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Belgium and the Netherlands

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

the Netherlands

The widest gap is At risk of poverty: the Netherlands 13.4% against Belgium 10.9%, 2.5 points apart.

Ageall ages
Sex

One question per row

The faint tick on each bar is the EU27 figure.

Figure
Belgium
the Netherlands

People

Median age0.5 years
42.1 years
42.6 years
Life expectancy at birth0.5 years
82.4 years
81.9 years
People51.8%
11.9m
18m
People per square kilometre36.1%
390 per km²
531 per km²
Women in the population0.4 points
50.6%
50.2%
Born abroad3.4 points
20.2%
16.8%
Born outside the EU0.3 points
12.1%
12.4%

Money and work

Disposable income per person10.1%
€31,299
€34,466
Average net income12.1%
€33,873
€37,983
Take-home pay, average-wage worker12.0%
€36,414
€40,793
Gross pay, average-wage worker1.8%
€59,544
€60,636
Minimum wage4.7%
€2,234
€2,338
In work, age 20 to 6410.6 points
72.8%
83.4%
Out of work2.3 points
6.2%
3.9%
Hours worked a week3.5 hours
36.5 hours
33.0 hours
At risk of poverty2.5 points
10.9%
13.4%
Housing costs over 40% of income0.2 points
6.7%
6.5%
GDP per person20.0%
€53,930
€64,710

Family and home

People at home4.8%
2.2
2.1
Households with children6.1 points
32.0%
25.9%
Children per woman0.7%
1.44
1.43
Own their home2.1 points
70.9%
68.8%

Health and daily life

Hospital beds2.42×
534 per 100,000 people
221 per 100,000 people
Doctors18.3%
335 per 100,000 people
397 per 100,000 people
Nurses4.1%
1,179 per 100,000 people
1,133 per 100,000 people

Education

With a degree1.4 points
47.5%
46.1%
Students per 1,000 people15.9%
46.6 per 1,000 people
54.0 per 1,000 people

Public spending

Public spending on them2.1%
€28,373
€27,783
Tax raised per person2.2%
€24,108
€24,633
Government debt63.5 points
107.9%
44.4%

Country and infrastructure

Land area21.9%
30,667 km²
37,391 km²
Railway density32.6%
118.7 per 1,000 km²
89.5 per 1,000 km²
Motorway density42.6%
57.9 per 1,000 km²
82.6 per 1,000 km²
Cars per 1,000 people1.2%
513 per 1,000 people
519 per 1,000 people
Households with internet4.6 points
94.7%
99.3%
Tourist nights per resident2.14×
3.79
8.1

Environment

Renewable energy7.8 points
14.9%
22.7%
Land under forest11.1 points
22.0%
10.9%

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

the Netherlands

Function
Belgium
the Netherlands
13.2%
9.3%
2.4%
3.7%
3.2%
4.3%
11.9%
9.9%
2.1%
3.6%
0.7%
1.4%
14.8%
16.4%
2.3%
2.7%
11.7%
11.5%
37.7%
37.3%

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 the Netherlands

  1. Which government owes more: Belgium or the Netherlands?

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

  2. Where are there more hospital beds per 100,000 people: Belgium or the Netherlands?

    The gap is 2.42×: Belgium 534, the Netherlands 221. Beds available in hospitals, per 100,000 residents. Eurostat · Hospital beds · 2025. See the figure

  3. Which has more forest: Belgium or the Netherlands?

    The gap is 11.1 points: Belgium 22.0%, the Netherlands 10.9%. Share of the land area under forest. Eurostat · Land under forest · 2025. See the figure

  4. Which spends a larger share on protecting the environment: Belgium or the Netherlands?

    The gap is 1.5 points: the Netherlands 3.6%, Belgium 2.1%. Waste and waste water, pollution control, biodiversity and landscape protection. Eurostat · Public spending by function · 2024. See the figure

  5. Where do more people live: Belgium or the Netherlands?

    The gap is 51.8%: the Netherlands 18m, Belgium 11.9m. People usually resident in the country on 1 January. Eurostat · People & Women in the population · 2025. See the figure

  6. Where is unemployment higher: Belgium or the Netherlands?

    The gap is 2.3 points: Belgium 6.2%, the Netherlands 3.9%. 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

  7. Which spends a larger share of its budget on defence: Belgium or the Netherlands?

    The gap is 1.3 points: the Netherlands 3.7%, Belgium 2.4%. Armed forces, defence equipment, military aid abroad, and defence research. Eurostat · Public spending by function · 2024. See the figure

  8. Where is there more railway per 1,000 km²: Belgium or the Netherlands?

    The gap is 32.6%: Belgium 118.7, the Netherlands 89.5. Railway line in use for every 1,000 square kilometres of the country. Eurostat · Railway network & Railway density · 2024. See the figure

  9. Where do more households have children: Belgium or the Netherlands?

    The gap is 6.1 points: Belgium 32.0%, the Netherlands 25.9%. Share of private households with at least one dependent child. Eurostat · Households with children · 2025. See the figure

  10. Where are there more university students per 1,000 people: Belgium or the Netherlands?

    The gap is 15.9%: the Netherlands 54.0, Belgium 46.6. People in higher education, per 1,000 residents. Eurostat · University students & Students per 1,000 people · 2024. 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.