Belgium vs Russia
Russia is 556 times larger than Belgium. Belgium would fit into Russia about 556 times.
BelgiumRussiaBelgium moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.0×
Belgium is 0.0× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 556× the size of Belgium.
 Belgium |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 556× the area | 30,688 km²#137 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 12× the population | 11,941,781#82 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBelgium: 46.3× the density | 389 / km²#22 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelgium: 1.16× the urban share | 88%#27 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 1.44 per woman#149 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBelgium: 0.81 points higher | +0.70%#114 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBelgium: 1.1× the birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 1.31× the death rate | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Russia: 1.3 points higher | 15.7%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Belgium: 3.2 points higher | 21.0%#23 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelgium: 4.5 per 1,000 higher | +2.7 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRussia: 69× the refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelgium: 8.9 years longer | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityRussia: 1.32× the infant mortality | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 1.43× the doctors per person | 3.57 per 1,000#43 of 178 · 2022 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBelgium: 1.36× the university enrolment | 82.1%#20 of 145 · 2023 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBelgium: 0.119 higher | 0.951#9 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBelgium: 3.73× the income per person | $59,500#15 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 3.53× the economy | $725.47B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Belgium: 1.51× the output per person | $74,676#18 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthThe same | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 6.2 points higher | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBelgium: 2.81× the unemployment | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 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)Russia: 6.2 higher | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2023 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureRussia: 4.1 points higher | 1.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 6.6 points higher | 19.2% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelgium: 10.7 points higher | 79.8% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentRussia: 4.4 points higher | -4.0% of GDP#182 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelgium: 57.3 points higher | 75.5% of GDP#18 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 3.73× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 96%#20 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.79× the mobile subscriptions | 104 per 100#124 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 2.31× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 1.91× the CO₂ per person | 7.31 t a year#28 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBelgium: 8.2 points higher | 11.7%#135 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Russia: 1.38× the air pollution | 8.4 µg/m³#165 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBelgium: 4.9 points higher | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBelgium: 20.9 points higher | 28.3% of land#33 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBelgium: 12.9× the water stress | 52.8%#34 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBelgium: 1.84× the rain and snow | 847 mm#102 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBelgium: 1.11 higher | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelgium: 2.34 higher | +1.36#21 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateRussia: 6.18× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Brussels | Moscow |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | German, French, Dutch | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +32 | +7 |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe | Eastern 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; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to Belgium. 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 Russia?
- No. Belgium is 556 times smaller than Russia. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into Russia?
- About 556 times: Russia has 556× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and Russia 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 Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Belgium. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 11,941,781. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Belgium or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Belgium: $59,500 against $15,960 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.73× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belgium or Russia?
- In Belgium: life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years, against 73.4 — 8.9 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belgium and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belgium: constitutional monarchy; Russia: semi-presidential republic.