Belgium vs Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau is 18% larger than Belgium.
BelgiumGuinea-BissauBelgium moved onto Guinea-Bissau · Equal-area projection
0.85×
Belgium is 0.85× the area of Guinea-Bissau. Put the other way, Guinea-Bissau is 1.18× the size of Belgium.
 Belgium |  Guinea-Bissau | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaGuinea-Bissau: 1.18× the area | 30,688 km²#137 of 194 | 36,125 km²#135 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBelgium: 5.31× the population | 11,941,781#82 of 194 · 2025 | 2,249,515#145 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBelgium: 6.25× the density | 389 / km²#22 of 194 | 62 / km²#123 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelgium: 1.88× the urban share | 88%#27 of 192 · 2025 | 47%#134 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGuinea-Bissau: 2.61× the births per woman | 1.44 per woman#149 of 192 · 2024 | 3.76 per woman#34 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGuinea-Bissau: 1.46 points higher | +0.70%#114 of 192 · 2025 | +2.16%#40 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGuinea-Bissau: 3.22× the birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 29.6 per 1,000#33 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBelgium: 1.36× the death rate | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Guinea-Bissau: 22.6 points higher | 15.7%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 38.3%#31 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Belgium: 17.8 points higher | 21.0%#23 of 192 · 2025 | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelgium: 3.3 per 1,000 higher | +2.7 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2025 | −0.6 per 1,000#109 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadGuinea-Bissau: 80× the refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.80 per 1,000#65 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelgium: 18.0 years longer | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | 64.3 years#167 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGuinea-Bissau: 13.6× the infant mortality | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 | 42.1 per 1,000 births#25 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBelgium: 14.3× the doctors per person | 3.57 per 1,000#43 of 178 · 2022 | 0.25 per 1,000#142 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 82.1%#20 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development IndexBelgium: 0.437 higher | 0.951#9 of 190 · 2023 | 0.514#171 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBelgium: 54.6× the income per person | $59,500#15 of 185 · 2025 | $1,090#169 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBelgium: 287× the economy | $725.47B2025 | $2.53B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Belgium: 22.7× the output per person | $74,676#18 of 184 · 2025 | $3,293#168 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGuinea-Bissau: 4.8 points higher | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | +5.8%#35 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBelgium: 1.6 points higher | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 | +0.9%#144 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBelgium: 2.19× the unemployment | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 | 2.7%#149 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyGuinea-Bissau: 399× the share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 39.9%#19 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Guinea-Bissau: 6.6 higher | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2023 | 33.4#90 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureGuinea-Bissau: 60.1 points higher | 1.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 61.1% of jobs#13 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBelgium: 9.5 points higher | 19.2% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 | 9.7% of jobs#158 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelgium: 50.6 points higher | 79.8% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | 29.2% of jobs#166 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGuinea-Bissau: 5.3 points higher | -4.0% of GDP#182 of 184 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelgium: 61.6 points higher | 75.5% of GDP#18 of 168 · 2025 | 13.9% of GDP#152 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBelgium: 2.26× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#121 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBelgium: 3.21× the share online | 96%#20 of 184 · 2024 | 30%#166 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsGuinea-Bissau: 1.41× the mobile subscriptions | 104 per 100#124 of 191 · 2024 | 147 per 100#29 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGuinea-Bissau: 3.4× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 75% of land#10 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBelgium: 45.7× the CO₂ per person | 7.31 t a year#28 of 185 · 2024 | 0.16 t a year#172 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGuinea-Bissau: 75.7 points higher | 11.7%#135 of 190 · 2021 | 87.4%#8 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityBelgium: 56.3 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 43.7%#179 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Guinea-Bissau: 3.85× the air pollution | 8.4 µg/m³#165 of 191 · 2023 | 32.3 µg/m³#41 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGuinea-Bissau: 9.8 points higher | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 | 26.2% of land#51 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBelgium: 12.2 points higher | 28.3% of land#33 of 190 · 2024 | 16.1% of land#68 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBelgium: 35.2× the water stress | 52.8%#34 of 176 · 2022 | 1.5%#154 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGuinea-Bissau: 1.86× the rain and snow | 847 mm#102 of 180 · 2022 | 1,577 mm#53 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBelgium: 0.70 higher | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 | −0.53#143 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelgium: 2.76 higher | +1.36#21 of 193 · 2025 | −1.40#179 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAbout the same homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2017 |
| 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 | — |
| Capital | Brussels | Bissau |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | German, French, Dutch | Portuguese |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC |
| Calling code | +32 | +245 |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe | Western Africa, Africa |
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; Guinea-Bissau at 12° N is stretched to 1.05×. That difference is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it is next to Guinea-Bissau. 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 Guinea-Bissau?
- No. Belgium is 15% smaller than Guinea-Bissau. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Guinea-Bissau covers 36,125 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into Guinea-Bissau?
- About 1.2 times: Guinea-Bissau has 1.18× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and Guinea-Bissau 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 Guinea-Bissau about 1.05×. That is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it really is next to Guinea-Bissau. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or Guinea-Bissau?
- Belgium: 11,941,781 people against 2,249,515. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Guinea-Bissau 62 per km².
- Which is richer, Belgium or Guinea-Bissau?
- By gross national income per person, Belgium: $59,500 against $1,090 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 54.6× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belgium or Guinea-Bissau?
- In Belgium: life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years, against 64.3 — 18.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belgium and Guinea-Bissau have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belgium: constitutional monarchy; Guinea-Bissau: semi-presidential republic.