Belgium vs France
France is 21.0 times larger than Belgium. Belgium would fit into France about 21 times.
BelgiumFranceBelgium moved onto France · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.05×
Belgium is 0.05× the area of France. Put the other way, France is 21.0× the size of Belgium.
 Belgium |  France | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaFrance: 21.0× the area | 30,688 km²#137 of 194 | 643,801 km²#42 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 10 |
| People | ||
| PopulationFrance: 5.75× the population | 11,941,781#82 of 194 · 2025 | 68,720,337#23 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBelgium: 3.65× the density | 389 / km²#22 of 194 | 107 / km²#83 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelgium: 1.11× the urban share | 88%#27 of 192 · 2025 | 79%#49 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateFrance: 1.12× the births per woman | 1.44 per woman#149 of 192 · 2024 | 1.61 per woman#123 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBelgium: 0.45 points higher | +0.70%#114 of 192 · 2025 | +0.25%#147 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateFrance: 1.05× the birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 9.7 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15France: 0.5 points higher | 15.7%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 16.2%#148 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65France: 1.5 points higher | 21.0%#23 of 192 · 2025 | 22.5%#12 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelgium: 1.4 per 1,000 higher | +2.7 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2025 | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyFrance: 0.7 years longer | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityFrance: 1.1× the infant mortality | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBelgium: 1.09× the doctors per person | 3.57 per 1,000#43 of 178 · 2022 | 3.28 per 1,000#54 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBelgium: 1.15× the university enrolment | 82.1%#20 of 145 · 2023 | 71.5%#43 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBelgium: 0.031 higher | 0.951#9 of 190 · 2023 | 0.920#25 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBelgium: 1.22× the income per person | $59,500#15 of 185 · 2025 | $48,630#23 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPFrance: 4.64× the economy | $725.47B2025 | $3.37T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Belgium: 1.17× the output per person | $74,676#18 of 184 · 2025 | $63,975#28 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBelgium: 0.2 points higher | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | +0.8%#160 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBelgium: 1.6 points higher | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 | +0.9%#144 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentFrance: 1.27× the unemployment | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 | 7.5%#53 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyAbout the same share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)France: 5.0 higher | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2023 | 31.8#104 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureFrance: 1.3 points higher | 1.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 2.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryFrance: 0.1 points higher | 19.2% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 | 19.3% of jobs#85 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelgium: 1.5 points higher | 79.8% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | 78.3% of jobs#20 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentFrance: 5.8 points higher | -4.0% of GDP#182 of 184 · 2025 | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelgium: 42.1 points higher | 75.5% of GDP#18 of 168 · 2025 | 33.4% of GDP#89 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingAbout the same military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#59 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBelgium: 1.08× the share online | 96%#20 of 184 · 2024 | 89%#64 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsFrance: 1.13× the mobile subscriptions | 104 per 100#124 of 191 · 2024 | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaFrance: 1.5× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 33% of land#96 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBelgium: 1.83× the CO₂ per person | 7.31 t a year#28 of 185 · 2024 | 4.00 t a year#61 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyFrance: 4.5 points higher | 11.7%#135 of 190 · 2021 | 16.2%#118 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)About the same air pollution | 8.4 µg/m³#165 of 191 · 2023 | 8.2 µg/m³#168 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landFrance: 12.4 points higher | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 | 28.8% of land#40 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landFrance: 3.0 points higher | 28.3% of land#33 of 190 · 2024 | 31.3% of land#26 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBelgium: 2.47× the water stress | 52.8%#34 of 176 · 2022 | 21.4%#66 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 847 mm#102 of 180 · 2022 | 867 mm#99 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBelgium: 0.26 higher | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 | −0.09#110 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelgium: 0.12 higher | +1.36#21 of 193 · 2025 | +1.24#23 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateFrance: 1.18× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy | Semi-presidential republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Brussels | Paris |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR), CFP Franc (XPF) |
| Official languages | German, French, Dutch | French |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +32 | +33 |
| Region | Western 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. Belgium sits at about 51° N and is stretched to 2.49× its true area; France at 43° N is stretched to 1.87×. That difference is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it is next to France. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Belgium bigger than France?
- No. Belgium is 21.0 times smaller than France. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and France covers 643,801 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into France?
- About 21 times: France has 21.0× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and France look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belgium is drawn about 2.49× its true area there and France about 1.87×. That is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it really is next to France. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or France?
- France: 68,720,337 people against 11,941,781. Density: Belgium 389 per km², France 107 per km².
- Which is richer, Belgium or France?
- By gross national income per person, Belgium: $59,500 against $48,630 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.22× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belgium or France?
- In France: life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years, against 82.3 — 0.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belgium and France have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belgium: constitutional monarchy; France: semi-presidential republic.