Polity · 1830 CE – present
Kingdom of Belgium
Königreich Belgien · Royaume de Belgique · Koninkrijk België
Also recorded as Belgium
- Peak recorded area
- 46,192 km²
- 1885 CE
- Rulers on record
- 13
- from 1831 CE
- Data series
- 422
- 1830 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south, and the North Sea to the west. The country also shares a maritime boundary with the United Kingdom to the northwest.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
22 dated territorial extents on record from Cliopatria. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. CShapes 2.0 holds 4 further extents, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 75 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population351 obs · 1 CE–2025 CE | 11.8Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Urban Population183 obs · 1830 CE–2016 CE | 4.6Mpersons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Life Expectancy166 obs · 1841 CE–2011 CE | 80.5years2011 CE · Clio-Infra |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 32Kpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 0.149% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 84.57years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 145 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP450 obs · 1570 CE–2019 CE | 42.4Kint'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP per capita186 obs · 1 CE–2022 CE | 41.9K2011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| Real Wage162 obs · 1820 CE–2004 CE | 192.63index (1500=1)2004 CE · Clio-Infra |
| Total Exports141 obs · 1870 CE–2014 CE | 455.7Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Total Imports141 obs · 1870 CE–2014 CE | 446.6Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Trade Balance141 obs · 1870 CE–2014 CE | 9,059.98million USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
Military
6 of 51 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| CINC Score183 obs · 1830 CE–2016 CE | 0.0027CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption183 obs · 1830 CE–2016 CE | 86Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production183 obs · 1830 CE–2016 CE | 7.7Mtons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel183 obs · 1830 CE–2016 CE | 31Kpersons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure % GDP138 obs · 1953 CE–2025 CE | 2% of GDP2025 CE · CIA World Factbook 2024 |
| Military Expenditure99 obs · 1914 CE–2016 CE | 3.9Bcurrent USD2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 61 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Coal Production117 obs · 1900 CE–2016 CE | 0TWh2016 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Gas Production117 obs · 1900 CE–2016 CE | 0TWh2016 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Surface Area63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 30.7Ksq. km2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Renewable Freshwater per capita M362 obs · 1961 CE–2022 CE | 1,027.38cubic meters2022 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Co2 Emissions Mt Co2e55 obs · 1970 CE–2024 CE | 86.65mt_co2_equivalent2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators (Climate & Environment) |
| Co2 Emissions per capita55 obs · 1970 CE–2024 CE | 7.31t_co2e_per_capita2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators (Climate & Environment) |
Governance
6 of 28 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index202 obs · 1789 CE–2024 CE | 0.886index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index202 obs · 1789 CE–2024 CE | 0.805index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index202 obs · 1789 CE–2024 CE | 0.971index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index201 obs · 1789 CE–2024 CE | 0.629index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity2177 obs · 1830 CE–2012 CE | 8index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
| Regime Type125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 3RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
Development
6 of 62 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index202 obs · 1789 CE–2024 CE | 0.969index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Tech Railway Line Km164 obs · 1825 CE–1993 CE | 3,410km1993 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Telegraph154 obs · 1830 CE–1992 CE | 0.643count1992 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Radios141 obs · 1830 CE–1999 CE | 8,110count1999 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Mail Items135 obs · 1850 CE–1992 CE | 2,940items1992 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Merchant Shipping Tonnage132 obs · 1837 CE–1976 CE | 1,410gross tons1976 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
Rulers
13 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Érasme-Louis Surlet de ChokierHead of State1831 CE
- Leopold I of BelgiumHead of State1831 CE – 1865 CE
- Leopold II of BelgiumHead of State1865 CE – 1909 CE
- Albert I of BelgiumHead of State1909 CE – 1934 CE
- Leopold III of BelgiumHead of State1934 CE – 1944 CE
- Prince Charles, Count of FlandersHead of State1944 CE – 1950 CE
- Baudouin I of BelgiumHead of State1950 CE – 1951 CE
- Albert II of BelgiumHead of State1993 CE – 2013 CE
- Philippe of BelgiumHead of State2013 CE –
- Charles MichelHead of Government2014 CE – 2019 CE
- Sophie WilmèsHead of Government2019 CE – 2020 CE
- Alexander De CrooHead of Government2020 CE – 2025 CE
- Bart De WeverHead of Government2025 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
- Government type
- federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
- Executive branch
- chief of state: King PHILIPPE (since 21 July 2013); head of government: Prime Minister Bart DE WEVER (since 3 February 2025); cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch; election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional;
- Ethnic groups
- Belgian 75.2%, Italian 4.1%, Moroccan 3.7%, French 2.4%, Turkish 2%, Dutch 2%, other 10.6% (2012 est.)
- Natural resources
- construction materials, silica sand, carbonates, arable land
- Economy
- high-income, core EU and eurozone economy; slow growth with weakened domestic consumption and export demand; high public debt and structural deficits linked to social spending; aging workforce with weak productivity growth and participation rates
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- Dutch, French, German less than
- Currency
- euros (EUR)
Memberships
- Belgium–France Defense Pact (1832)Military alliance · member1832 CE – 1833 CE
- League of NationsLoNInternational organisation · founding member1920 CE – 1946 CE
- Belgium–France Defense Pact (1920)Military alliance · member1920 CE – 1936 CE
- 5-member Defense Pact (1925)Military alliance · member1925 CE – 1936 CE
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · founding member1945 CE –
- 10-member Defense Pact (1948)Military alliance · member1948 CE –
- 20-member Defense Pact (1949)Military alliance · member1949 CE –
- NATONATOMilitary alliance · founding member1949 CE –
- European UnionEUEconomic bloc · founding member1958 CE –
- EECEECEconomic bloc · founding member1958 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
Central Intelligence Agency (2024). The World Factbook. Washington, DC.
Public Domain (US Government work)
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Seshat Global History Databank. Cliopatria: a historical basemap of polity borders (cliopatria.geojson).
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
Barbieri, K. & Keshk, O. (2016). Correlates of War Project Trade Data Set, v4.0.
Free academic use, citation
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
Our World in Data (2024). Energy dataset. Based on Energy Institute & Ember.
CC BY 4.0
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators (Climate & Environment)2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators (Climate & Environment series). Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Kingdom of Belgium is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.