Belgium

federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy

name: Brussels geographic coordinates: 50 84 N, 4 35 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: the name is of Germanic origin, from broca (marsh) and sali (room or building)

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; following legislative elections, the monarch usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister, which the legislature approves

legislature name: Federal Parliament (Parlement fédéral - Federaal Parlement - Föderales Parlament) legislative structure: bicameral note: the 1993 constitutional revision that further devolved Belgium into a federal state created three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this results in six governments, each with its own legislative assembly

highest court(s): Constitutional Court or Grondwettelijk Hof (in Dutch) and Cour Constitutionelle (in French) (consists of 12 judges - 6 Dutch-speaking and 6 French-speaking); Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) and Cour de Cassation (in French) (court organized into 3 chambers: civil and commercial; criminal; social, fiscal, and armed forces; each chamber includes a Dutch division and a French division, each with a chairperson and 5-6 judges) judge selection and term of office: Constitutional Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates submitted by Parliament; judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 70; Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates submitted by the High Council of Justice, a 44-member independent body of judicial and non-judicial members; judges appointed for life subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; regional courts; specialized courts for administrative, commercial, labor, immigration, and audit issues; magistrate's courts; justices of the peace

history: drafted 25 November 1830, approved 7 February 1831, entered into force 26 July 1831, revised 14 July 1993 (creating a federal state) amendment process: "revisions" proposed as declarations by the federal government in accord with the king or by Parliament followed by dissolution of Parliament and new elections; adoption requires two-thirds majority vote of a two-thirds quorum in both houses of the next elected Parliament

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

2% of GDP (2025 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.1% of GDP (2021 est.)

Belgian Armed Forces (Defensie or La D fense): Land Component, Marine (Naval) Component, Air Component, Medical Component, Cyber Command (2025) note: the Belgian Federal Police is the national police force and responsible for internal security and nationwide law and order, including migration and border enforcement

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; maximum age varies by position; conscription abolished in 1995 (2025) note 1: in 2024, women comprised about 11% of the military's full-time personnel note 2: foreign nationals 18-34 years of age who speak Dutch or French and are citizens of EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland may apply to join the military

the Belgian military's responsibilities include territorial defense, humanitarian/disaster relief, assistance to the police if required, international peacekeeping missions, and support to its NATO and EU security commitments, which Belgium considers vital components of its national security policy; outside of the country, the military operates almost always within an international organization or a coalition; Belgium was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) establishing NATO in 1949; it hosts the NATO headquarters in Brussels; Belgium also cooperates bilaterally with neighboring countries, such as Luxembourg and the Netherlands, in conducting joint patrols of their respective air spaces and in a composite combined special operations command with Denmark and the Netherlands (2025)

has on average about 1,000 personnel deployed on foreign missions, including more than 300 ground forces deployed in Eastern Europe for the defense of NATO's eastern flank (2025)

$749.229 billion (2024 est.) $741.672 billion (2023 est.) $732.865 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$63,100 (2024 est.) $62,900 (2023 est.) $62,700 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

1% (2024 est.) 1.2% (2023 est.) 4.3% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

3.1% (2024 est.) 4% (2023 est.) 9.6% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

92.5% of GDP (2022 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$525.458 billion (2024 est.) $542.508 billion (2023 est.) $565.233 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$531.029 billion (2024 est.) $546.426 billion (2023 est.) $573.192 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

5.5% (2024 est.) 5.6% (2023 est.) 5.6% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $220.657 billion (2022 est.) expenditures: $235.767 billion (2022 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, base metals, textiles, glass, petroleum

sugar beets, milk, potatoes, wheat, pork, lettuce, maize, chicken, barley, pears (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 11,960,170 (2025 est.) male: 5,907,498 female: 6,052,672

0.45% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 16.9% (male 1,038,578/female 990,215) 15-64 years: 62.8% (male 3,796,844/female 3,730,784) 65 years and over: 20.2% (2024 est.) (male 1,073,635/female 1,347,578)

9.09 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.55 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

4.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 82.3 years (2024 est.) male: 79.7 years female: 85 years

urban population: 98.2% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Belgian 75.2%, Italian 4.1%, Moroccan 3.7%, French 2.4%, Turkish 2%, Dutch 2%, other 10.6% (2012 est.)

Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1% major-language sample(s): Het Wereld Feitenboek, een onmisbare bron van informatie. (Dutch) The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 2.3%, other Christian, 2.8%, Muslim 6.8%, other 1.7%, atheist 9.1%, nonbeliever/agnostic 20.2% (2018 est.)

construction materials, silica sand, carbonates, arable land

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

USG identification: major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

refugees: 236,689 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 849 (2024 est.)

48 (2025)

total: 3,602 km (2020) 3,160 km electrified

total: 198 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 17, container ship 2, general cargo 16, oil tanker 21, other 142

total subscriptions: 12.2 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 104 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 95% (2023 est.)