Belgium

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands

50 50 N, 4 00 E

Europe

about the size of Maryland

66.5 km

temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

construction materials, silica sand, carbonates, arable land

57 sq km (2013)

most of the population is 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, with approximately 97% living 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

Belgian 75.2%, Italian 4.1%, Moroccan 3.7%, French 2.4%, Turkish 2%, Dutch 2%, other 10.6% (2012 est.)

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.)

0.45% (2025 est.)

9.09 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.55 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

4.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

most of the population is 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, with approximately 97% living in urban areas

2.122 million BRUSSELS (capital), 1.057 million Antwerp (2023)

29.2 years (2020 est.)

4 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.46 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.71 (2025 est.)

6.53 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

5.5 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

22.1% (2016)

0.3% (2023 est.)

52.4% (2021 est.)

federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy

civil law system based on the French Civil Code; judicial review of legislative acts

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

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, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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)

golden rampant lion

red, black, yellow

high-income, core EU and eurozone economy; slow growth with weakened domestic consumption and export demand; high public debt and structural deficits linked to social spending; aging workforce with weak productivity growth and participation rates

$664.564 billion (2024 est.)

sugar beets, milk, potatoes, wheat, pork, lettuce, maize, chicken, barley, pears (2023)

engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, base metals, textiles, glass, petroleum

-0.6% (2024 est.)

5.416 million (2024 est.)

12.3% (2022 est.)

22.7% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

France 20%, Netherlands 15%, Germany 14%, Italy 6%, USA 5% (2023)

refined petroleum, natural gas, vaccines, cars, packaged medicine (2023)

Netherlands 20%, Germany 13%, France 11%, USA 7%, Ireland 4% (2023)

cars, natural gas, vaccines, packaged medicine, crude petroleum (2023)

a segmented market with the three major linguistic communities (Flemish-, French-, and German-speaking) each responsible for their own broadcast media; multiple TV channels exist for each community;  over 90% of households are connected to cable and can access TV broadcasts from neighboring countries; each community has a public radio network coexisting with private broadcasters

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48 (2025)

112 (2025)

Belgian Armed Forces (Defensie or La Défense): Land Component, Marine (Naval) Component, Air Component, Medical Component, Cyber Command (2025)

approximately 23,000 active-duty military personnel (2025)

the armed forces have a mix of weapons systems from European suppliers and the US; Belgium has an export-focused defense industry that focuses on components and subcontracting (2025)

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; maximum age varies by position; conscription abolished in 1995 (2025)

has on average about 1,000 personnel deployed on foreign missions, including more than 300 ground forces deployed in Eastern Europe for the defense of NATO's eastern flank (2025)

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; 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 bilaterally 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 (2025)