Country page · Europe & Central Asia
If you were born in Belgium
1 in 1,221 babies · 0.08% of births · about 109,864 a year
Right now, about 0.08% of the world's babies are born in Belgium — 1 in 1,221, or roughly 109,864 a year and 301 a day. Life expectancy there is 82.3 years.
How the 1 in 1,221 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Belgium has about 109,864 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.08% — 1 in 1,221. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Belgium, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 84.4 · men 80.3 | 82.3 years | 20th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 3.7 / 1,000 | 0.4% | 23rd lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 3.1 / 1,000 | 0.3% | 22nd lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 4 | 18th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 1.44 | 40th lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 19.6 years | 4th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 82.1% | 21st highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $74,676 | 15th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 26.80 | 145th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 87.7% | 24th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 1.0% | 7th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 95.8% | 15th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 1.1 | 41st lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 21.5% | 56th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.20% | 94th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 23.5% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Belgium compared with Europe & Central Asia
Life expectancy in Belgium is 82.3 years, against a Europe & Central Asia average of 78.6. The under-5 death rate is 0.4%, versus 0.7% across the region. Income per person is $74,676, against $53,288 regionally; expected schooling is 19.6 years against 15.9. 87.7% of people live in cities, against 67.9% in the region.
| Indicator | Belgium | Europe & Central Asia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 82.3 yrs | 78.6 yrs | 73.3 yrs |
| Under-5 deaths | 0.4% | 0.7% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $74,676 | $53,288 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 19.6 yrs | 15.9 yrs | 13.0 yrs |
| People in cities | 87.7% | 67.9% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 82.3 years on average, with roughly 3.7 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 19.6 years of school, and income per person is around $74,676. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Belgium
The game draws Belgium in about 1 of every 1,221 births. From there the life runs year by year: 82.3 years of life expectancy on average, a 0.4% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $74,676 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Azerbaijan — 1 in 1,309
- Chance of being born in Sweden — 1 in 1,361
- Chance of being born in Kyrgyzstan — 1 in 942
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in Belgium?
What is life expectancy in Belgium?
How many babies are born in Belgium each year?
Is Belgium a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated 24 Oct 2026.