Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Belgium: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MBB, ranked #40 of 195).
Belgium — in Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands. Political status: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. The country's capital is Brussels; it covers 30,528 sq km. Independence: 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne). Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast. Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy. Population: 12.0 million (2025 estimate). Population growth: +0.45% per year. Median age: 42.4 years. Life expectancy: 82.3 yea…
| Capital | Brussels |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,960,170 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $749.229 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $63,100 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 1% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 3.1% |
| Unemployment | 5.5% |
| Public debt | 92.5% of GDP (2022 est.) |
| Exports | $525.458 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $531.029 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 82.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 42.4 |
| Urbanization | 98.2% of total population (2023) |
| Government | federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy |
| Independence | 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne) |
| Languages | Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1% |
MBB · 58/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A quiet quarter: no major shocks, no breakthroughs. The country's trajectory is set by structural forces larger than any single season.
The honest reading is steadiness — neither crisis nor windfall — with the long currents of demography, trade and institutions deciding more than any three months.
Bart De Wever — Prime Minister. King PHILIPPE (since 21 July 2013)
Belgium maintains 83 embassies and 18 consulates abroad, hosts 181 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, NATO Brussels, OECD Paris, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 83 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 18 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 181 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, NATO Brussels, OECD Paris, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg |
Source: Abroad: Lowy GDI 2024 via Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_diplomatic_missions . Hosted: Consular Affairs Center in-country ranking, Mar 2026 https://zenodo.org/records/18917562/ . Multilateral rosters as for AUT.
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 66.5 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 48 + 112 heliports (registration prefix OO) |
| Major seaports | Antwerpen, Bruxelles, Ghent, Oostende, Zeebrugge |
| Railways | 3602 km |
| Pipelines | 3,139 km gas, 154 km oil, 535 km refined products (2013) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | Antwerp (12,020,000 TEU, 2021) |
Brussels Airport (BRU) — Zaventem; Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) — Charleroi; Ostend-Bruges International Airport (OST) — Oostende; Antwerp International Airport (Deurne) (ANR) — Antwerp; Liège Airport (LGG) — Grâce-Hollogne.
| LNG import terminals | Zeebrugge |
|---|---|
| River ports | Antwerp, Gent (Schelde River) |
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2024 — federal; 2024-06-09; winner: Bart De Wever (N-VA); N-VA largest; Arizona coalition; De Wever PM from 2025-02-03 Wikipedia |
| Next election | 2029 — federal (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
MBB · 58 Ranked #40 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Belgium.
Historical timeline of Belgium
