belgium as consolidated gross debt; the debt is defined in European Regulation EC479/2009 concerning the implementation of the protocol on the excessive deficit procedure annexed to the Treaty on European Union (Treaty of Maastricht) of 7 February 1992; the sub-sectors of consolidated gross debt are: federal government, communities and regions, local government, and social security funds
21.97% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
Calendar year
$2.917 billion (2021 est.)
$5.702 billion (2020 est.)
$507.275 million (2019 est.)
$515.625 billion (2021 est.)
$417.222 billion (2020 est.)
$441.566 billion (2019 est.)
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Germany 17%, France 14%, Netherlands 13%, United Kingdom 8%, United States 6%, Italy 5% (2019)
Vaccines and cultures, cars, packaged medicines, refined petroleum, diamonds, natural gas (2021)
Note: Belgian amphetamine production and MDMA (ecstasy) production remain significant illicit trade commodities
$509.018 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$408.343 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$438.221 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Netherlands 16%, Germany 13%, France 10%, United States 8%, Ireland 5%, China 5% (2019)
Cars, refined petroleum, packaged medicines, medical cultures/vaccines, diamonds, natural gas (2019)
$41.872 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$33.296 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$28.97 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$1,317,513,000,000 (2019 est.)
$1,332,358,000,000 (2018 est.)
Euros (EUR) per US dollar -
0.845 (2021 est.)
0.876 (2020 est.)
0.893 (2019 est.)
0.847 (2018 est.)
0.885 (2017 est.)
Electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 26.929 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 81,171,300,000 kWh (2020 est.)
Exports: 14.053 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 13.394 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.444 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Comparison rankings: installed generating capacity 39; consumption 36; exports 16; imports 17; transmission/distribution losses 59
Fossil fuels: 33.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Nuclear: 38.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Solar: 5.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Wind: 15% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Biomass and waste: 7.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Number of operational nuclear reactors: 5 (2023)
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 0
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 3.93GW (2023)
Percent of total electricity production: 50.8% (2021)
Percent of total energy produced: 71% (2021)
Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 2
Production: 1.105 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 4.167 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 504,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 3.467 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Total petroleum production: 11,400 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 642,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 666,700 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
731,700 bbl/day (2017 est.)
680,800 bbl/day (2017 est.)
601,400 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 18.17 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 3.943 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Imports: 22.61 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
128.247 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 10.301 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 83.474 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 34.472 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
234.216 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Total subscriptions: 3,293,420 (2021 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 28 (2021 est.)
Total subscriptions: 11,740,118 (2021 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 101 (2021 est.)
General assessment: mobile networks have been upgraded to support growing mobile data use among subscribers, with near-comprehensive LTE coverage; operators have also trialed 5G in preparation for launching services; the auction of 5G-suitable spectrum has been delayed to the beginning of 2022, while the onerous restrictions on radiation have meant that some 5G trials have been suspended; there is effective competition in Belgium between the DSL and cable platforms, while in recent years government support has also encouraged investment in fiber networks; in a bid to encourage investment in under served areas, the regulator in 2018 amended the conditions by which market players grant wholesale access to copper and fiber infrastructure; in May 2019 it opened a further consultation on cost models for access to the networks of cablecos and fiber infrastructure (2021)
Domestic: about 28 per 100 fixed-line and 101 per 100 mobile-cellular; nationwide mobile-cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network (2021)
International: country code - 32; landing points for Concerto, UK-Belgium, Tangerine, and SeaMeWe-3, submarine cables that provide links to Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2019)
A segmented market with the three major communities (Flemish, French, and German speaking) each having responsibility for their own broadcast media; multiple TV channels exist for each community; additionally, in excess of 90% of households are connected to cable and can access broadcasts of TV stations from neighboring countries; each community has a public radio network coexisting with private broadcasters
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Total: 10.92 million (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 91% (2021 est.)
Total: 4,734,210 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (2020 est.)
Number of registered air carriers: 7 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 117
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 13,639,487 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,285,340,000 (2018) mt-km
OO
41 (2021)
26
Civil airports: 5
Military airports: 5
Joint use (civil-military) airports: 2
Other airports: 14
Note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
15
Note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
1 (2021)
3,139 km gas, 154 km oil, 535 km refined products (2013)
Total: 3,602 km (2020) 3,160 km electrified
Total: 118,414 km (2015)
Paved: 118,414 km (2015) (includes 1,747 km of expressways)
Unpaved: (2010)
2,043 km (2012) (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Total: 199
By type: bulk carrier 18, container ship 3, general cargo 15, oil tanker 23, other 140 (2022)
Major seaport(s): Oostende, Zeebrugge
Container port(s) (TEUs): Antwerp (12,020,000) (2021)
LNG terminal(s) (import): Zeebrugge
River port(s): Antwerp, Gent (Schelde River)
Brussels (Senne River) Liege (Meuse River)
Belgian Armed Forces: Land Component, Marine (Naval) Component, Air Component, Medical Component (2023)
Note: the Belgian Federal Police is the national police force and responsible for internal security and nationwide law and order, including migration and border enforcement; the force reports to the ministers of interior and justice
1.13% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
1.1% of GDP (2021)
1% of GDP (2020)
0.9% of GDP (2019)
Approximately 25,000 active-duty personnel (10,000 Land Component; 1,500 Marine Component; 5,000 Air Force Component; 1,500 Medical Component; 7,000 other, including joint staff, support, and training schools) (2023)
The armed forces have a mix of weapons systems from European countries, Israel, and the US; Belgium has an export-focused defense industry that focuses on components and subcontracting (2023)
18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished in 1995 (2022)
Note 1: in 2020, women comprised about 9% of the military's full-time personnel
Note 2: foreign nationals 18-34 years of age who speak Dutch or French and are citizens of EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland may apply to join the military
125 France (EuroCorps); 325 Eastern Europe (NATO); 100 Middle East; 325 Niger (2023)
Note: in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, some NATO countries, including Belgium, have sent additional troops and equipment to the battlegroups deployed in NATO territory in eastern Europe
Belgium is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949; Belgium hosts the NATO headquarters in Brussels
In 2015, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg signed an agreement to conduct joint air policing of their territories; under the agreement, which went into effect in January of 2017, the Belgian and Dutch Air Forces trade responsibility for patrolling the skies over the three countries; in 2018, the Defense Ministers of Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the creation of a Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC); the C-SOCC was declared operational in December 2020 (2023)
Terrorist group(s): Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T
None identified
Refugees (country of origin): 20,086 (Syria), 7,049 (Afghanistan), 5,769 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 71,070 (Ukraine) (as of 20 June 2023)
Stateless persons: 1,190 (2022)
A transit point for precursor chemicals from China and India destined for clandestine synthetic drug laboratories in the Netherlands and to some labs in Belgium; a primary entry point for cocaine into Europe; one of the top methamphetamine producers in Europe; a major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics