Belgium
Europe ยท Capital: Brussels
How it is run: Belgium is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Belgium is home to 11.9 million people in Western Europe, where people speak German, French, Dutch.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
11.9 million people
That is 0.1% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
๐บ๏ธ Land
30,528 kmยฒ
About the size of a small US state such as Vermont or New Hampshire.
๐๏ธ How crowded
About 391 people per square kilometre โ busy towns with countryside in between.
๐ Size in its region
11th most people in Europe
33rd largest by land in Europe.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
German, French, Dutch
More than one language is used for official business.
๐ฐ Money
Euro (โฌ)
Life here today ๐ฉบ
These come from World Bank open data โ the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
โค๏ธ How long people live
82.3 years on average
One of the healthier countries โ good hospitals and clean water make a big difference.
๐ผ Money made per person each year
about US$60,750
A high-income country: most families can afford cars, travel and new technology.
๐ข Living in cities
87.7% of people
Mostly a city country โ think buses, trains and apartment blocks.
๐ Kids under 15
15.7% of the population
An older country โ there are more grandparents than schoolchildren.
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+32
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.be
๐ง People here are called
Belgian
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
Belgien ยท Belgique ยท Belgiรซ
Also written: Belgiรซ, Belgie, Belgien.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
Western European and Others Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
Belgium touches 4 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Bรฉlgica
French
Belgique
Arabic
ุจูุฌููุง
Chinese
ๆฏๅฉๆถ
Japanese
ใใซใฎใผ
Russian
ะะตะปัะณะธั
Portuguese
Bรฉlgica
German
Belgien
Put it in perspective ๐
- Russia โ the most populated country in Europe โ has about 12.0ร as many people as Belgium.
- Belgium covers roughly 291 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Belgium lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 5,971 km.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: Belgium is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
๐ท๏ธ Official name
Kingdom of Belgium
๐๏ธ Capital
Brussels
๐ Region
Europe ยท Western Europe
๐ค Country code
BE
๐๏ธ UN status
UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Independent country
More about Belgium ๐
Grand-Place
A square ringed with gold-trimmed guild houses built by medieval trade groups โ bakers, brewers and boatmen each had their own building.
See it in Street View๐งญ Where on the map
50.8ยฐ N, 4.0ยฐ E
๐ Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC+0 โ when it is noon in London it is about 12:00 in Brussels.
- Belgium sits in the temperate zone, the belt where most of the world's farms and big cities are.
- ๐ง๐ช is the flag of Belgium. Its country code โ the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics โ is BE.
- Belgium is a full member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly โ the same as every other member, big or small.
- Belgium shares its part of the world with France. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
- The capital of Belgium is Brussels โ that's where the country's big decisions get made.
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- Belgium has 3 official languages. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Belgium can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Belgium spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Belgium?
Brussels
Which money do people spend in Belgium?
Euro (โฌ)
How many countries share a land border with Belgium?
4 โ France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands.
Roughly how many people live in Belgium?
11.9 million people
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.