Belgium vs Germany
Germany is 11.7 times larger than Belgium. Belgium would fit into Germany about 12 times.
BelgiumGermanyBelgium moved onto Germany · Equal-area projection
0.09×
Belgium is 0.09× the area of Germany. Put the other way, Germany is 11.7× the size of Belgium.
 Belgium |  Germany | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaGermany: 11.7× the area | 30,688 km²#137 of 194 | 357,588 km²#63 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 9 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGermany: 6.99× the population | 11,941,781#82 of 194 · 2025 | 83,491,249#19 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBelgium: 1.67× the density | 389 / km²#22 of 194 | 233 / km²#44 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelgium: 1.07× the urban share | 88%#27 of 192 · 2025 | 82%#37 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBelgium: 1.06× the births per woman | 1.44 per woman#149 of 192 · 2024 | 1.36 per woman#164 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBelgium: 0.73 points higher | +0.70%#114 of 192 · 2025 | −0.03%#156 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBelgium: 1.14× the birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 8.1 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateGermany: 1.27× the death rate | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 12.1 per 1,000#16 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Belgium: 1.8 points higher | 15.7%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 13.9%#178 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Germany: 2.7 points higher | 21.0%#23 of 192 · 2025 | 23.7%#7 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelgium: 6.7 per 1,000 higher | +2.7 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2025 | −4.0 per 1,000#169 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 expectancyBelgium: 1.5 years longer | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | 80.8 years#39 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGermany: 1.27× the doctors per person | 3.57 per 1,000#43 of 178 · 2022 | 4.53 per 1,000#15 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBelgium: 1.07× the university enrolment | 82.1%#20 of 145 · 2023 | 76.7%#34 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexGermany: 0.008 higher | 0.951#9 of 190 · 2023 | 0.959#5 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaAbout the same income per person | $59,500#15 of 185 · 2025 | $60,200#14 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGermany: 6.96× the economy | $725.47B2025 | $5.05T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)About the same output per person | $74,676#18 of 184 · 2025 | $75,407#17 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBelgium: 0.8 points higher | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | +0.2%#172 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBelgium: 0.3 points higher | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 | +2.2%#113 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBelgium: 1.59× the unemployment | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 | 3.7%#118 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyGermany: 7.0× the share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 0.7%#98 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Germany: 6.9 higher | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2023 | 33.7#84 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureGermany: 0.1 points higher | 1.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 1.1% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGermany: 6.8 points higher | 19.2% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 | 26.0% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelgium: 6.8 points higher | 79.8% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | 73.0% of jobs#38 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGermany: 5.9 points higher | -4.0% of GDP#182 of 184 · 2025 | 1.9% of GDP#96 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelgium: 35.1 points higher | 75.5% of GDP#18 of 168 · 2025 | 40.4% of GDP#70 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingGermany: 1.13× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 2.3% of GDP#50 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 96%#20 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#36 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsGermany: 1.24× the mobile subscriptions | 104 per 100#124 of 191 · 2024 | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGermany: 1.49× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 33% of land#97 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBelgium: 1.05× the CO₂ per person | 7.31 t a year#28 of 185 · 2024 | 6.94 t a year#32 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGermany: 5.9 points higher | 11.7%#135 of 190 · 2021 | 17.6%#115 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Germany: 1.05× the air pollution | 8.4 µg/m³#165 of 191 · 2023 | 8.8 µg/m³#162 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGermany: 22.8 points higher | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 | 39.2% of land#14 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landGermany: 5.1 points higher | 28.3% of land#33 of 190 · 2024 | 33.4% of land#21 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBelgium: 1.49× the water stress | 52.8%#34 of 176 · 2022 | 35.4%#47 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBelgium: 1.21× the rain and snow | 847 mm#102 of 180 · 2022 | 700 mm#113 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGermany: 0.04 higher | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 | +0.21#85 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGermany: 0.32 higher | +1.36#21 of 193 · 2025 | +1.68#13 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBelgium: 1.22× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 | 0.9 per 100,000#110 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Brussels | Berlin |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | German, French, Dutch | German |
| 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 | +49 |
| 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; Germany at 51° N is stretched to 2.53×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. 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 Germany?
- No. Belgium is 11.7 times smaller than Germany. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Germany covers 357,588 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into Germany?
- About 12 times: Germany has 11.7× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and Germany 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 Germany about 2.53×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or Germany?
- Germany: 83,491,249 people against 11,941,781. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Germany 233 per km².
- Which is richer, Belgium or Germany?
- By gross national income per person, Germany: $60,200 against $59,500 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.01× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belgium or Germany?
- In Belgium: life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years, against 80.8 — 1.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belgium and Germany have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belgium: constitutional monarchy; Germany: parliamentary republic.