Belgium

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

• most of the population 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;
• approximately 97% live in urban areas

noun:

Belgian(s)

adjective:

Belgian

total:

42 years (2024 est.)

male:

40.8 years

female:

43.1 years

• most of the population 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;
• approximately 97% live 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:

3.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 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:

23.4% (2020 est.)

male:

25.8% (2020 est.)

female:

21% (2020 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

intense pressures from human activities:

• urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation;
• air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries

• 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.)

particulate matter emissions:

11.26 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

96.89 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

7.78 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

4.708 million tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

1,614,985 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

34.3% (2015 est.)

municipal:

740 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

3.47 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

50 million cubic meters (2020 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 50 N, 4 20 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:

may derive from the Old Dutch bruoc/broek , meaning "marsh" and sella/zele/sel signifying "home" to express the meaning "home in the marsh"

• civil law system based on the French Civil Code;
• note - Belgian law continues to be modified in conformance with the legislative norms mandated by the European Union;
• judicial review of legislative acts

history:

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

amendments:

• "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;
• amended many times, last in 2019

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 Alexander DE CROO (since 1 October 2020)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and approved by Parliament

; note - Alexander DE CROO resigned on 9 June 2024 following the parliamentary elections and is serving as prime minister in a caretaker status until a new prime minister is sworn into office

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 (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Sophie Chaska KARLSHAUSEN (since 31 August 2024)

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 Michael ADLER (since 15 March 2022)

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/

• three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red;
• the vertical design was based on the flag of France;
• the colors are those of the arms of the duchy of Brabant (yellow lion with red claws and tongue on a black field)

name:

"La Brabanconne" (The Song of Brabant)

lyrics/music:

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

note: adopted 1830; according to legend, Louis-Alexandre DECHET, an actor at the theater in which 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 but steady growth supported by household consumption and energy shock recovery;
• high public debt and structural deficits linked to social spending;
• aging workforce with weak productivity growth and participation rates

Fitch rating:

AA- (2016)

Moody's rating:

Aa3 (2011)

Standard & Poors rating: AA (2011)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

0.8% (2023 est.)

industry:

18.4% (2023 est.)

services:

70.7% (2023 est.)

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

total:

16.1% (2023 est.)

male:

17.8% (2023 est.)

female:

14.1% (2023 est.)

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

on food:

13.5% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

3.9% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.6% (2021 est.)

highest 10%:

21.9% (2021 est.)

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

Number of operational nuclear reactors:

5 (2023)

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors:

3.91GW (2023 est.)

Percent of total electricity production:

41.2% (2023 est.)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down:

3 (2023)

production:

1.27 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

4.869 million metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

557,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

4.554 million metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

4.1 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

total petroleum production:

11,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

585,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

production:

13.436 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

consumption:

15.347 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports:

9.86 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

25.327 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• mobile networks have been upgraded to support growing mobile data use among subscribers, with near-comprehensive LTE coverage;
• operators have also trialed 5G in preparation for launching services;
• the auction of 5G-suitable spectrum has been delayed to the beginning of 2022, while the onerous restrictions on radiation have meant that some 5G trials have been suspended;
• there is effective competition in Belgium between the DSL and cable platforms, while in recent years government support has also encouraged investment in fiber networks;
• in a bid to encourage investment in under served areas, the regulator in 2018 amended the conditions by which market players grant wholesale access to copper and fiber infrastructure;
• in May 2019 it opened a further consultation on cost models for access to the networks of cablecos and fiber infrastructure (2021)

domestic:

• about 28 per 100 fixed-line and 101 per 100 mobile-cellular;
• nationwide mobile-cellular telephone system;
• extensive cable network;
• limited microwave radio relay network (2021)

international:

• country code - 32;
• landing points for Concerto, UK-Belgium, Tangerine, and SeaMeWe-3, submarine cables that provide links to Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia;
• satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2019)

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

number of registered air carriers:

7 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 117

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

13,639,487 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

1,285,340,000 (2018) mt-km

total:

118,414 km

paved:

118,414 km (2015) (includes 1,747 km of expressways)

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