Belgium — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Belgium: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Belgium — in Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands. Political status: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. It covers 30,528 sq km. 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne). Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast. Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy.
| Capital | Brussels |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,960,170 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $749.229 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $63,100 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 1% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 3.1% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 5.5% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 92.5% of GDP (2022 est.) |
| Exports | $525.458 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $531.029 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 82.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 42.4 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 98.2% of total population (2023) |
| Government | federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy |
| Independence | 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne) |
| Languages | Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1% |
Belgium’s GDP is $749.229 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $664.564 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 1% (2024 est.). See where Belgium ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A quiet quarter: no major shocks, no breakthroughs. The country's trajectory is set by structural forces larger than any single season.
The honest reading is steadiness — neither crisis nor windfall — with the long currents of demography, trade and institutions deciding more than any three months.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 3.1%; unemployment near 5.5% — work for whoever wants it
- What drags it down: few natural resources to fall back on; public debt above 92% of GDP — the budget's ball and chain
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 24.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 40.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 9.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 20% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: -0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) note: Belgium has negative net hydroelectric power generation based on losses from use of pumped storage hydropower |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 190.416 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 644.1 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 74.9 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 54,871 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Nuclear 41.9%, Wind 18.7%, Gas 18.7%, Solar 11.9%, Oil 3.6%, Hydro 0.6% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 77.8% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 117.6 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $525.458 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $531.029 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $5.6 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, base metals, textiles, glass, petroleum |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Bart De Wever — Prime Minister. King PHILIPPE (since 21 July 2013)
Belgium maintains 83 embassies and 18 consulates abroad, hosts 181 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, NATO Brussels, OECD Paris, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 83 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 18 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 181 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, NATO Brussels, OECD Paris, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg |
Source: Abroad: Lowy GDI 2024 via Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_diplomatic_missions . Hosted: Consular Affairs Center in-country ranking, Mar 2026 https://zenodo.org/records/18917562/ . Multilateral rosters as for AUT.
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 66.5 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 48 + 112 heliports (registration prefix OO) |
| Major seaports | Antwerpen, Bruxelles, Ghent, Oostende, Zeebrugge |
| Railways | 3602 km |
| Pipelines | 3,139 km gas, 154 km oil, 535 km refined products (2013) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | Antwerp (12,020,000 TEU, 2021) |
Major airports
Brussels Airport (BRU) — Zaventem; Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) — Charleroi; Ostend-Bruges International Airport (OST) — Oostende; Antwerp International Airport (Deurne) (ANR) — Antwerp; Liège Airport (LGG) — Grâce-Hollogne.
Terminals
| LNG import terminals | Zeebrugge |
|---|---|
| River ports | Antwerp, Gent (Schelde River) |
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2024 — federal; 2024-06-09; winner: Bart De Wever (N-VA); N-VA largest; Arizona coalition; De Wever PM from 2025-02-03 Wikipedia |
| Next election | 2029 — federal (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Belgium.
Historical timeline of Belgium
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Belgium — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Belgium's power score?
Belgium has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.