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Belgium and Germany

The same question asked of every column. Numbers that break down by age or sex follow the controls; the rest stay country-wide and say so.

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Belgium

Germany

The widest gap is Housing costs over 40% of income: Germany 11.2% against Belgium 6.7%, 4.5 points apart.

Ageall ages
Sex

One question per row

The faint tick on each bar is the EU27 figure.

Figure
Belgium
Germany

People

Median age3.4 years
42.1 years
45.5 years
Life expectancy at birth1.2 years
82.4 years
81.2 years
People7.03×
11.9m
83.6m
People per square kilometre64.9%
390 per km²
237 per km²
Women in the population0.0 points
50.6%
50.7%
Born abroad0.3 points
20.2%
20.5%
Born outside the EU0.9 points
12.1%
13.0%

Money and work

Disposable income per person8.3%
€31,299
€28,891
Average net income1.6%
€33,873
€33,324
Take-home pay, average-wage worker0.3%
€36,414
€36,535
Gross pay, average-wage worker2.6%
€59,544
€58,008
Minimum wage4.9%
€2,234
€2,343
In work, age 20 to 648.3 points
72.8%
81.1%
Out of work2.4 points
6.2%
3.8%
Hours worked a week1.5 hours
36.5 hours
35.0 hours
At risk of poverty5.2 points
10.9%
16.1%
Housing costs over 40% of income4.5 points
6.7%
11.2%
GDP per person0.6%
€53,930
€54,240

Family and home

People at home10.0%
2.2
2.0
Households with children8.6 points
32.0%
23.4%
Children per woman5.9%
1.44
1.36
Own their home23.7 points
70.9%
47.2%

Health and daily life

Hospital beds42.0%
534 per 100,000 people
759 per 100,000 people
Doctors41.9%
335 per 100,000 people
476 per 100,000 people
Nurses4.9%
1,179 per 100,000 people
1,237 per 100,000 people

Education

With a degree12.1 points
47.5%
35.4%
Students per 1,000 people18.9%
46.6 per 1,000 people
39.2 per 1,000 people

Public spending

Public spending on them10.7%
€28,373
€25,639
Tax raised per person13.7%
€24,108
€21,194
Government debt44.4 points
107.9%
63.5%

Country and infrastructure

Land area11.66×
30,667 km²
357,569 km²
Railway density8.1%
118.7 per 1,000 km²
109.8 per 1,000 km²
Motorway density54.8%
57.9 per 1,000 km²
37.4 per 1,000 km²
Cars per 1,000 people15.6%
513 per 1,000 people
593 per 1,000 people
Households with internet1.1 points
94.7%
93.6%
Tourist nights per resident39.1%
3.79
5.27

Environment

Renewable energy9.0 points
14.9%
23.9%
Land under forest10.5 points
22.0%
32.5%

Where €100 of public spending goes

Every euro each general government spends, sorted into the ten functions all 27 countries report against. Open a row for the ranking of 27 and what sits inside it.

Belgium

Germany

Function
Belgium
Germany
13.2%
13.0%
2.4%
2.7%
3.2%
3.3%
11.9%
11.0%
2.1%
1.2%
0.7%
1.0%
14.8%
15.4%
2.3%
2.2%
11.7%
9.1%
37.7%
41.3%

Reference year 2024. Total public spending €100.00 in every column, so the ten shares always add up to one hundred.

Frequently asked: Belgium and Germany

  1. Which covers more ground: Belgium or Germany?

    The gap is 11.66×: Germany 357,569, Belgium 30,667. Total area of the country, inland water included. Eurostat · Land area & People per square kilometre · 2026. See the figure

  2. Where do more people live: Belgium or Germany?

    The gap is 7.03×: Germany 83.6m, Belgium 11.9m. People usually resident in the country on 1 January. Eurostat · People & Women in the population · 2025. See the figure

  3. Which spends a larger share on protecting the environment: Belgium or Germany?

    The gap is 1.0 points: Belgium 2.1%, Germany 1.2%. Waste and waste water, pollution control, biodiversity and landscape protection. Eurostat · Public spending by function · 2024. See the figure

  4. Which government owes more: Belgium or Germany?

    The gap is 44.4 points: Belgium 107.9%, Germany 63.5%. Consolidated gross debt of the general government, against GDP. Eurostat · Government debt · 2025. See the figure

  5. Where is unemployment higher: Belgium or Germany?

    The gap is 2.4 points: Belgium 6.2%, Germany 3.8%. Share of 15 to 74 year olds in the labour force who are without work and looking for it. Eurostat · Out of work · 2025. See the figure

  6. Where do housing costs eat more of the income: Belgium or Germany?

    The gap is 4.5 points: Germany 11.2%, Belgium 6.7%. Share whose housing costs exceed 40% of their disposable income. Eurostat · Housing costs over 40% of income · 2025. See the figure

  7. Where does more energy come from renewables: Belgium or Germany?

    The gap is 9.0 points: Germany 23.9%, Belgium 14.9%. Share of final energy use that comes from renewable sources. Eurostat · Renewable energy · 2025. See the figure

  8. Where do more people own their home: Belgium or Germany?

    The gap is 23.7 points: Belgium 70.9%, Germany 47.2%. Share of people living in a home owned by their household, mortgaged or outright. Eurostat · Own their home · 2025. See the figure

  9. Where are there more doctors per 100,000 people: Belgium or Germany?

    The gap is 41.9%: Germany 476, Belgium 335. Practising doctors, per 100,000 residents. Eurostat · Doctors · 2024. See the figure

  10. Where do more adults hold a degree: Belgium or Germany?

    The gap is 12.1 points: Belgium 47.5%, Germany 35.4%. Share of adults whose highest completed education is a university or other tertiary degree. Eurostat · With a degree · 2025. See the figure

Medians where possible, per-capita averages for spending. This person is a composite of published statistics, not the most common person in the country.