Belgium vs Taiwan
Taiwan is 18% larger than Belgium.
BelgiumTaiwanBelgium moved onto Taiwan · Equal-area projection
0.85×
Belgium is 0.85× the area of Taiwan. Put the other way, Taiwan is 1.18× the size of Belgium.
 Belgium |  Taiwan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaTaiwan: 1.18× the area | 30,688 km²#137 of 194 | 36,193 km²#134 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationTaiwan: 1.95× the population | 11,941,781#82 of 194 · 2025 | 23,262,544#60 of 194 · 2026 |
| DensityTaiwan: 1.65× the density | 389 / km²#22 of 194 | 643 / km²#9 of 194 |
| Urban population | 88%#27 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.44 per woman#149 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +0.70%#114 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 15.7%#153 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 21.0%#23 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | +2.7 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 3.57 per 1,000#43 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| University enrolment | 82.1%#20 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.951#9 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $59,500#15 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $725.47B2025 | — |
| Income group | High income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $74,676#18 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 1.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 19.2% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 79.8% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | -4.0% of GDP#182 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 75.5% of GDP#18 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 96%#20 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 104 per 100#124 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 7.31 t a year#28 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 11.7%#135 of 190 · 2021 | — |
| Access to electricity | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 8.4 µg/m³#165 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 28.3% of land#33 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 52.8%#34 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 847 mm#102 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityTaiwan: 0.83 higher | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 | +1.00#35 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelgium: 0.18 higher | +1.36#21 of 193 · 2025 | +1.18#26 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 | — |
| 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 | Taipei |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | New Taiwan dollar (TWD) |
| Official languages | German, French, Dutch | Taiwanese Hokkien, Amis, Atayal, Paiwan, Seediq, Bunun, Yami, Rukai, Puyuma, Tsou, Saisiyat, Kavalan, Standard Taiwanese Mandarin, Kanakanavu, Sakizaya, Saaroa, Taiwanese Sign Language, Taiwanese Hakka, Matsu dialect, Truku, Kinmen dialect, Wuqiu dialect |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+8 |
| Calling code | +32 | +886 |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe | Eastern Asia, Asia |
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; Taiwan at 24° N is stretched to 1.19×. That difference is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it is next to Taiwan. 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 Taiwan?
- No. Belgium is 15% smaller than Taiwan. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Taiwan covers 36,193 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into Taiwan?
- About 1.2 times: Taiwan has 1.18× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and Taiwan 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 Taiwan about 1.19×. That is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it really is next to Taiwan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or Taiwan?
- Taiwan: 23,262,544 people against 11,941,781. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Taiwan 643 per km².
- What kind of government do Belgium and Taiwan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belgium: constitutional monarchy; Taiwan: semi-presidential republic.