Statistical information Belgium 1998

Belgium in the World
top of pageBackground: Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. In the half century following, it has prospered as a small, modern, technologically advanced European state and member of the European Union. Its unique political circumstance is the long-standing differences between the wealthier Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the poorer French-speaking Walloons of the south, differences that are becoming increasingly acute.
top of pageLocation: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 00 E
Map reference:
EuropeAreaTotal: 30,510 km²
Land: 30,230 km²
Water: 280 km²
Comparative: about the size of Maryland
Land boundariesTotal: 1,385 km
Border countries: (4) France 620 km;
, Germany 167 km;
, Luxembourg 148 km;
, Netherlands 450 kmCoastline: 64 km
Maritime claimsClimateTerrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
ElevationExtremes lowest point: North Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m
Natural resources: coal, natural gas
Land useArable land: 24%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 20%
Forests and woodland: 21%
Other: 34%
Irrigated land: 10 km² including Luxembourg (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
GeographyNote: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of both the EU and NATO
top of pagePopulation: 10,174,922 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 0.09% (1998 est.)
NationalityNoun: Belgian(s)
Adjective: Belgian
Ethnic groups: Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%
Languages: Flemish 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11%
Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 17% (male 903,954; female 860,940)
15-64 years: 66% (male 3,387,329; female 3,318,221)
65 years and over: 17% (male 693,519; female 1,010,959) (July 1998 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 0.09% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 10.21 births/1000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 10.41 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.05 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: Meuse River, a major source of drinking water, polluted from steel production wastes; other rivers polluted by animal wastes and fertilizers; industrial air pollution contributes to acid rain in neighboring countries
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Law of the Sea
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 6.27 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 77.35 years
Male: 74.13 years
Female: 80.74 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99% (1980 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
Conventional short form: Belgium
Local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie
Local short form: Belgique/Belgie
Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch
Capital: Brussels
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (French:provinces, singular_province; Flemish:provincien, singular_provincie); Antwerpen, Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen
Note: constitutional reforms passed by Parliament in 1993 theoretically increased the number of provinces to 10 by splitting the province of Brabant into two new provinces, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant, but this has not been confirmed by the US Government
Dependent areasIndependence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King LEOPOLD to the throne in 1831)
Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state
Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branchChief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the king: ead of
Government: Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March 1992)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the king and approved by Parliament
Elections: none; the king is a constitutional monarch; prime minister appointed by the king and then approved by Parliament
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Flemish, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected, 31 will be indirectly elected at a later date; members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Flemish, Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
Elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies_last held 21 May 1995 (next to be held by the end of 1999)
Election results: Senate_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_CVP 7, SP 6, VLD 6, VU 2, AGALEV 1, VB 3, PS 5, PRL 5, PSC 3, ECOLO 2; note_before the 1995 elections, there were 184 seats; Chamber of Deputies_percent of vote by party_CVP 17.2%, PS 11.9%, SP 12.6%, VLD 13.1%, PRL 10.3%, PSC 7.7%, VB 7.8%, VU 4.7%, ECOLO 4.0%, AGALEV 4.4%, FN 2.3%; seats by party_CVP 29, PS 21, SP 20, VLD 21, PRL 18, PSC 12, VB 11, VU 5, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, FN 2; note_before the 1995 elections, there were 212 seats
Note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments each with its own legislative assembly; for other acronyms of the listed parties see Political parties and leaders
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie in Flemish, Cour de Cassation in French, judges are appointed for life by the Belgian monarch
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Andre ADAM
In the us chancery: 3,330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 333-6,900
In the us fax: [1] (202) 333-3,079
In the us consulates general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Alan J. BLINKEN
From the us embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels
From the us mailing address: APO AE 9,724, PSC 82, Box 002, Brussels
From the us telephone: [32] (2) 508-2,111
From the us fax: [32] (2) 511-2,725
Flag description
: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: This highly developed private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north, although the government is encouraging reinvestment in the southern region of Walloon. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Two-thirds of its trade is with other EU countries. The economy grew at a strong 4% annual pace during the period 1988-90, slowed to 1% in 1991-92, dropped by 1.5% in 1993, recovered with moderate 2.3% growth in 1994 and 1995, and fell off again to 1.4% in 1996, with continued substantial unemployment. Belgium's public debt fell from 127% of GDP in 1996 to 124% in 1997, and the government is trying to control its expenditures to bring the figure more into line with other industrialized countries. GDP growth of 2.5% is forecast for 1998.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 2.3% (1997 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $23,200 (1997 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 2%
Industry: 28%
Services: 70% (1994)
Agriculture products: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk
Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal
Industrial production growth rate: 9.7% (1995)
Labor forceTotal: 4.283 million (1997)
By occupation services: 69.7%
By occupation industry: 27.7%
By occupation agriculture: 2.6% (1992)
Unemployment rate: 12.75% (1997)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $N/A
Expenditures: $N/A, including capital expenditures of $N/A
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: total value:$172 billion (f.o.b., 1997) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU)
Commodoties: iron and steel, transportation equipment, tractors, diamonds, petroleum products
Partners: EU 67.2% (Germany 19%), US 5.8%, former Communist countries 1.4% (1994)
Imports: total value:$158.5 billion (c.i.f., 1997) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union
Commodoties: fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs
Partners: EU 75% (Germany 22.1%), US 5%, former Communist countries 0.8% (1997)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $31.3 billion (1992 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1_37.459 (January 1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996), 29.480 (1995), 33.456 (1994), 34.597 (1993)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 13.592 million kW (1995)
Production: 69.56 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 7,306 kWh (1995 est.)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 5.691 million (1992 est.)
Telephone system: highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities
Domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network
International: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations_2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $4.6 billion (1995)
Percent of gdp: 1.7% (1995)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 42 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 24
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 9
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 6 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 18
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 15 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1997 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural gas 3,300 km
RailwaysTotal: 3,368 km (2,386 km electrified; 2,563 km double track)
Standard gauge: 3,368 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)
RoadwaysWaterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Merchant marineTotal: 25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 60,082 GRT/93,973 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 10 (1997 est.)
Ports and terminalsBelgium - Transnational issues 1998
top of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe