Belgium vs Estonia development indicators, 2024

Demography and Health

Belgium has a birth rate of 9.4 per 1,000 people compared to Estonia's 8, placing Belgium at a rank of 32 and Estonia at 64. The death rate in Belgium stands at 9.4 per 1,000 people, significantly lower than Estonia's 11.7, highlighting a better health status in Belgium (rank 64 vs. Estonia's 35). Life expectancy in Belgium is higher at 82.4 years compared to Estonia's 78.5 years (Belgium rank 18, Estonia rank 55). Belgium also has a lower under-5 mortality rate at 3.6 per 1,000 live births compared to Estonia's 2.1 (rank 38 vs. 81). The prevalence of undernourishment is the same for both countries at 2.5%, indicating a good level of food security.

Economy

Belgium's GDP per capita is significantly higher at $55,955, compared to Estonia's $31,170, with respective ranks of 21 and 59. When looking at GDP per capita in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), Belgium again takes the lead at $72,126 against Estonia's $49,334 (rank 16 vs. 66). However, Belgium's economy exhibits some negative aspects with net foreign direct investment inflows at -5.4% of GDP, worse than Estonia's -8.2%. The inflation rate is relatively stable in both countries, with Belgium at 3.1% and Estonia at 3.5%. The high-technology exports reveal a stark contrast where Belgium boasts $50.6 billion compared to Estonia's mere $2.1 billion, ranking them 16 and 69 respectively.

Trade and Investment

Both countries exhibit a high level of integration into the global economy with Belgium's exports of goods and services standing at 79.2% of GDP, slightly higher than Estonia's 76.3% (rank 39 vs. 43). Likewise, Belgium's imports also reflect similar figures, at 79.2% of GDP, while Estonia's constitute 75.7%. The current account balance is relatively stagnant for both countries, with Belgium at -0.9% and Estonia at -1.1% of GDP. These figures indicate a dependency on external trade but also suggest a robust trading structure in both nations.

Governance and Institutions

In terms of governance, Estonia shows a stronger performance in control of corruption with a score of 1.5 compared to Belgium's 1.3 (rank 23 vs. 27). Government effectiveness also favors Estonia at 1.3 against Belgium's 1 (rank 26 vs. 40). The rule of law, while close, also sees Estonia slightly ahead with a score of 1.4 compared to Belgium's 1.3 (rank 25 vs. 29). Interestingly, Belgium's military expenditure is notably higher at $7.6 billion versus Estonia's $1.2 billion (rank 25 vs. 63). This demonstrates Belgium's larger investment in defense compared to Estonia's more limited military spend.

Infrastructure and Technology

Belgium excels in logistics performance with a quality index of 4.1, ranking 5th globally, whereas Estonia stands at 3.5 in 16th place. The number of internet users is also high in both nations, with Belgium at 94.6% of the population and Estonia at 93.2% (rank 19 vs. 26). Patent applications indicate Belgium's strength in innovation, with 799 applications compared to merely 25 in Estonia (rank 11 vs. 25). This data suggests Belgium has a more robust technological infrastructure and innovation ecosystem, which is crucial for sustainable economic growth.

Environment and Sustainability

On environmental fronts, Belgium's renewable energy consumption is at 11.7% of total final energy, significantly lower than Estonia's 38% (rank 26 vs. 5). This indicates Estonia's stronger commitment to sustainable energy sources. Regarding water stress, Belgium experiences 51.9% of freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available resources, contrasting with Estonia's more sustainable level of 10.8% (rank 2 vs. 16). Additionally, total greenhouse gas emissions per capita in Belgium are at 9 tons compared to Estonia's 10.5 tons (rank 25 vs. 14), highlighting Belgium's marginally better performance in emission control.