Belgium

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

• 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

noun:

Belgian(s)

adjective:

Belgian

total:

42.4 years (2025 est.)

male:

40.8 years

female:

43.1 years

• 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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.8 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

3.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

2.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

82.3 years (2024 est.)

male:

79.7 years

female:

85 years

total:

9.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

4.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

3.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

1.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

24.1% (2025 est.)

male:

26.4% (2025 est.)

female:

22% (2025 est.)

women married by age 15:

0% (2020)

women married by age 18:

0.1% (2020)

• urbanization;
• possible risks from industry and intensive farming;
• air and water pollution

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

urban population:

98.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

4.766 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

31.7% (2022 est.)

municipal:

740.19 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

4.14 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

41.97 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

2 (2024)

global geoparks and regional networks:

Famenne-Ardenne; Schelde Delta (includes Netherlands) (2024)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Belgium

conventional short form:

Belgium

local long form:

Royaume de Belgique (French)/Koninkrijk Belgie (Dutch)/Koenigreich Belgien (German)

local short form:

Belgique/Belgie/Belgien

etymology:

the name derives from the Belgae, an ancient Celtic tribal confederation that inhabited an area between the English Channel and the west bank of the Rhine in the first centuries B.C.

name:

Brussels

geographic coordinates:

50 84 N, 4 35 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology:

the name is of Germanic origin, from broca (marsh) and sali (room or building)

history:

drafted 25 November 1830, approved 7 February 1831, entered into force 26 July 1831, revised 14 July 1993 (creating a federal state)

amendment process:

• "revisions" proposed as declarations by the federal government in accord with the king or by Parliament followed by dissolution of Parliament and new elections;
• adoption requires two-thirds majority vote of a two-thirds quorum in both houses of the next elected Parliament

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Belgium

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

King PHILIPPE (since 21 July 2013)

head of government:

Prime Minister Bart DE WEVER (since 3 February 2025)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch

election/appointment process:

• the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional;
• following legislative elections, the monarch usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister, which the legislature approves

chamber name:

House of Representatives (Chambre des Représentants)

number of seats:

150 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

proportional representation

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

6/9/2024

parties elected and seats per party:

• New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) (24);
• Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) (20);
• Movement for Reform (MR) (20);
• Socialist Party in Wallonia (PS) (16);
• Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB*PVDA) (15);
• LES ENGAGÉS (14);
• Vooruit (13);
• Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) (11);
• Other (17)

percentage of women in chamber:

41.3%

expected date of next election:

June 2029

chamber name:

Senate (Sénat - Senaat - Senat)

number of seats:

60 (all indirectly elected)

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

7/18/2024

percentage of women in chamber:

47.5%

expected date of next election:

July 2029

highest court(s):

• Constitutional Court or Grondwettelijk Hof (in Dutch) and Cour Constitutionelle (in French) (consists of 12 judges - 6 Dutch-speaking and 6 French-speaking);
• Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) and Cour de Cassation (in French) (court organized into 3 chambers: civil and commercial; criminal; social, fiscal, and armed forces; each chamber includes a Dutch division and a French division, each with a chairperson and 5-6 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Constitutional Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates submitted by Parliament;
• judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 70;
• Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates submitted by the High Council of Justice, a 44-member independent body of judicial and non-judicial members;
• judges appointed for life

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal;
• regional courts;
• specialized courts for administrative, commercial, labor, immigration, and audit issues;
• magistrate's courts;
• justices of the peace

chief of mission:

Ambassador Frédéric BERNARD (since 25 February 2025)

chancery:

1430 K Street NW, Washington DC 20005

telephone:

[1] (202) 333-6900

FAX:

[1] (202) 338-4960

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://unitedstates.diplomatie.belgium.be/en

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Bill WHITE (since 17 November 2025)

embassy:

Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels

mailing address:

7600 Brussels Place, Washington DC 20521-7600

telephone:

[32] (2) 811-4000

FAX:

[32] (2) 811-4500

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://be.usembassy.gov/

description:

three equal vertical bands of black (left side), yellow, and red

history:

• the vertical design was based on the flag of France;
• the colors are from the arms of the duchy of Brabant (yellow lion with red claws and tongue on a black field)

title:

"La Brabançonne" (The Song of Brabant)

lyrics/music:

Louis-Alexandre DECHET [French] and Victor CEULEMANS [Dutch]/Francois VAN CAMPENHOUT

history:

adopted 1830; according to legend Louis-Alexandre DECHET, an actor at the theater where the revolution against the Netherlands began, wrote the lyrics with a group of young people in a Brussels cafe

total World Heritage Sites:

16 (15 cultural, 1 natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Belfries of Belgium (c);
• Historic Brugge (c);
• The Grand Place, Brussels (c);
• Major Town Houses of Victor Horta (c);
• Notre-Dame Cathedral, Tournai (c);
• Spa, Liege (c);
• Primeval Beech Forests - Sonian Wood (n);
• Stoclet Palace (c)

• 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

agriculture:

0.8% (2024 est.)

industry:

17.6% (2024 est.)

services:

72.1% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

16.8% (2024 est.)

male:

18.6% (2024 est.)

female:

14.7% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

12.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

4% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.8% (2022 est.)

highest 10%:

22.2% (2022 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Number of operational nuclear reactors:

4 (2025)

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors:

3.46GW (2025 est.)

Percent of total electricity production:

41.2% (2023 est.)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down:

3 (2025)

production:

1.269 million metric tons (2023 est.)

consumption:

4.372 million metric tons (2023 est.)

exports:

184,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

4.046 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

4.1 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

total petroleum production:

11,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

596,000 bbl/day (2024 est.)

production:

12.938 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption:

14.382 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

exports:

8.461 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports:

23.007 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

• 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

total ports:

7 (2024)

large:

1

medium:

2

small:

2

very small:

2

ports with oil terminals:

5

key ports:

Antwerpen, Bruxelles, Ghent, Oostende, Zeebrugge

• 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)

note 1: in 2024, women comprised about 11% of the military's full-time personnel

note 2: foreign nationals 18-34 years of age who speak Dutch or French and are citizens of EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland may apply to join the military

• 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)

• Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy-Interfederal Space Agency of Belgium (BIRA-IASB; established 1964; IASB added 2017);
• Belgium Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) (2025)

• builds satellites, particularly research/science/technology and remote sensing platforms;
• researches, develops, and produces a wide variety of space technologies, including telecommunications, optics, robotics, scientific instruments, and space launch vehicle components;
• founding member of the ESA and participates in a variety of ESA and EU projects, such as Space Surveillance and Tracking, Copernicus Earth observation, and Galileo global navigation satellite system;
• hosts the European Space Security and Education Center (established 1968);
• participates in international astronomy efforts, particularly through the European Southern Observatory (ESO);
• has worked with a variety of foreign space agencies and commercial entities outside Europe, including those of Argentina, China, India, Russia, South Africa, UAE, Vietnam, and the US (2025)

• 1986 - joined first European Earth Observation program; founding member of European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
• 1992 - first Belgian astronaut in space on the US Space Shuttle
• 2001 - first remote sensing satellite (PROBA-1) launched by India
• 2024 - signed US-led Artemis Accords outlining best practices for space exploration

refugees:

236,689 (2024 est.)

stateless persons:

849 (2024 est.)