Netherlands vs Belgium — Country Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of Netherlands and Belgium across population, economy, quality of life, and more. Data updated 2026.

How do Netherlands and Belgium compare? Netherlands, located in Europe, has a population of 17.8M and covers an area of 41,543 km². Its GDP (PPP) stands at $1.3T with a GDP per capita of $70,900. Belgium, in Europe, has a population of 12.0M across 30,528 km², with a GDP of $749.2B and GDP per capita of $63,100. In terms of quality of life, Netherlands has a life expectancy of 81.9 years compared to Belgium's 82.3 years.

Demographics

IndicatorNetherlandsBelgium
Population17,833,88511,960,170
Birth Rate10.79.1
Death Rate9.79.6
Life Expectancy81.982.3

Economy

IndicatorNetherlandsBelgium
GDP (PPP)$1.28T$749.23B
GDP per Capita$70,900$63,100
Unemployment3.6%5.5%
Inflation3.3%3.1%
Public Debt (% GDP)56.592.5

Geography

IndicatorNetherlandsBelgium
Area (km²)41,54330,528
Coastline (km)45166.5
Highest Elevation (m)862694

Military & Security

IndicatorNetherlandsBelgium
Military Spending (% GDP)2.50%2.00%
Military Personnel43,00023,000

Infrastructure

IndicatorNetherlandsBelgium
Internet Users97.0%95.0%
Electricity Consumption108,141,000,00074,537,000,000
Oil Production (bbl/day)70,00011,000
Netherlands
Belgium