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Europe
Page last updated: April 24, 2024
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country has since prospered as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. In recent years, longstanding tensions 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, 04°00' E
Europe
Total: 30,528 km²
Land: 30,278 km²
Water: 250 km²
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 km² (2013)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Seine (78,919 km²), Rhine-Maas (198,735 km²)
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.
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: 41.9 years (2023 est.)
Male: 40.7 years
Female: 43 years
0.55% (2023 est.)
10.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
4.2 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: 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 3.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 82.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 79.5 years
Female: 84.8 years
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)
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: 11.26 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 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 km²), Rhine-Maas (198,735 km²)
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.)
Total global geoparks and regional networks: 2 (2024)
Global geoparks and regional networks: Famenne-Ardenne; Schelde Delta (includes Netherlands) (2024)
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 Paul Van TIGCHELT (since 22 October 2023), Vincent VAN PETEGHEM, Frank VANDENBROUCKE, Pierre-Yves DERMAGNE, Petra DE SUTTER, Georges GILKINET (all 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 on 9 June 2024)
Chamber of Representatives - last held on 26 May 2019 (next to be held on 9 June 2024); note - elections coincided with the EU parliamentary 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 February 2024 - men 34, women 26, percent percentage women 43.3%
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 February 2024 - men 86, women 64, percentage women 42.7%; total Parliament percentage women 42.9%
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]
Vooruit or Forward [Melissa DEPRAETERE] (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 [Tom ONGENA]
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: 16 (15 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
$622.704 billion (2022 est.)
$604.509 billion (2021 est.)
$565.749 billion (2020 est.)
Note: data in 2017 dollars
3.01% (2022 est.)
6.85% (2021 est.)
-5.26% (2020 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$53,300 (2022 est.)
$52,200 (2021 est.)
$49,000 (2020 est.)
Note: data in 2017 dollars
$583.436 billion (2022 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
9.6% (2022 est.)
2.44% (2021 est.)
0.74% (2020 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
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: services 41; industry 131; agriculture 207
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
-0.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
5.374 million (2022 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
5.56% (2022 est.)
6.26% (2021 est.)
5.55% (2020 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
Total: 19.6% (2021 est.)
Male: 18.9%
Female: 20.4%
13.2% (2021 est.)
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line
26 (2020 est.)
Note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
On food: 13.4% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
On alcohol and tobacco: 4.3% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
Lowest 10%: 3.7%
Highest 10%: 21.4% (2020 est.)
Note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
2.3% of GDP (2022 est.)
2.28% of GDP (2021 est.)
2.44% of GDP (2020 est.)
Note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Revenues: $267.105 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $277.492 billion (2019 est.)
-1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
108.06% of GDP (2021 est.)
119.24% of GDP (2020 est.)
103.38% of GDP (2019 est.)
Note: central government debt as a % of GDP
23.1% (of GDP) (2021 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
Calendar year
-$5.304 billion (2022 est.)
$8.233 billion (2021 est.)
$7.325 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
$558.271 billion (2022 est.)
$527.746 billion (2021 est.)
$413.773 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
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
$567.164 billion (2022 est.)
$516.8 billion (2021 est.)
$403.359 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current 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)
$41.274 billion (2022 est.)
$41.872 billion (2021 est.)
$33.296 billion (2020 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
$1,317,513,000,000 (2019 est.)
$1,332,358,000,000 (2018 est.)
Euros (EUR) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
0.95 (2022 est.)
0.845 (2021 est.)
0.876 (2020 est.)
0.893 (2019 est.)
0.847 (2018 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: transmission/distribution losses 155; imports 17; exports 16; consumption 36; installed generating capacity 39
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: 2,952,930 (2022 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
49 (2024)
108 (2024)
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
Paved: 118,414 km (2015) (includes 1,747 km of expressways)
2,043 km (2012) (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Total: 198 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 17, container ship 2, general cargo 16, oil tanker 21, other 142
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 (Defensie or La DĂ©fense): Land Component, Marine (Naval) Component, Air Component, Medical Component (2024)
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
1.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2022)
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 (2024)
18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished in 1995 (2024)
Note 1: in 2023, women comprised nearly 11% 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
100 Middle East; Belgium has more than 300 ground forces deployed in Eastern Europe, as well as air and naval assets, supporting NATO missions for the defense of NATO's eastern flank (numbers vary based on the mission) (2024)
The Belgian military’s responsibilities include territorial defense, humanitarian/disaster relief, assistance to the police if required, international peacekeeping missions, and support to its NATO and EU security commitments, which Belgium considers vital components of its national security policy; outside of the country, the military operates almost always within an international organization or a coalition, such as its ongoing deployments to Africa for the EU and UN, eastern Europe as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence mission, and the Middle East with an international coalition to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham; Belgium was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) establishing NATO in 1949; it hosts the NATO headquarters in Brussels; Belgium also cooperates with neighboring countries, such as Luxembourg and the Netherlands, in conducting joint patrols of their respective air spaces and in a composite combined special operations command with Denmark and the Netherlands
The Belgian military is a small, professional, and all-volunteer force equipped with modern Western equipment; the Land Component’s combat forces are a motorized brigade and a special operations regiment; the Marine Component is a compact but active force that conducts a variety of missions ranging from territorial water patrols to humanitarian and counterpiracy operations, as well as support to multinational security operations; it has two frigates, which are supported by several patrol boats and mine warfare vessels; the Air Component has about 50 US-made F-16 fighter aircraft, which are slated to be replaced by US F-35 stealth multirole fighter aircraft by 2025 (2023)
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy-Interfederal Space Agency of Belgium (BIRA-IASB; established 1964; IASB added 2017); Belgium Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) (2023)
Founding member of the European Space Agency (ESA), which acts as the de facto Belgian space agency as most programs are carried out under the ESA or bi-laterally with its member states; builds satellites, particularly research/science/technology and remote sensing (RS) platforms; also researches, develops, and produces a wide variety of other space technologies, including telecommunications, optics, robotics, scientific instruments, and space launch vehicle (SLV) components; supports the ESA’s SLV program with economic assistance (6% of the funding for the Ariane-5 SLV, for example), as well as legal, scientific, and technological expertise; hosts the European Space Security and Education Center (established 1968); participates in international astronomy efforts, particularly through the European Southern Observatory (ESO); participates in multiple ESA and EU space-related programs and research efforts; in addition to the ESA and EU, has cooperated with a variety foreign space agencies and commercial entities, including those of Argentina, China, India, Russia, South Africa, UAE, Vietnam, and the US (2023)
Note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S
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
Refugees (country of origin): 20,086 (Syria), 7,049 (Afghanistan), 5,769 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 75,030 (Ukraine) (as of 29 February 2024)
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