Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Belgium at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
39%
of electricity
Food imported
12%
of merchandise imports · ~US$63,518m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Belgium.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Belgium, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingHealth
Air pollution deaths
The European Environment Agency attributes 2,940 deaths in Belgium in 2023 to fine particulate pollution (PM2.5).
SoberingHealth
Weekly drinking is widespread
In 2019, 40.8% of people in Belgium drank alcohol every week. Eurostat grouped it with Luxembourg and the Netherlands as the countries above 40%.
Source: Eurostat, Alcohol consumption statistics · 2019
SoberingNature
Too little protected land
Protected areas cover 14.6% of Belgium's land, short of the EU goal. The European Environment Agency says progress is not enough to halt biodiversity loss.
RemarkableNature
Its seas are better protected
37.8% of Belgium's marine waters are protected, a share that already exceeds EU objectives.
RemarkableFood
Beer culture is world heritage
UNESCO added Belgian beer culture to its intangible heritage list in 2016. Almost 1,500 types of beer are brewed in the country.
Source: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Beer culture in Belgium · 2016
RemarkableFood
Shrimp fishing on horseback
In Oostduinkerke, draught horses wade through the surf towing nets to catch shrimp. Twelve households still practise it, and UNESCO listed it in 2013.
RemarkablePeople
A town that fosters mental health care
Geel is known for hosting people with mental disorders in the homes of foster families. UNESCO selected this community care model as a good safeguarding practice in 2023.
The History of Belgium.
Belgium sustains a notable living folk heritage, most famously the Carnival of Binche, whose Gilles parade in wax masks and ostrich-feather hats on Shrove Tuesday, a tradition inscribed by UNESCO. Processional giants and dragons, the Ducasse of Mons and the Holy Blood Procession in Bruges continue as community rituals, and Belgian beer culture is recognised as intangible heritage.
Where the name comes from
The name comes from Belgica, the Latin name for the Low Countries in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, according to the Store norske leksikon, the Norwegian national encyclopedia.
The land itself: flat coastal plain in the north west, rolling hills through the centre, and the forested Ardennes in the south east. Its high point is Botrange, 694 m. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
Where it starts
A Neanderthal heartland
Neanderthal remains have been found in nine Belgian caves, among them Scladina, Goyet and Spy. The remains of two adult Neanderthals found at Spy in 1886 played a key role in the acceptance of human evolution, and recent redating places the disappearance of Neanderthals from Northwest Europe between about 44,200 and 40,600 years ago. Later, the Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes near Mons, worked from the late fifth millennium BC into the third, became the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines in Europe.
How it got here
Cloth, independence, and the Congo
Under Rome the region lay in the province of Gallia Belgica. In the thirteenth century Flanders was the leading commercial and industrial region of Western Europe, and its great towns, among them Bruges, Ghent and Ypres, prospered on export cloth. Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830. Between 1885 and 1908 the Congo was held as a personal possession of King Leopold II, a regime of forced rubber collection in which some historians estimate millions died, before Belgium annexed it. The Congo became independent in 1960.
The timeline
Middle Palaeolithic
Neanderthal country.
Neanderthal remains have been found in nine Belgian caves, including Scladina, Goyet and Spy. Digs at Spy in 1885 and 1886 recovered the bones of two Neanderthal individuals. Source
c. 44,200 to 40,600 years ago
The last Neanderthals.
Redating places the disappearance of Neanderthals in this region earlier than long assumed. Source
Neolithic
Spiennes.
The flint mines at Spiennes near Mons cover more than 100 hectares and are the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines in Europe. Source
Middle Ages
The trading cities.
Bruges grows into a commercial metropolis and one of the commercial and cultural capitals of medieval Europe. Source
1830
Independence.
Belgium is recognised as an independent country, and its monarchy is founded the following year. Source
1885 to 1908
Congo Free State.
King Leopold II's Congo Free State forces Africans to collect rubber through extreme violence. Some historians put the deaths in the millions, though the figures are disputed, before Belgium annexes the territory in 1908. Source
1960
Congolese independence.
The former Belgian Congo becomes independent on 30 June 1960, ending Belgian colonial rule. Source
Institute of Natural Sciences (formerly Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences) · PNAS, Reevaluating the timing of Neanderthal disappearance in Northwest Europe · UNESCO World Heritage, Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes · Belgian Royal Palace, History of the monarchy · Roes, Towards a History of Mass Violence in the Etat Indépendant du Congo, 1885-1908 · US Office of the Historian, Congo decolonisation · Institute of Natural Sciences, The last of them (Spy Neandertals) · Nicholas, Town and Countryside, Social and Economic Tensions in Fourteenth-Century Flanders (Comparative Studies in Society and History) · Université Laval (CEFAN), Belgique, histoire · UNESCO World Heritage open data, Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes · UNESCO World Heritage open data, Historic Centre of Brugge
Nature and Biodiversity in Belgium.
Terrestrial protected areas cover 16.3 per cent of Belgium (World Bank), with Natura 2000 sites at roughly 12.7 per cent of land, below the EU average. About 37 per cent of the small Belgian North Sea is designated protected under the Marine Spatial Plan across five sites, though these are limited in absolute terms and the effectiveness of such paper protections is debated. Conservation is moderate rather than expansive in this crowded landscape.
Is wild Belgium protected? 16.4% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Belgium?
Forest cover22%
Terrestrial protected area16.3%
Marine protected area38.3%
33 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · GBIF occurrence data · IUCN Red List, threatened species by country (Summary Statistics, Table 5) · World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters), Belgium · World Bank, Threatened mammal, bird, fish and higher plant species, Belgium
Found only here. Effectively none, a densely settled temperate landscape with no strict endemic species.
The watchlist
ThreatenedConey (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedBalearica regulorum Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedSalamandra salamandra Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (amphibian).
ThreatenedGwynne's Mining Bee (Andrena bicolor) Recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (insect), with no global assessment on the IUCN Red List.
ThreatenedAesculus hippocastanum Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedBigtree (Sequoiadendron giganteum) Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (conifer).
ThreatenedRedwood (Sequoia sempervirens) Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (conifer).
ThreatenedAnguilla anguilla Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (species).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
What is at risk, by group
Mammals · 3
3 mammal species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Birds · 8
8 bird species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Fish · 19
19 fish species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Plants · 3
3 plant species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Belgium filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Limburg, mapped and named in the open record for Belgium. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Hainaut, mapped and named in the open record for Belgium. OpenStreetMap.
National park in West Flanders, mapped and named in the open record for Belgium. OpenStreetMap.
Nature reserve in West Flanders, mapped and named in the open record for Belgium. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Belgium.
Belgium draws its freshwater from the Meuse and Scheldt river basins plus groundwater and reservoirs, and delivers safely managed drinking water to 99.91 per cent of the population (World Bank/JMP). Despite that excellent safety record, the country has low renewable freshwater resources per head and high population density, and is regularly ranked among Europe's more water-stressed nations. Supply is reliable but not abundant.
Does Belgium have enough fresh water? Under pressure
99.5% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Tap water is safe for a visitor nearly everywhere.
Cleanest water: The Ardennes uplands, headwaters of the Meuse, Ourthe and Semois.
How much fresh water does Belgium have, per person?
1,027 m³
Belgium
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Belgium withdraws about 4,300 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 52.8% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as high water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 1%, homes and towns 15%, industry 84%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Belgium beaches?
✓Tap water: Drinkable.
✓Plastic rules: The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive has applied since July 2021, banning single-use plastic straws, cutlery and plates, with regional bans on free carrier bags..
✓Solo travel: rated easy on the record for this destination.
✓Marine protection: 36.65% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge is met.
Named on the open map: AlbertStrand, Dagstrand De Steenberg, Deiffelt Beach, La Plage, Laguna Beach, Nuclea Strand. That is 30 named beaches in the public record for Belgium, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
94.9%
of people have safely managed sanitation
94.9% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). That is close to universal coverage.
How is the sea around Belgium doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Mild and rainy; summer days are long and the Ardennes are cool.
Nearshore
Protected water
38.3% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
The Ardennes uplands, headwaters of the Meuse, Ourthe and Semois..
The record
Measured
Belgium draws its freshwater from the Meuse and Scheldt river basins plus groundwater and reservoirs, and delivers safely managed drinking water to 99.91 per cent of the population (World Bank/JMP). Despite that excellent safety record, the country has low renewable freshwater resources per head and high population density, and is regularly ranked among Europe's more water-stressed nations.
Belgium scored 76 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, above the global average of 72, and ranked 47th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
38.3%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
33 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Is the tap water safe in Belgium?
99.5% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 1,027 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 5 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 52.8% of what Belgium renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is past the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply is being pushed towards its limit.
When is the best time to visit Belgium? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Belgium actually have?
Nature renews about 1,027 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Belgium 61 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the drier half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Belgium.
Belgium is intensively farmed, and by tonnage its leading farm products are sugar beet, milk, potatoes, wheat and pork. It is the world's biggest exporter of frozen fries, shipping 3.3 billion US dollars' worth of cooked, frozen potatoes in 2025. Food made up about 11.9 per cent of its merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank).
Where does the food in Belgium come from?
11.8% imported
about US$63,518m a year
On the plate: Potatoes and frites, moules-frites, chicory (witloof), Brussels sprouts, waffles, chocolate and beer.
1 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$63,518m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 11.8% of everything Belgium buys in from abroad is food, roughly 1 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 0.7% of the economy and 44.4% of the land is agricultural, of which 28.3% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Belgium? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined75.9%
Diabetes5.9%
A nationwide study of health insurance records covering more than 99 per cent of Belgians found 599 major lower limb amputations in people with diabetes in 2013 and 1,325 minor ones, such as toes. Just over half of all major amputees between 2009 and 2013 had diabetes, 52.1 per cent. The major amputation rate among people with diabetes fell from 42.3 to 29.9 per 100,000 a year over those five years, while it stayed flat in people without diabetes. A later analysis by the Belgian Amputation Group, published in 2022, found the major amputation rate in people with diabetes fell by 45 per cent between 2009 and 2018. Source: Claessen et al., Diabetologia, 2018.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 51.1%.
Can Belgium feed itself?
28.3%
Arable land
44.4%
Agricultural land
53,800
Farmers
2,132,896
Arable acres
0.7%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Temperate, with potatoes and sugar beet in September and October, chicory and Brussels sprouts into winter, and asparagus in spring.
Feeding itself
Belgium is intensively farmed and runs an agri-food trade surplus, exporting far more processed food than it imports in value, even though food makes up about 11.5 per cent of merchandise imports as raw crops and feed flow through its ports (World Bank). It is a major producer of potatoes, pork, dairy, sugar beet and horticulture, and a world-leading exporter of frozen chips and prepared vegetables.
Certification
Organic farming covers about 7.6 per cent of Belgium's utilised agricultural area (Eurostat/EEA), but with a sharp regional split: Wallonia is at 12.7 per cent and aiming for 30 per cent by 2030, while intensively farmed Flanders sits near 1.6 per cent. The national average is solid for a densely farmed country.
Water for crops
Belgium draws its freshwater from the Meuse and Scheldt river basins plus groundwater and reservoirs, and delivers safely managed drinking water to 99.91 per cent of the population (World Bank/JMP). Despite that excellent safety record, the country has low renewable freshwater resources per head and high population density, and is regularly ranked among Europe's more water-stressed nations.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 44.4% of the country is agricultural land and 28.3% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
Sugar beetsPotatoesWheatLettuceMaizeBarleyPears
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Belgium are green maize, sugar beet, potatoes and wheat (Eurostat, crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy where residents buy. In Brussels the official tourism site points to the Midi market, known for food from all over the world; the Châtelain market, a Wednesday after work fixture; the market on Place des Chasseurs Ardennais in Schaerbeek, on Fridays from 14:00 to 20:00; and the Place Flagey market, held on Saturdays and Sundays. Buying at the stalls puts the money in the hands of the traders rather than a supermarket chain.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Terter, vegan café in Saint-Gilles, Brussels: breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch, 100 per cent vegan and gluten free, with the tofu made in house; L'Alchimiste, organic coffee bar in Saint-Gilles, Brussels: fully plant based homemade food; Lil Bao, Taiwanese bun bar in central Brussels: gua bao with vegan fillings and no animal products in the kitchen; Kitsune Burgers, burger bar in central Brussels: 100 per cent vegan burgers; Tabiloo, vegan restaurant in Ixelles, Brussels: bowls and burgers, with gluten free options; verdō, brasserie in Brussels: billed as the capital's first plant based brasserie. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Belgium?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
PotatoesFritesMoules-fritesBrussels sproutsWafflesChocolateBeer
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · Claessen et al., Diabetologia 2018, Decreasing rates of major lower extremity amputation in people with diabetes but not in those without: a nationwide study in Belgium · Diabetic Foot Online, Temporal trends in major, minor and recurrent lower extremity amputations in Belgium from 2009 to 2018 · visit.brussels, Where to eat vegetarian or vegan food in Brussels (19 February 2026) · visit.brussels, Markets and car boot sales · CIA World Factbook (archived), Belgium, Agricultural products · Boston Globe (New York Times), The world capital of french fries has a problem, too many potatoes · World Bank, Food imports (% of merchandise imports), Belgium · VISITFLANDERS, Fries · VISITFLANDERS, Sweet delicacies from Flanders
Climate and Energy in Belgium.
Belgium emits about 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person, a moderate level for a wealthy industrial economy, and its power sector is fairly low-carbon thanks to a large nuclear share (33.1 per cent in 2025) alongside renewables at a record 38.9 per cent of generation in the same year. The country is coal-free in electricity and is bound by the EU climate framework, including net zero by 2050 and steep 2030 targets. A long-planned nuclear phase-out has been partly delayed to protect low-carbon supply. Mid-level emissions place it firmly in the middle band.
What powers Belgium?
Renewable 38.9%Fossil 28%
Belgium's high voltage transmission grid is run by Elia, part of the stock market listed Elia Group. The largest shareholder is NextGrid Holding with 44.75 per cent, followed by Katoen Natie Group with 9.27 per cent, ATLAS Infrastructure Partners with 4.93 per cent, Interfin with 2.86 per cent and Publipart with 2.23 per cent; about 30.5 per cent is free float. The federal regulator CREG sets Elia's tariffs. In 2023 CREG rejected Elia's request for an increase of about 80 per cent and a 7.6 per cent return on equity, allowing tariffs to roughly double by 2027 instead. In July 2026 Elia Group reported that CREG had approved the tariff method for 2028 to 2031.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
7.31 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
15.1 tonnes
The grid
Belgium emits about 7.31 tonnes of CO2 per person, a moderate level for a wealthy industrial economy, and its power sector is fairly low-carbon thanks to a large nuclear share (about 41 per cent in 2023) alongside renewables at a record 38.9 per cent of generation in 2025. The country is coal-free in electricity and is bound by the EU climate framework, including net zero by 2050 and steep 2030 targets.
Pollution
EU Single-Use Plastics rules apply and packaging is tightly managed, but dense road traffic and the Antwerp port and petrochemical cluster, one of the world's largest, drive local air, industrial and PFAS pollution. The population-weighted PM2.5 mean was about 7.5 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024 (IRCEL), still above the WHO guideline of 5.
Water stress
Belgium draws its freshwater from the Meuse and Scheldt river basins plus groundwater and reservoirs, and delivers safely managed drinking water to 99.91 per cent of the population (World Bank/JMP). Despite that excellent safety record, the country has low renewable freshwater resources per head and high population density, and is regularly ranked among Europe's more water-stressed nations.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.70.2%
2Industry The Antwerp port and petrochemical cluster, a source of air and PFAS pollution..named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.7.5
4On the record EU Single-Use Plastics rules apply and packaging is tightly managed, but dense road traffic and the Antwerp port and petrochemical cluster, one of the world's largest, drive local air, industrial and PFAS pollution.
What has Belgium promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2050
Electricity renewable today23.5% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target16.4% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target38.3% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2050, status: in policy document. Measured against it, 23.5% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 76.5% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year7.31 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy3.01 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy1.9 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy1.63 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy1.61 t CO2e
New York return, economy1.06 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Belgium emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. The Belgian Debt Agency issued Belgium's first green government bond, Green OLO 86, on 26 February 2018: 4.5 billion euros over 15 years at a 1.25 per cent coupon, maturing in April 2033. A second, Green OLO 96, followed on 14 September 2022, also 4.5 billion euros, at 2.75 per cent to April 2039. The money is earmarked for green spending that the agency reports on each year in allocation and impact reports.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · Elia Group, Shareholder structure · The Brussels Times, Belgian energy regulator to reject requested electricity bills hike (2 August 2023) · Elia Group, Half year results 2026 press release (29 July 2026) · Belgian Debt Agency, Green OLO
AI and Data Centres in Belgium.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Belgium.
Data centres
42
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
38.9 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Belgium?
Most of the power behind a machine here is still burned.
Renewable 38.9%Fossil 61.1%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 23.5% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Belgium has 42 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Brussels (7), Antwerp (6), Zaventem (5), alongside 2 internet exchanges (BNIX, BelgiumIX). Named sites include Digital Realty BRU1 - Brussels, Level(3) Brussels, Versatel Gent (Handelsdok Center), LCL Antwerp.
Where the cables land. 2 landing points · Bredene, Ostend
Economy and Tourism in Belgium.
56% residents to 44% visitors across a year. 9,343,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 11,941,781 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Belgium
2,584k
Visitors a year
0.2
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Belgium?· for every $100 Belgium earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 1993 peak
$ 139The worst year on the IMF record. Belgium owed $139 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 1993signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 109What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 122The IMF's own forecast has this rising to $122 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Belgium earns in a year, it owes $109 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). That is more than a full year of national income, and the interest is paid before anything else.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Belgium?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 9,343,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 11,941,781 residents, 0.8 visitors for every resident (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Belgium is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is only 11.8% of everything Belgium imports (2024, World Bank), so most of a meal is bought from producers inside the country. Eating what the land here actually grows, sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, lettuce, maize, barley, pears, keeps that money with the grower.
mostly home-grown4
The power
76.5% of the electricity is fossil (2021, World Bank). Lighting, cooling and hot water are paid for largely in imported fuel.
burns away5
What actually stays
On the parts that can be measured, the power leaves and the plate stays. It is genuinely a coin toss, decided by what you book.
split6
Pay the bank first
Belgium owes $109 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$109 per $1007
A spread hand
The largest single export, pharmaceuticals, is 15.8% of the total (2023, UN Comtrade). No one shock can take the whole board.
top export 15.8%8
Community chest
Tourism earns 1.8% of everything Belgium makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
1.8% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Sydney a return economy seat is 3.01 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
3.01 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$777 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$777bnGDPUS$725.5bn
Agriculture, share of GDP0.7%
Visitors a year2,584,000
Visitors per resident0.2
Residents~11,941,781
Agriculture
Farming is 0.7% of the economy. Belgium is intensively farmed and runs an agri-food trade surplus, exporting far more processed food than it imports in value, even though food makes up about 11.5 per cent of merchandise imports as raw crops and feed flow through its ports (World Bank).
Natural materials
Flanders has a deep textile heritage: flax and linen cultivation along the River Lys around Kortrijk, and world-famous lace from Bruges, Brussels and Mechelen, on top of the medieval wool and cloth trade that made the Flemish cities rich. The region remains one of Europe's leading flax-growing areas, so the linen tradition is still partly living rather than purely historic.
Energy
Belgium emits about 7.31 tonnes of CO2 per person, a moderate level for a wealthy industrial economy, and its power sector is fairly low-carbon thanks to a large nuclear share (about 41 per cent in 2023) alongside renewables at a record 38.9 per cent of generation in 2025. The country is coal-free in electricity and is bound by the EU climate framework, including net zero by 2050 and steep 2030 targets.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Belgium?
By rooms · company records and press.
B&B Quay17 · ~3 roomsIndependentnot published
Yalo Hotel · ~92 roomsIndependentnot published
Hotel Navarra · ~94 roomsIndependentnot published
Crowne Plaza Brussel Airport · ~315 roomsFranchisenot published
Mansion9bruges · ~4 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20158,355k
20167,481k
20178,385k
20189,119k
20199,343k
20202,584k
International tourism receipts run at about US$7.45 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 1.8% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Belgium, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking what the land here grows, sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, lettuce, maize, barley and pears, over an imported menu.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use One of the world's densest rail networks links every city within an hour or two, with excellent trams and cycling, so a car is rarely needed.
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
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First time here
Belgium is a small, intensively farmed country that leads Europe on recycling and delivers near-universal safe tap water, though dense traffic, port-industry pollution and very low wildlife diversity temper its eco standing.
Best time: Late April and May for the bluebells and mild weather, and May to September overall.
Getting around
One of the world's densest rail networks links every city within an hour or two, with excellent trams and cycling, so a car is rarely needed.
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, lettuce, maize, barley and pears. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cards everywhere; EUR. Three languages, one small country.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the big hotels
B&B Quay17Independent · 3 rooms
Yalo HotelIndependent · 92 rooms
Hotel NavarraIndependent · 94 rooms
Crowne Plaza Brussel AirportFranchise · 315 rooms
Mansion9brugesIndependent · 4 rooms
None of the 5 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Belgium.
How well is Belgium actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Belgium scores 78 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is a state that generally does what it says it will do, which is what makes a climate pledge worth reading.
What is daily life in Belgium really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around One of the world's densest rail networks links every city within an hour or two, with excellent trams and cycling, so a car is rarely needed.
Made in Belgium.
Flanders has a deep textile heritage: flax and linen cultivation along the River Lys around Kortrijk, and world-famous lace from Bruges, Brussels and Mechelen, on top of the medieval wool and cloth trade that made the Flemish cities rich. The region remains one of Europe's leading flax-growing areas, so the linen tradition is still partly living rather than purely historic. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Belgium actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Belgium sells the world is pharmaceuticals, 15.8% of all exports in 2023 (about US$62.80 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are mineral fuels and oils at 13.2%, vehicles at 11.3%, machinery and mechanical appliances at 6.5%, plastics at 5.0%.
Made now · natural materials
Linen cultivation along the River Lys around Kortrijk
Worked in Belgium from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Bruges lace
Worked in Belgium from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Brussels
Worked in Belgium from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Mechelen
Worked in Belgium from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Could make · grown here already
Potatoes
Grown in Belgium and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Frites
Grown in Belgium and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Moules-frites
Grown in Belgium and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Belgium produces about US$725 billion a year, which is roughly US$60,750 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 0.7% of that, while food is 11.8% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in. With 28.3% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
See the verified makersCulture in Belgium.
The three days before Lent
Carnival of Binche
Several hundred Gilles in wax masks and ostrich-feather hats parade through Binche, with the carnival reaching its peak on Shrove Tuesday.
Processional giants and dragons
Giant effigies and dragons parade at least once a year, each on its own feast day, in Brussels, Dendermonde, Mechelen and Mons.
since 1348Two evenings in JulyOmmegang of BrusselsA historical procession through the centre of Brussels to the Grand-Place, revived around 1930 from a religious procession first held in 1348.
Ducasse of Mons (the Doudou)Each year Mons stages Saint George fighting the dragon in its ducasse, recognised by UNESCO since 2005.
Does Belgium protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Belgium sustains a notable living folk heritage, most famously the Carnival of Binche, whose Gilles parade in wax masks and ostrich-feather hats on Shrove Tuesday, a tradition inscribed by UNESCO. Processional giants and dragons, the Ducasse of Mons and the Holy Blood Procession in Bruges continue as community rituals, and Belgian beer culture is recognised as intangible heritage. These traditions are genuine and locally rooted, though set within a highly modernised and largely secular society.
Who it belongs to. Belgian tourism is predominantly urban and mass-market, centred on Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp rather than community-run rural experiences. Living traditions are rich, including the UNESCO-listed Carnival of Binche, Belgian beer culture and the historic beguinages. Community-based tourism exists mainly in the Ardennes and the Flemish countryside but is modest in scale.
Only here. The Hallerbos 'Blue Forest' near Halle, which carpets with millions of wild bluebells for about ten days each spring..
The Future of Belgium.
Three futures for Belgium, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named craft workshops on the open map: 't Allegaartje, 't Atelier, Academia, Ambiance Party, Art et Graphe, Arts & Vies.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 22% to 22% across 24 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 0.9% to 23.5% across 26 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 12.1 t to 7.31 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 5,560k to 2,584k across 25 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 22.9% to 16.4% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 2.68% to 0.98% across 30 recorded years.
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 36.7% to 38.3% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 45.8% to 44.4% across 24 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 80.3% to 87.7% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 22.1 µg/m³ to 8.45 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 1,184 m³ to 1,027 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 47.5% to 51.1% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 100% to 100% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 28,414 to 60,750 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 10,137k to 11,942k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 1.3% to 11.7% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 5,262 kg to 4,077 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 24.3% to 18.6% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 76.8 yrs to 82.3 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 8,021 kg/ha to 6,856 kg/ha across 24 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 326 kg/ha to 214 kg/ha across 22 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 19.7% to 12.3% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 38.7 $/m3 to 121 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 8% to 10.8% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 6,673 km2 to 6,705 km2 across 25 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 7,380 kWh to 6,963 kWh across 30 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 12.08 to 8.91 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 25.03 to 17.47 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 31.8 to 18.02 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 108.82 to 78.56 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 10.68 to 6.6 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 28.2 to 16.4 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 20.68 to 24.23 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, wildlife at 2/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift wildlife
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Belgium's record. As a densely settled, heavily modified corner of temperate north-west Europe, Belgium has effectively no strict endemic species and limited large wildlife.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift plant-based eating
It scores 3 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Belgium's record. The national food identity is firmly meat-and-dairy, built on pork, steak-frites, butter and chocolate, so plant-based eating is available in cities but not the default.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift organic farming
It scores 3 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Belgium's record. Organic farming covers about 7.6 per cent of Belgium's utilised agricultural area (Eurostat/EEA), but with a sharp regional split: Wallonia is at 12.7 per cent and aiming for 30 per cent by 2030, while intensively farmed Flanders sits near 1.6 per cent.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Belgium.
Who is in charge of Belgium now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Bart De Wever
Prime Minister
Bart De Wever is the head of government of Belgium, in office since 3 February 2025. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 83.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 83.8 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 75.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 77.4 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 68.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 68.5 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 79.5 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 79.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 76.3 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 76.2 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Bart De WeverPrime Minister
Federal Parliament (Parlement fédéral, Federaal Parlement, FöderalesLegislature, bicameral
Last election9 June 2024
Constitution1831, as revised to 2025
Government typefederal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Belgium national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
Plain Answers About Belgium.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
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Is Belgium sustainable?
Belgium scores 72 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Belgium is a small, intensively farmed country that leads Europe on recycling and delivers near-universal safe tap water, though dense traffic, port-industry pollution and very low wildlife diversity temper its eco standing.
Is the water in Belgium safe and plentiful?
Belgium draws its freshwater from the Meuse and Scheldt river basins plus groundwater and reservoirs, and delivers safely managed drinking water to 99.91 per cent of the population (World Bank/JMP). Despite that excellent safety record, the country has low renewable freshwater resources per head and high population density, and is regularly ranked among Europe's more water-stressed nations. Supply is reliable but not abundant.
Can Belgium feed itself?
Belgium is intensively farmed and runs an agri-food trade surplus, exporting far more processed food than it imports in value, even though food makes up about 11.5 per cent of merchandise imports as raw crops and feed flow through its ports (World Bank). It is a major producer of potatoes, pork, dairy, sugar beet and horticulture, and a world-leading exporter of frozen chips and prepared vegetables. Self-sufficiency in staples is high but the system leans on imported animal feed.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Belgium?
The national food identity is firmly meat-and-dairy, built on pork, steak-frites, butter and chocolate, so plant-based eating is available in cities but not the default. Ghent pioneered a weekly Veggie Thursday (Donderdag Veggiedag) and urban vegan options are good. Fresh local vegetables such as chicory, leeks and Brussels sprouts are abundant in season.
How much of Belgium is actually protected?
Terrestrial protected areas cover 16.3 per cent of Belgium (World Bank), with Natura 2000 sites at roughly 12.7 per cent of land, below the EU average. About 37 per cent of the small Belgian North Sea is designated protected under the Marine Spatial Plan across five sites, though these are limited in absolute terms and the effectiveness of such paper protections is debated. Conservation is moderate rather than expansive in this crowded landscape.
What wildlife is left in Belgium?
As a densely settled, heavily modified corner of temperate north-west Europe, Belgium has effectively no strict endemic species and limited large wildlife. It still holds wild boar, red and roe deer, foxes and reintroduced beaver in the Ardennes, and the Zwin coastal reserve is important for migratory birds. Some recovery is under way as beaver return and wolves disperse from Germany.
Is Belgium on clean energy?
Belgium emits about 7.31 tonnes of CO2 per person, a moderate level for a wealthy industrial economy, and its power sector is fairly low-carbon thanks to a large nuclear share (about 41 per cent in 2023) alongside renewables at a record 38.9 per cent of generation in 2025. The country is coal-free in electricity and is bound by the EU climate framework, including net zero by 2050 and steep 2030 targets. A long-planned nuclear phase-out has been partly delayed to protect low-carbon supply.
How polluted is Belgium?
EU Single-Use Plastics rules apply and packaging is tightly managed, but dense road traffic and the Antwerp port and petrochemical cluster, one of the world's largest, drive local air, industrial and PFAS pollution. The population-weighted PM2.5 mean was about 7.5 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024 (IRCEL), still above the WHO guideline of 5. Air is cleaner in rural Wallonia than in Flanders.
Does recycling work in Belgium?
Belgium recycles about 55.8 per cent of municipal waste (Eurostat, 2023) and landfills only around 0.4 per cent, placing it among the EU's clear leaders. The Fost Plus packaging scheme, built on the sorted blue-bag (PMD) system, underpins very high packaging recovery. Sorting is mandatory and strictly enforced.
Is the farming in Belgium organic?
Organic farming covers about 7.6 per cent of Belgium's utilised agricultural area (Eurostat/EEA), but with a sharp regional split: Wallonia is at 12.7 per cent and aiming for 30 per cent by 2030, while intensively farmed Flanders sits near 1.6 per cent. The national average is solid for a densely farmed country.
Are there natural materials and craft in Belgium?
Flanders has a deep textile heritage: flax and linen cultivation along the River Lys around Kortrijk, and world-famous lace from Bruges, Brussels and Mechelen, on top of the medieval wool and cloth trade that made the Flemish cities rich. The region remains one of Europe's leading flax-growing areas, so the linen tradition is still partly living rather than purely historic.
Is there living culture in Belgium?
Belgian tourism is predominantly urban and mass-market, centred on Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp rather than community-run rural experiences. Living traditions are rich, including the UNESCO-listed Carnival of Binche, Belgian beer culture and the historic beguinages. Community-based tourism exists mainly in the Ardennes and the Flemish countryside but is modest in scale.
What heritage does Belgium keep alive?
Belgium sustains a notable living folk heritage, most famously the Carnival of Binche, whose Gilles parade in wax masks and ostrich-feather hats on Shrove Tuesday, a tradition inscribed by UNESCO. Processional giants and dragons, the Ducasse of Mons and the Holy Blood Procession in Bruges continue as community rituals, and Belgian beer culture is recognised as intangible heritage. These traditions are genuine and locally rooted, though set within a highly modernised and largely secular society.
So is Belgium actually green? The measured answer
What is working: sea protected at 38.3%.
What is not: renewable electricity at 23.5% against a 100% mark.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · Climate Watch (WRI) · Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026 · World Bank, Population, total, Belgium · CIA World Factbook (archived), Belgium, Geography · World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area), Belgium · World Bank, Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output), Belgium · World Bank, CO2 emissions excluding LULUCF per capita, Belgium · World Bank, Cause of death by non-communicable diseases (% of total), Belgium
How Belgium Ranks, region and world.
Where Belgium sits on the Eco Index, against its Europe neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Belgium compare in Europe?
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Portugal75
Scored Europe destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Belgium sits 12 of 77 at 72/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Belgium particularly good at?
✓ Recycling, scored 5/5. Belgium recycles about 55.8 per cent of municipal waste (Eurostat, 2023) and landfills only around 0.4 per cent, placing it among the EU's clear leaders. The Fost Plus packaging scheme, built on the sorted blue-bag (PMD) system, underpins very high packaging recovery. Sorting is mandatory and strictly enforced.
✓ Water, scored 4/5. Belgium draws its freshwater from the Meuse and Scheldt river basins plus groundwater and reservoirs, and delivers safely managed drinking water to 99.91 per cent of the population (World Bank/JMP). Despite that excellent safety record, the country has low renewable freshwater resources per head and high population density, and is regularly ranked among Europe's more water-stressed nations. Supply is reliable but not abundant.
✓ Food and farming, scored 4/5. Belgium is intensively farmed and runs an agri-food trade surplus, exporting far more processed food than it imports in value, even though food makes up about 11.5 per cent of merchandise imports as raw crops and feed flow through its ports (World Bank). It is a major producer of potatoes, pork, dairy, sugar beet and horticulture, and a world-leading exporter of frozen chips and prepared vegetables. Self-sufficiency in staples is high but the system leans on imported animal feed.
Where does Belgium score worst?
✕ Wildlife, scored 2/5. As a densely settled, heavily modified corner of temperate north-west Europe, Belgium has effectively no strict endemic species and limited large wildlife. It still holds wild boar, red and roe deer, foxes and reintroduced beaver in the Ardennes, and the Zwin coastal reserve is important for migratory birds. Some recovery is under way as beaver return and wolves disperse from Germany.
✕ Plant-based eating, scored 3/5. The national food identity is firmly meat-and-dairy, built on pork, steak-frites, butter and chocolate, so plant-based eating is available in cities but not the default. Ghent pioneered a weekly Veggie Thursday (Donderdag Veggiedag) and urban vegan options are good. Fresh local vegetables such as chicory, leeks and Brussels sprouts are abundant in season.
✕ Organic farming, scored 3/5. Organic farming covers about 7.6 per cent of Belgium's utilised agricultural area (Eurostat/EEA), but with a sharp regional split: Wallonia is at 12.7 per cent and aiming for 30 per cent by 2030, while intensively farmed Flanders sits near 1.6 per cent. The national average is solid for a densely farmed country.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Wildlife, 2/5
As a densely settled, heavily modified corner of temperate north-west Europe, Belgium has effectively no strict endemic species and limited large wildlife. It still holds wild boar, red and roe deer, foxes and reintroduced beaver in the Ardennes, and the Zwin coastal reserve is important for migratory birds.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Belgium's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Plant-based eating, 3/5
The national food identity is firmly meat-and-dairy, built on pork, steak-frites, butter and chocolate, so plant-based eating is available in cities but not the default. Ghent pioneered a weekly Veggie Thursday (Donderdag Veggiedag) and urban vegan options are good.
Organic farming, 3/5
Organic farming covers about 7.6 per cent of Belgium's utilised agricultural area (Eurostat/EEA), but with a sharp regional split: Wallonia is at 12.7 per cent and aiming for 30 per cent by 2030, while intensively farmed Flanders sits near 1.6 per cent. The national average is solid for a densely farmed country.
The Belgium Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Belgium, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Belgium
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
22.0
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
16.4
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
38.3
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
23.5
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
7.3 tonnes (2024)
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
33 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
75.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
79.3 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
79.5 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
68.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
83.9 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
60.1 / 100 · 23 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 23 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
45.7 / 100 · 74 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 74 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
43.1 / 100 · 90 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 90 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
81.7 / 100 · 14 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 14 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
54.5 / 100 · 94 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 94 of 177 countries assessed.
How Belgium Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 90 sources across 31 institutions
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species v2026-1, accessed19 FIGURES
- GBIF, category for Oryctolagus cuniculus, Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (mammal). check
- GBIF, category for Oryctolagus cuniculus corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Oryctolagus cuniculus corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Balearica regulorum, Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- GBIF, category for Balearica regulorum corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Balearica regulorum corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Salamandra salamandra, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (amphibian). check
- GBIF, category for Salamandra salamandra corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Salamandra salamandra corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Aesculus hippocastanum, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (plant). check
- GBIF, category for Aesculus hippocastanum corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Aesculus hippocastanum corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Sequoiadendron giganteum, Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (conifer). check
- GBIF, category for Sequoiadendron giganteum corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Sequoiadendron giganteum corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Sequoiadendron giganteum corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Anguilla anguilla, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Belgium in GBIF occurrence data (species). check
- GBIF, category for Anguilla anguilla corroboration check
- GBIF, category for Anguilla anguilla corroboration check
World Bank16 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS (22.6%), 2023 check
- Terrestrial protected areas ER.LND.PTLD.ZS (16.3%), 2024 check
- Marine protected areas ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS (38.3%), 2025 check
- Food imports (% of merchandise imports) (11.81%), 2024 check
- Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2020 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Safely managed sanitation (% of population) SH.STA.SMSS.ZS, 2024 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
Eurostat5 FIGURES
- Municipal waste recycling rate (55.8%), 2023 check
- UN SDG Global Database, electronic waste recycled (%) EN_EWT_RCYR, Belgium, 2018 (72.5%), country-reported check
- Characteristics of the railway network in Europe, One of the world's densest rail networks links every city within an hour or two, with excellent trams and cycl check
- recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011) check
- municipal waste by treatment operation (env_wasmun) check
Flanders Investment & Trade (Government of Flanders)4 FIGURES
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Belgium, 2025 (76.5%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Belgium, 2025 (96.9%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Belgium, 2025 (86.0%), country-reported check
Collet3 FIGURES
- Lavachery & Woodbury, Raw material exploitation strategies on the flint mining site of Spiennes (Hainaut, Belgium), Journal of Lithic Studies 3(2), 2016, 127-162, doi:10.2218/jls.v3i2.1821, Later, the Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes near Mons were worked for two thousand years from around 4300 BC check
- Lavachery & Woodbury, Raw material exploitation strategies on the flint mining site of Spiennes (Hainaut, Belgium), Journal of Lithic Studies 3(2), 2016, 127-162, doi:10.2218/jls.v3i2.1821 corroboration check
- Lavachery & Woodbury, Raw material exploitation strategies on the flint mining site of Spiennes (Hainaut, Belgium), Journal of Lithic Studies 3(2), 2016, 127-162, doi:10.2218/jls.v3i2.1821 corroboration check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Belgium, 2025 (22.0%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area under a long-term management plan (%) AG_LND_FRSTMGT, Belgium, 2025 (48.7%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Belgium, 2025 (26.6%), country-reported check
FPS Foreign Affairs3 FIGURES
- Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (Belgium), Belgium turns its gaze seaward, About 37 per cent of the small Belgian North Sea is designated protected under the Marine Spatial Plan across check
- Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (Belgium), Belgium turns its gaze seaward corroboration check
- Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (Belgium), Belgium turns its gaze seaward corroboration check
Our World in Data / Ember3 FIGURES
UN Comtrade3 FIGURES
- Belgium (reporter 56), 2023 exports, HS chapter 30 pharmaceutical products, The largest single export, pharmaceuticals, is 15.8% of the total (2023, UN Comtrade). check
- Belgium (reporter 56), 2023 exports, HS chapter 30 pharmaceutical products corroboration check
- Belgium (reporter 56), 2023 exports, HS chapter 30 pharmaceutical products corroboration check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics3 FIGURES
- indicator XGDP.FSGOV, government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Belgium, Public spending on education runs at 6.3% of GDP and 12.0% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment check
- indicator XGDP.FSGOV, government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Belgium corroboration check
- indicator XGDP.FSGOV, government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Belgium corroboration check
Unesco Platform Vlaanderen3 FIGURES
Carnaval de Binche2 FIGURES
Other published sources2 FIGURES
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme2 FIGURES
Climate Watch (WRI)1 FIGURE
- Net-Zero Tracker check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Belgium 1831 (rev. 2025) check
Discovering Belgium1 FIGURE
- The Story of Flax. check
Elia1 FIGURE
- Electricity mix 2023: Belgian renewable generation reaches all-time high, 2024. check
Ember1 FIGURE
- Enerdata, Belgium renewables share of power generation (29.8%), 2024 check
Eurostat / European Environment Agency1 FIGURE
- organic area of utilised agricultural area (7.6%), 2022 check
Green maize 71 FIGURE
- 519 kt, sugar beet 4,412 kt, potatoes 3,978 kt, wheat and spelt 1,090 kt; Belgian rapeseed was only 35.8 kt in 2024 check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Belgium, 2023 (14.8%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Belgium elections and chambers check
indicators.be1 FIGURE
- Natura 2000 land cover (~12.7%), 2022 check
IRCEL-CELINE (Belgian Interregional Environment Agency)1 FIGURE
- PM2.5 annual mean (7.5 ug/m3), 2024 check
Our World in Data (Global Carbon Project)1 FIGURE
- CO2 emissions per capita, 2023. check
Statbel1 FIGURE
- Belgium, national statistical authority check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage1 FIGURE
- Carnival of Binche. check
World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP1 FIGURE
- safely managed drinking water SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS (99.91%), 2020 check