Difference between revisions of "Belgium"

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Belgium (view source)

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'''Official name''' Koninkrijk België (Dutch); Royaume de Belgique (French); Königreich Belgien (German) (Kingdom of Belgium)<br>
'''Form of government''' federal constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (Senate [711]; House of Representativ<br>es[150])<br>
'''Head of state''' Monarch: King Philippe<br>
'''Head of government''' Prime Minister: Charles Michel<br>
'''Capital''' Brussels<br>
'''Official languages''' Dutch; French; German<br>
'''Official religion''' none<br>
'''Monetary unit''' euro (€)<br>
'''Population''' (2013 est.) 11,237,000COLLAPSE<br>
'''Total area (sq mi)''' 11,787<br>
'''Total area (sq km)''' 30,528<br>
'''Urban-rural population'''<br>
:Urban: (2011) 97.5%
:Rural: (2011) 2.5%
'''Life expectancy at birth'''<br>
:Male: (2010) 77.4 years
:Female: (2010) 82.7 years
'''Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate'''<br>
:Male: 100%
:Female: 100%
'''GNI per capita (U.S.$)''' (2012) 44,990<br>
==Background of Belgium==
==Background of Belgium==
Belgium is located in Western Europe, bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. Although generally flat, the terrain becomes increasingly hilly and forested in the southeast (Ardennes) region.
Belgium is located in Western Europe, bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. Although generally flat, the terrain becomes increasingly hilly and forested in the southeast (Ardennes) region.
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Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Political divisions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. Its capital, Brussels, is home to numerous international organizations including the EU and NATO.
Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Political divisions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. Its capital, Brussels, is home to numerous international organizations including the EU and NATO.


==Geography of Belgium==
It is one of the smallest and most densely populated European countries, and it has been, since its independence in 1830, a representative democracy headed by a hereditary constitutional monarch. Initially, Belgium had a unitary form of government. In the 1980s and ’90s, however, steps were taken to turn Belgium into a federal state with powers shared among the regions of Flanders, Wallonia, and the Brussels-Capital Region.
 
Culturally, Belgium is a heterogeneous country straddling the border between the Romance and Germanic language families of western Europe. With the exception of a small German-speaking population in the eastern part of the country, Belgium is divided between a French-speaking people, collectively called Walloons (approximately one-third of the total population), who are concentrated in the five southern provinces (Hainaut, Namur, Liège, Walloon Brabant, and Luxembourg), and Flemings, a Flemish- (Dutch-) speaking people (more than one-half of the total population), who are concentrated in the five northern and northeastern provinces (West Flanders, East Flanders [West-Vlaanderen, Oost-Vlaanderen], Flemish Brabant, Antwerp, and Limburg). Just north of the boundary between Walloon Brabant (Brabant Walloon) and Flemish (Vlaams) Brabant lies the officially bilingual but majority French-speaking Brussels-Capital Region, with approximately one-tenth of the total population. (See also Fleming and Walloon.)
 
Belgium and the political entities that preceded it have been rich with historical and cultural associations, from the Gothic grandeur of its medieval university and commercial cities and its small, castle-dominated towns on steep-bluffed winding rivers, through its broad traditions in painting and music that marked one of the high points of the northern Renaissance in the 16th century, to its contributions to the arts of the 20th century and its maintenance of the folk cultures of past eras. The Belgian landscape has been a major European battleground for centuries, notably in modern times during the Battle of Waterloo (1815) and the 20th century’s two world wars. Given its area and population, Belgium today is one of the most heavily industrialized and urbanized countries in Europe. It is a member of the Benelux Economic Union (with the Netherlands and Luxembourg), the European Union (EU), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)—organizations that all have headquarters in or near the capital city of Brussels.
 
 
==The Land of Belgium==
 
The country has a total of 860 miles (1,385 km) of land boundaries with neighbours; it is bounded by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, and France to the south. Belgium also has some 40 miles (60 km) of shoreline on the North Sea.
 
*Relief, drainage, and soils
Belgium generally is a low-lying country, with a broad coastal plain extending in a southeasterly direction from the North Sea and the Netherlands and rising gradually into the Ardennes hills and forests of the southeast, where a maximum elevation of 2,277 feet (694 metres) is reached at Botrange.
 
The main physical regions are the Ardennes and the Ardennes foothills; Côtes Lorraines (Belgian Lorraine), the intrusion of the Paris Basin in the south; and the Anglo-Belgian Basin in the north, comprising the Central Plateaus, the plain of Flanders, and the Kempenland (French: Campine).
 
The Ardennes region is part of the Hercynian orogenic belt of mountain ranges, which reaches from western Ireland into Germany and was formed roughly 300 to 400 million years ago, during the Paleozoic Era. The Ardennes is a plateau cut deeply by the Meuse River and its tributaries. Its higher points contain peat bogs and have poor drainage; these uplands are unsuitable as cropland.
 
A large depression, known east of the Meuse River as the Famenne and west of it as the Fagne, separates the Ardennes from the geologically and topographically complex foothills to the north. The principal feature of the area is the Condroz, a plateau more than 1,100 feet (335 metres) in elevation comprising a succession of valleys hollowed out of the limestone between sandstone crests. Its northern boundary is the Sambre-Meuse valley, which traverses Belgium from south-southwest to northeast.
 
Situated south of the Ardennes and cut off from the rest of the country, Côtes Lorraines is a series of hills with north-facing scarps. About half of it remains wooded; in the south lies a small region of iron ore deposits.
 
A region of sand and clay soils lying between 150 and 650 feet (45 and 200 metres) in elevation, the Central Plateaus cover northern Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, southern Flemish Brabant, and the Hesbaye plateau region of Liège. The area is dissected by the Dender, Senne, Dijle, and other rivers that enter the Schelde (Escaut) River; it is bounded to the east by the Herve Plateau. The Brussels region lies within the Central Plateaus.
 
Bordering the North Sea from France to the Schelde is the low-lying plain of Flanders, which has two main sections. Maritime Flanders, extending inland for about 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 km), is a region of newly formed and reclaimed land (polders) protected by a line of dunes and dikes and having largely clay soils. Interior Flanders comprises most of East and West Flanders and has sand-silt or sand soils. At an elevation of about 80 to 300 feet (25 to 90 metres), it is drained by the Leie, Schelde, and Dender rivers flowing northeastward to the Schelde estuary. Several shipping canals interlace the landscape and connect the river systems. Lying between about 160 and 330 feet (50 and 100 metres) in elevation, the Kempenland contains pastureland and is the site of a number of industrial enterprises; it forms an irregular watershed of plateau and plain between the extensive Schelde and Meuse drainage systems.
 
*Climate
Belgium has a temperate, maritime climate predominantly influenced by air masses from the Atlantic. Rapid and frequent alternation of different air masses separated by fronts gives Belgium considerable variability in weather. Frontal conditions moving from the west produce heavy and frequent rainfall, averaging 30 to 40 inches (750 to 1,000 mm) a year. Winters are damp and cool with frequent fogs; summers are rather mild. The annual mean temperature is around 50 °F (10 °C). Brussels, which is roughly in the middle of the country, has a mean minimum temperature of just below 32 °F (0 °C) in January and a mean maximum of about 71 °F (22 °C) in July.
 
Regional climatic differences are determined by elevation and distance inland. Farther inland, maritime influences become weaker, and the climate becomes more continental, characterized by greater seasonal extremes of temperature. The Ardennes region, the highest and farthest inland, is the coldest. In winter, frost occurs on about 120 days, snow falls on 30 to 35 days, and January mean minimum temperatures are lower than elsewhere. In summer, the elevation counteracts the effect of distance inland, and July mean maximum temperatures are the lowest in the country. Because of the topography, the region has the highest rainfall in Belgium. In contrast, the Flanders region enjoys generally higher temperatures throughout the year. There are fewer than 60 days of frost and fewer than 15 of snow. On the seacoast these figures are reduced to below 50 and 10, respectively. There are a few hot days, especially on the coast, where the annual rainfall is the lowest in the country.
 
*Plant and animal life
All of Belgium except the Ardennes lies within the zone of broad-leaved deciduous forestation. The dominant tree is the oak; others include beeches, birches, and elms. Little remains of the forest that covered this area 2,000 years ago. Most of lowland Belgium is now used for agriculture or human settlement; small clumps of deciduous trees and grasses dominate the remaining open spaces. In the Kempenland, however, significant areas are devoted to planted forests of silver birch and Corsican pine.
 
The Ardennes lies within the zone of mixed deciduous and coniferous forestation. The area has been heavily logged for centuries. Hence, little old-growth forest remains. The Ardennes is dominated now by coniferous forests in the higher elevations and by zones of mixed coniferous and deciduous trees, especially beeches and oaks, in the foothills. Hautes Fagnes, which is located at the northeastern edge of the Ardennes, has many peat bogs. Drainage has improved, however, and the area, forested with spruce, is part of a nature reserve.
 
Forest and grassland dominate the landscape south of the Sambre-Meuse valley. Meadows, with a few orchards, occur near the Fagne depression and in the Herve Plateau, whereas forest occupies a significant portion of the land along both edges of the Ardennes and in the heart of Côtes Lorraines.
 
The animal population, greatly reduced by human activities, is Eurasian. Most remaining wild animals are found in the Ardennes; wild boars, wildcats, deer, and pheasant are among the more common animals of the region. A number of birds can be found in the Belgian lowlands, including sandpipers, woodcocks, snipes, and lapwings. The Anglo-Belgian Basin north of the Ardennes is home to a considerable population of muskrats and hamsters.
 
'''Geography'''


*Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
*Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
*Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 00 E
*Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 00 E
*Map references: Europe
*Map references: Europe
*Area:
*Area:
:total: 30,528 sq km
:total: 30,528 sq km
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:land: 30,278 sq km
:land: 30,278 sq km
:water: 250 sq km
:water: 250 sq km
*Area - comparative: about the size of Maryland
*Area - comparative: about the size of Maryland
*Land boundaries: total: 1,297 km
*Land boundaries: total: 1,297 km
:border countries: France 556 km, Germany 133 km, Luxembourg 130 km, Netherlands 478 km
:border countries: France 556 km, Germany 133 km, Luxembourg 130 km, Netherlands 478 km
*Coastline: 66.5 km
*Coastline: 66.5 km
*Maritime claims:
*Maritime claims:
:territorial sea: 12 nm
:territorial sea: 12 nm
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:exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit
:exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit
:continental shelf: median line with neighbors
:continental shelf: median line with neighbors
*Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
*Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
*Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
*Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
*Elevation extremes:
*Elevation extremes:
:lowest point: North Sea 0 m
:lowest point: North Sea 0 m
:highest point: Botrange 694 m
:highest point: Botrange 694 m
*Natural resources: construction materials, silica sand, carbonates
*Natural resources: construction materials, silica sand, carbonates
*Land use:
*Land use:
:arable land: 27.06%
:arable land: 27.06%
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:other: 72.22%
:other: 72.22%
:note: includes Luxembourg (2011)
:note: includes Luxembourg (2011)
*Irrigated land: 233.5 sq km (2007)
*Irrigated land: 233.5 sq km (2007)
*Total renewable water resources: 18.3 cu km (2011)
*Total renewable water resources: 18.3 cu km (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
:total: 6.22 cu km/yr (12%/88%/1%)
:total: 6.22 cu km/yr (12%/88%/1%)
:per capita: 589.8 cu m/yr (2007)
:per capita: 589.8 cu m/yr (2007)
*Natural hazards: flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
*Natural hazards: flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
*Environment - current issues: the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) had slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges
*Environment - current issues: the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) had slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges
*Environment - international agreements:
*Environment - international agreements:
:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
:signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
:signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
*Geography - note: crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO
*Geography - note: crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO


==People and Society of Belgium==
==People and Society of Belgium==
*Ethnic groups and languages
The population of Belgium is divided into three linguistic communities. In the north the Flemings, who constitute more than half of Belgium’s population, speak Flemish, which is equivalent to Dutch (sometimes called Netherlandic). In the south the French-speaking Walloons make up about one-third of the country’s population. About one-tenth of the people are completely bilingual, but a majority have some knowledge of both French and Flemish. The German-language region in eastern Liège province, containing a small fraction of the Belgian population, consists of several communes around Eupen and Saint-Vith (Sankt-Vith) (see Eupen-et-Malmédy). The city of Brussels comprises a number of officially bilingual communes, although the metropolitan area extends far into the surrounding Flemish and Walloon communes. The French-speaking population is by far the larger in the capital region. Bruxellois, a regionally distinct dialect influenced by both French and Flemish is also spoken by a small segment of the city’s inhabitants.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Belgium’s managerial, professional, and administrative ranks were filled almost entirely by the French-speaking segment of the population, even in Flanders. The Flemings long protested what they felt was the exclusion of the average nonbilingual Fleming from effective participation in everyday dealings concerning law, medicine, government administration, and industrial employment. The Flemings, after gradually gaining greater numerical and political strength, eventually forced reforms that established Flanders as a unilingual Flemish-speaking area, provided Flemings with access to political and economic power, and established a degree of regional autonomy. Many disputes and much rancour remain between Flemish- and French-speaking Belgians, however.
Foreign-born residents make up less than one-tenth of the population. Citizens of the EU constitute much of the foreign-born population, but there is also a large number of immigrants from other parts of the world—particularly North and Central Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia.
*Religion
The great majority of Belgians are Roman Catholic, but regular attendance at religious services is variable. Although it is marked in the Flemish region and the Ardennes, regular attendance at church has decreased in the Walloon industrial region and in Brussels. The relatively few Protestants live mostly in urban areas in Hainaut, particularly in the industrial region known as the Borinage, and in and around Brussels. Several municipalities on the north and west sides of Brussels—notably Schaerbeek—are home to many Muslim immigrants. The country’s small Jewish population is concentrated in and around Brussels and Antwerp.
*Settlement patterns
The ecological resources of the several natural regions and the consequent variations in land use have been major factors in determining patterns of rural settlement. The nature of the urban developments is derived mainly from the patterns of mining, manufacturing, commerce, and related enterprises throughout the country.
The population is sparse in the Ardennes region in the south, the Herve Plateau in the east, and the western Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse region in the southwest. The open landscape of maritime Flanders and the lower Schelde, intersected by dikes and canals, is dotted with farms and residential areas. Interior Flanders is a region of scattered habitation and market towns. However, Belgium is one of the world’s most heavily urbanized countries, and the vast majority of its inhabitants live in cities.
In the Walloon coalfields—roughly in and to the north of the Meuse valley across south-central Belgium—coal mining, glass manufacturing, iron production, zinc metallurgy, and the chemical and electrical industries in the 19th and 20th centuries gave rise to a number of large cities with widely varying characteristics. Liège (Flemish: Luik) has been the regional economic and cultural capital since the Middle Ages. Namur (Flemish: Namen), an ancient city that expanded significantly with industrialization, is the capital of the administrative region of Wallonia. Charleroi, the heart of a large urban industrial area, is a newer city dominated by commerce and industry. La Louvière, founded during the 19th-century industrial development, is a burgeoning metropolitan centre. The Borinage, an area of high population density without a central city, comes under the influence of the city of Mons (Flemish: Bergen).
In Flanders the ancient city of Antwerp (Flemish: Antwerpen; French: Anvers) and its metropolitan area, the second largest in the country, extend along the east bank of the Schelde. The city’s port, one of the largest in Europe, is formed by the base of the estuary and the concave riverbank. The existence of the port has favoured the establishment of important and diverse industries: petroleum refining, chemical and metallurgical industries, food processing, and electronics manufacturing. The city is also well known for its diamond-cutting industry.
Ghent (Flemish: Gent; French: Gand), a historic university town, is another of Belgium’s important ports. Long a centre of the textile industry, Ghent in the 20th century experienced an industrial regeneration characterized especially by steel production along the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, connecting the port to the Schelde.
A third busy port, Zeebrugge (French: Bruges-sur-mer), is connected by canal to the inland city of Brugge (French: Bruges), meaning “bridge.” Brugge is a city of medieval aspect, resplendent with cathedrals, late medieval public buildings, and ancient homes. As its name implies, the city has many bridges spanning the several canals and the canalized Reie River. Mentioned as early as the 7th century, Brugge became an important trading centre for the Hanseatic League and reached its zenith during the 15th century, when the dukes of Burgundy held court there.
Louvain (Flemish: Leuven), about 16 miles (26 km) east of Brussels, is the site of the Catholic University of Louvain (founded 1425), the first university to be established in the Low Countries. The institution was damaged severely during both world wars, but it was rebuilt, and many countries, the United States in particular, helped it to restock its libraries.
Belgium’s largest city, Brussels (Flemish: Brussel; French: Bruxelles), the capital of both the country and the administrative region of Flanders, has suburbs that spread into Walloon Brabant and Flemish Brabant. It is the centre of commerce, industry, and intellectual life in Belgium. It is also a city of international importance. The headquarters of the EU and NATO are located in Brussels, infusing the city with a very multicultural and cosmopolitan air. It is home to embassies and consulates of most of the world’s countries, offices housing delegations from most of Europe’s major substate regions (e.g., Catalonia and Bavaria), and more than 1,000 nongovernmental organizations associated with the United Nations. Many of the inhabitants of Brussels distance themselves from the debates between Flemish and French speakers and see themselves as living in a distinct cultural region.
*Demographic trends
The annual growth rate of the Belgian population is very low; overall birth rates and immigration exceed death rates and emigration only slightly. Population growth rates, which were markedly higher in Flanders than in Wallonia prior to the 1980s, became nearly equivalent by the end of the 20th century. There was considerable rural-to-urban migration throughout the 20th century. The institution of policies that made Wallonia and Flanders officially unilingual regions greatly reduced migration between those two regions, but there is considerable migration within language regions. The emigration rate is low. Most of those who emigrate go to other EU countries or to the United States.
Since World War II the foreign-born population has increased at a rate higher than that of Belgian nationals, owing to continued immigration and a higher birth rate among immigrants. The largest concentrations of foreigners are found in the cities of the Walloon mining and industrial areas, in Brussels, and in Antwerp. Foreign workers are largely of Mediterranean origin (mostly Italian, Middle Eastern, and North African). A modest number of these guest workers return to their countries of origin each year.


*Nationality:
*Nationality:
:noun: Belgian(s)
:noun: Belgian(s)
:adjective: Belgian
:adjective: Belgian
*Ethnic groups: Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
*Ethnic groups: Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
*Languages: Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
*Languages: Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
*Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%
*Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%
*Population: 10,449,361 (July 2014 est.)
*Population: 10,449,361 (July 2014 est.)
:country comparison to the world: 84
:country comparison to the world: 84
*Age structure:
*Age structure:
:0-14 years: 15.6% (male 830,980/female 797,624)
:0-14 years: 15.6% (male 830,980/female 797,624)
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:55-64 years: 13.3% (male 690,395/female 704,284)
:55-64 years: 13.3% (male 690,395/female 704,284)
:65 years and over: 19% (male 836,685/female 1,147,922) (2014 est.)
:65 years and over: 19% (male 836,685/female 1,147,922) (2014 est.)
*population pyramid:   
*population pyramid:   
:Dependency ratios:
:Dependency ratios:
Line 93: Line 162:
:elderly dependency ratio: 28.4 %
:elderly dependency ratio: 28.4 %
:potential support ratio: 3.5 (2014 est.)
:potential support ratio: 3.5 (2014 est.)
*Median age:
*Median age:
:total: 43.1 years
:total: 43.1 years
:male: 41.7 years
:male: 41.7 years
:female: 44.4 years (2014 est.)
:female: 44.4 years (2014 est.)
*Population growth rate: 0.05% (2014 est.)
*Population growth rate: 0.05% (2014 est.)
:country comparison to the world: 188
:country comparison to the world: 188
*Birth rate: 9.99 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
*Birth rate: 9.99 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
:country comparison to the world: 193
:country comparison to the world: 193
*Death rate: 10.76 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
*Death rate: 10.76 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
:country comparison to the world: 38
:country comparison to the world: 38
*Net migration rate: 1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
*Net migration rate: 1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
:country comparison to the world: 57
:country comparison to the world: 57
*Urbanization:
*Urbanization:
:urban population: 97.5% of total population (2011)
:urban population: 97.5% of total population (2011)
:rate of urbanization: 0.32% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
:rate of urbanization: 0.32% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
*Major urban areas - population: BRUSSELS (capital) 1.949 million; Antwerp 959,000 (2011)
*Major urban areas - population: BRUSSELS (capital) 1.949 million; Antwerp 959,000 (2011)
*Sex ratio:
*Sex ratio:
:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Line 125: Line 186:
:65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
:65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
:total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
:total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
*Mother's mean age at first birth: 28 (2010 est.)
*Mother's mean age at first birth: 28 (2010 est.)
*Maternal mortality rate: 8 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
*Maternal mortality rate: 8 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
:country comparison to the world: 156
:country comparison to the world: 156
*Infant mortality rate: total: 4.18 deaths/1,000 live births
*Infant mortality rate: total: 4.18 deaths/1,000 live births
:country comparison to the world: 194
:country comparison to the world: 194
:male: 4.67 deaths/1,000 live births
:male: 4.67 deaths/1,000 live births
:female: 3.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
:female: 3.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
*Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.92 years
*Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.92 years
:country comparison to the world: 37
:country comparison to the world: 37
:male: 76.76 years
:male: 76.76 years
:female: 83.22 years (2014 est.)
:female: 83.22 years (2014 est.)
*Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2014 est.)
*Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2014 est.)
:country comparison to the world: 176
:country comparison to the world: 176
*Contraceptive prevalence rate: 70.4%
*Contraceptive prevalence rate: 70.4%
:note: percent of women aged 18-49 (2010)
:note: percent of women aged 18-49 (2010)
*Health expenditures: 10.6% of GDP (2011)
*Health expenditures: 10.6% of GDP (2011)
:country comparison to the world: 20
:country comparison to the world: 20
*Physicians density: 3.78 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
*Physicians density: 3.78 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
*Hospital bed density: 6.5 beds/1,000 population (2011)
*Hospital bed density: 6.5 beds/1,000 population (2011)
*Drinking water source:
*Drinking water source:
improved:  
improved:  
Line 163: Line 214:
:rural: 0% of population
:rural: 0% of population
:total: 0% of population (2012 est.)
:total: 0% of population (2012 est.)
*Sanitation facility access:
*Sanitation facility access:
improved:  
improved:  
Line 173: Line 223:
:rural: 0% of population
:rural: 0% of population
:total: 0% of population (2012 est.)
:total: 0% of population (2012 est.)
*HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2009 est.)
*HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2009 est.)
:country comparison to the world: 108
:country comparison to the world: 108
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:country comparison to the world: 94
:country comparison to the world: 94
*HIV/AIDS - deaths: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
*HIV/AIDS - deaths: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
*country comparison to the world: 125
*country comparison to the world: 125
*Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 22.1% (2008)
*Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 22.1% (2008)
:country comparison to the world: 83
:country comparison to the world: 83
*Education expenditures: 6.6% of GDP (2010)
*Education expenditures: 6.6% of GDP (2010)
:country comparison to the world: 30
:country comparison to the world: 30
*Literacy:  
*Literacy:  
:definition: age 15 and over can read and write
:definition: age 15 and over can read and write
:total population: 99%
:total population: 99%
:male: 99%
:male: 99
:female: 99% (2003 est.)
:female: 99% (2003 est.)
*School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
*School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
:total: 16 years
:total: 16 years
:male: 16 years
:male: 16 years
:female: 17 years (2011)
:female: 17 years (2011)
*Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
*Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
:total: 19.8%
:total: 19.8%
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