Albania vs Belgium
Belgium is 7% larger than Albania.
AlbaniaBelgiumAlbania moved onto Belgium · Equal-area projection
0.94×
Albania is 0.94× the area of Belgium. Put the other way, Belgium is 1.07× the size of Albania.
 Albania |  Belgium | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBelgium: 1.07× the area | 28,748 km²#140 of 194 | 30,688 km²#137 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBelgium: 5.08× the population | 2,349,580#144 of 194 · 2025 | 11,941,781#82 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBelgium: 4.76× the density | 82 / km²#101 of 194 | 389 / km²#22 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelgium: 1.49× the urban share | 59%#112 of 192 · 2025 | 88%#27 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBelgium: 1.07× the births per woman | 1.34 per woman#167 of 192 · 2024 | 1.44 per woman#149 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBelgium: 1.87 points higher | −1.17%#190 of 192 · 2025 | +0.70%#114 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAlbania: 1.1× the birth rate | 10.1 per 1,000#138 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBelgium: 1.12× the death rate | 8.5 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Albania: 0.9 points higher | 16.6%#145 of 192 · 2025 | 15.7%#153 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Belgium: 3.4 points higher | 17.6%#43 of 192 · 2025 | 21.0%#23 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelgium: 13.0 per 1,000 higher | −10.3 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2025 | +2.7 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAlbania: 913× the refugees for its size | 9.13 per 1,000#19 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelgium: 2.5 years longer | 79.8 years#42 of 192 · 2024 | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAlbania: 2.68× the infant mortality | 8.3 per 1,000 births#120 of 191 · 2024 | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBelgium: 1.9× the doctors per person | 1.88 per 1,000#85 of 178 · 2020 | 3.57 per 1,000#43 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentAbout the same university enrolment | 84.1%#16 of 145 · 2024 | 82.1%#20 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexBelgium: 0.141 higher | 0.810#70 of 190 · 2023 | 0.951#9 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBelgium: 4.93× the income per person | $12,060#74 of 185 · 2025 | $59,500#15 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBelgium: 23.8× the economy | $30.54B2025 | $725.47B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Belgium: 2.65× the output per person | $28,221#73 of 184 · 2025 | $74,676#18 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthAlbania: 2.8 points higher | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBelgium: 0.4 points higher | +2.1%#116 of 176 · 2025 | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAlbania: 1.85× the unemployment | 10.9%#31 of 178 · 2025 | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyAlbania: 3.0× the share in extreme poverty | 0.3%#116 of 149 · 2020 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Albania: 2.6 higher | 29.4#124 of 149 · 2020 | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureAlbania: 29.8 points higher | 30.8% of jobs#58 of 178 · 2025 | 1.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryAlbania: 2.8 points higher | 22.0% of jobs#64 of 178 · 2025 | 19.2% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelgium: 32.6 points higher | 47.2% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 | 79.8% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentAlbania: 10.1 points higher | 6.1% of GDP#31 of 184 · 2025 | -4.0% of GDP#182 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelgium: 38.5 points higher | 37.0% of GDP#80 of 168 · 2025 | 75.5% of GDP#18 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingAbout the same military spending | 2.0% of GDP#59 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBelgium: 1.12× the share online | 86%#75 of 184 · 2024 | 96%#20 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBelgium: 1.17× the mobile subscriptions | 89 per 100#142 of 191 · 2024 | 104 per 100#124 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaAlbania: 1.56× the forest share | 34% of land#88 of 192 · 2024 | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBelgium: 4.08× the CO₂ per person | 1.79 t a year#108 of 185 · 2024 | 7.31 t a year#28 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyAlbania: 30.2 points higher | 41.9%#57 of 190 · 2021 | 11.7%#135 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Albania: 1.85× the air pollution | 15.5 µg/m³#113 of 191 · 2023 | 8.4 µg/m³#165 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landAlbania: 7.2 points higher | 23.6% of land#54 of 191 · 2025 | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBelgium: 6.8 points higher | 21.5% of land#51 of 190 · 2024 | 28.3% of land#33 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBelgium: 11× the water stress | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 | 52.8%#34 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAlbania: 1.75× the rain and snow | 1,485 mm#60 of 180 · 2022 | 847 mm#102 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBelgium: 0.08 higher | +0.09#98 of 193 · 2025 | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelgium: 1.66 higher | −0.30#102 of 193 · 2025 | +1.36#21 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAlbania: 1.27× the homicide rate | 1.4 per 100,000#90 of 146 · 2023 | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | NATO | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Tirane | Brussels |
| Currency | Albanian lek (ALL) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Albanian | German, French, Dutch |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +355 | +32 |
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe | Western Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Albania sits at about 41° N and is stretched to 1.76× its true area; Belgium at 51° N is stretched to 2.49×. That difference is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it is next to Albania. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Albania bigger than Belgium?
- No. Albania is 6% smaller than Belgium. Albania covers 28,748 km² and Belgium covers 30,688 km².
- How many times does Albania fit into Belgium?
- About 1.1 times: Belgium has 1.07× the area of Albania.
- Why do Albania and Belgium look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Albania is drawn about 1.76× its true area there and Belgium about 2.49×. That is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it really is next to Albania. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Albania or Belgium?
- Belgium: 11,941,781 people against 2,349,580. Density: Albania 82 per km², Belgium 389 per km².
- Which is richer, Albania or Belgium?
- By gross national income per person, Belgium: $59,500 against $12,060 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 4.93× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Albania or Belgium?
- In Belgium: life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years, against 79.8 — 2.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Albania and Belgium have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Albania: parliamentary republic; Belgium: constitutional monarchy.