Belgium vs United States
United States is 320 times larger than Belgium. Belgium would fit into United States about 320 times.
BelgiumUnited StatesBelgium moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.0×
Belgium is 0.0× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 320× the size of Belgium.
 Belgium |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 320× the area | 30,688 km²#137 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 28.6× the population | 11,941,781#82 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBelgium: 11.2× the density | 389 / km²#22 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelgium: 1.09× the urban share | 88%#27 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateUnited States: 1.13× the births per woman | 1.44 per woman#149 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBelgium: 0.18 points higher | +0.70%#114 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateUnited States: 1.15× the birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBelgium: 1.06× the death rate | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15United States: 1.4 points higher | 15.7%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Belgium: 2.6 points higher | 21.0%#23 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 0.9 per 1,000 higher | +2.7 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelgium: 3.4 years longer | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityUnited States: 1.77× the infant mortality | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 1.03× the doctors per person | 3.57 per 1,000#43 of 178 · 2022 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBelgium: 1.03× the university enrolment | 82.1%#20 of 145 · 2023 | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexBelgium: 0.013 higher | 0.951#9 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 1.49× the income per person | $59,500#15 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 42.4× the economy | $725.47B2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 1.21× the output per person | $74,676#18 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUnited States: 1.2 points higher | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationUnited States: 0.4 points higher | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentBelgium: 1.4× the unemployment | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyUnited States: 11× the share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)United States: 15.0 higher | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2023 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureUnited States: 0.5 points higher | 1.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBelgium: 0.3 points higher | 19.2% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelgium: 0.2 points higher | 79.8% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentUnited States: 5.0 points higher | -4.0% of GDP#182 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelgium: 64.5 points higher | 75.5% of GDP#18 of 168 · 2025 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingUnited States: 1.55× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 96%#20 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUnited States: 1.09× the mobile subscriptions | 104 per 100#124 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 1.54× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 1.86× the CO₂ per person | 7.31 t a year#28 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBelgium: 0.8 points higher | 11.7%#135 of 190 · 2021 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Belgium: 1.2× the air pollution | 8.4 µg/m³#165 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBelgium: 3.5 points higher | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBelgium: 11.7 points higher | 28.3% of land#33 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBelgium: 1.87× the water stress | 52.8%#34 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBelgium: 1.18× the rain and snow | 847 mm#102 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBelgium: 0.47 higher | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelgium: 0.49 higher | +1.36#21 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateUnited States: 5.27× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Brussels | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | German, French, Dutch | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +32 | +1 |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe | Northern America, North America |
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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it is next to United States. 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 United States?
- No. Belgium is 320 times smaller than United States. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into United States?
- About 320 times: United States has 320× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it really is next to United States. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 11,941,781. Density: Belgium 389 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Belgium or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $59,500 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.49× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belgium or United States?
- In Belgium: life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years, against 78.9 — 3.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belgium and United States have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belgium: constitutional monarchy; United States: presidential republic.