Background: 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. In recent years, political divisions between the Dutch-speaking Flemish of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. The capital city of Brussels is home to numerous international organizations, including the EU and NATO.

Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 30,528 km²
Land: 30,278 km²
Water: 250 km²
Comparative: about the size of Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 1,297 km
Border countries: (4) France 556 km; Germany 133 km; Luxembourg 130 km; Netherlands 478 km

Coastline: 66.5 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit
Continental shelf: median line with neighbors

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

Elevation
Highest point: Botrange 694 m
Lowest point: North Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 181 m

Natural resources: construction materials, silica sand, carbonates, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 44.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 27.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 16.1% (2018 est.)
Forest: 22.4% (2018 est.)
Other: 33.5% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 57 km² (2013)

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Seine (78,919 km²), Rhine-Maas (198,735 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 740 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 3.47 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 18.3 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes

Geography
Note: crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals are within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the EU and NATO

Population
Distribution: most of the population concentrated in the northern two-thirds of the country; the southeast is more thinly populated; considered to have one of the highest population densities in the world; approximately 97% live in urban areas: 11,913,633 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.55% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 14.8% (2018 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Belgian(s)
Adjective: Belgian

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

Languages: Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%
Major-language samples:

Religions: 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.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.03% (male 1,038,921/female 990,288)
15-64 years: 63.06% (male 3,788,406/female 3,724,202)
65 years and over: 19.91% (2023 est.) (male 1,049,402/female 1,322,414)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 56.5
Youth dependency ratio: 26.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 30.4
Potential support ratio: 3.3 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 41.9 years (2023 est.)
Male: 40.7 years
Female: 43 years

Population growth rate: 0.55% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 10.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: most of the population concentrated in the northern two-thirds of the country; the southeast is more thinly populated; considered to have one of the highest population densities in the world; approximately 97% live in urban areas

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

Major urban areas
Population: 2.122 million BRUSSELS (capital), 1.057 million Antwerp (2023)

Environment
Current issues: 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
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 11.26 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 96.89 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 7.78 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 29.2 years (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 3.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 79.5 years
Female: 84.8 years

Total fertility rate: 1.77 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 66.7% (2018)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 11.1% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 6.08 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 5.6 beds/1,000 population (2019)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 22.1% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 9.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 4.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 3.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 1.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 23.4% (2020 est.)
Male: 25.8% (2020 est.)
Female: 21% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1% (2014/15)

Education expenditures: 6.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 19 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 20 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 19.6% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 18.9%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 20.4%

Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
Conventional short form: Belgium
Local long form: Royaume de Belgique (French)/Koninkrijk Belgie (Dutch)/Koenigreich Belgien (German)
Local short form: Belgique/Belgie/Belgien
Etymology: the name derives from the Belgae, an ancient Celtic tribal confederation that inhabited an area between the English Channel and the west bank of the Rhine in the first centuries B.C.

Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Brussels
Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 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: may derive from the Old Dutch bruoc/broek, meaning "marsh" and sella/zele/sel signifying "home" to express the meaning "home in the marsh"

Administrative divisions: 3 regions (French: regions, singular - region; Dutch: gewesten, singular - gewest); Brussels-Capital Region, also known as Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (Dutch), Region de Bruxelles-Capitale (French long form), Bruxelles-Capitale (French short form); Flemish Region (Flanders), also known as Vlaams Gewest (Dutch long form), Vlaanderen (Dutch short form), Region Flamande (French long form), Flandre (French short form); Walloon Region (Wallonia), also known as Region Wallone (French long form), Wallonie (French short form), Waals Gewest (Dutch long form), Wallonie (Dutch short form)
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; the 2012 sixth state reform transferred additional competencies from the federal state to the regions and linguistic communities

Independence: 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)

National holiday: Belgian National Day (ascension to the throne of King LEOPOLD I), 21 July (1831)

Constitution
History: drafted 25 November 1830, approved 7 February 1831, entered into force 26 July 1831, revised 14 July 1993 (creating a federal state)
Amendments: "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; amended many times, last in 2019

Legal system: civil law system based on the French Civil Code; note - Belgian law continues to be modified in conformance with the legislative norms mandated by the European Union; judicial review of legislative acts

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Belgium
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: King PHILIPPE (since 21 July 2013); Heir Apparent Princess ELISABETH (daughter of the monarch, born 25 October 2001)
Head of government: Prime Minister Alexander DE CROO (since 1 October 2020); Deputy Prime Ministers Vincent Van QUICKENBORNE (since 1 October 2020), Vincent VAN PETEGHEM (since 1 October 2020), Frank VANDENBROUCKE (since 1 October 2020), Pierre-Yves DERMAGNE (since 1 October 2020), Petra DE SUTTER (since 1 October 2020), Georges GILKINET (since 1 October 2020), David CLARINVAL (since 15 July 2022)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and approved by Parliament

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:
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 reality leaves six governments, each with its own legislative assembly; changes above occurred since the sixth state reform

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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

Political parties and leaders:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-Arthur REGIBEAU (since 17 September 2020)
In the us chancery: 1430 K Street NW, Washington DC 20,005
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 333-6,900
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 338-4,960
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael ADLER (since 15 March 2022)
From the us embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent [Regentlaan], B-1000 Brussels
From the us mailing address: 7,600 Brussels Place, Washington DC 20,521-7,600
From the us telephone: [32] (2) 811-4,000
From the us FAX: [32] (2) 811-4,500
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the vertical design was based on the flag of France; the colors are those of the arms of the duchy of Brabant (yellow lion with red claws and tongue on a black field)

National symbols: golden rampant lion; national colors: red, black, yellow

National anthem
Name: "La Brabanconne" (The Song of Brabant)
Lyrics/music: Louis-Alexandre DECHET [French] and Victor CEULEMANS [Dutch]/Francois VAN CAMPENHOUT
Note: adopted 1830; according to legend, Louis-Alexandre DECHET, an actor at the theater in which the revolution against the Netherlands began, wrote the lyrics with a group of young people in a Brussels cafe

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 15 (14 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Economy overview: high income economy with strong but moderate growth; high public debt; aging labor force; low labor force participation of low-skilled, migrant, and older workers; strong welfare system; high congestion; complex business permitting and judicial systems

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 51.2% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 23.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.3% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 85.1% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -84.4% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 22.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 77.2% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: sugar beets, milk, potatoes, wheat, pork, lettuce, poultry, maize, barley, pears

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

Industrial production growth rate: 1.28% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 5.24 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 19.6% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 18.9%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 20.4%

Population below poverty line: 14.8% (2018 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 27.2 (2019 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 3.4%
Highest 10%: 28.4% (2006)

Budget
Revenues: $267.105 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $277.492 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 21.97% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:
Note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions; general government debt is defined by the Maastricht definition and calculated by the National Bank of Belgium as consolidated gross debt; the debt is defined in European Regulation EC479/2009 concerning the implementation of the protocol on the excessive deficit procedure annexed to the Treaty on European Union (Treaty of Maastricht) of 7 February 1992; the sub-sectors of consolidated gross debt are: federal government, communities and regions, local government, and social security funds

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.02% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: Germany 17%, France 14%, Netherlands 13%, United Kingdom 8%, United States 6%, Italy 5% (2019)
Commodities: vaccines and cultures, cars, packaged medicines, refined petroleum, diamonds, natural gas (2021)
Commodities note: Belgian amphetamine production and MDMA (ecstasy) production remain significant illicit trade commodities

Imports:
Partners: Netherlands 16%, Germany 13%, France 10%, United States 8%, Ireland 5%, China 5% (2019)
Commodities: cars, refined petroleum, packaged medicines, medical cultures/vaccines, diamonds, natural gas (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 26.929 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 81,171,300,000 kWh (2020 est.)
Exports: 14.053 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 13.394 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.444 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 33.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 38.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 5.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 15% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 7.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 1.105 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 4.167 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 504,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 3.467 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 11,400 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 642,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 666,700 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 731,700 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports: 680,800 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports: 601,400 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 18.17 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 3.943 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Imports: 22.61 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 128.247 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 10.301 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 83.474 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 34.472 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 234.216 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2,952,930 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 28 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 11,740,118 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 101 (2021 est.)

Broadcast media: a segmented market with the three major communities (Flemish, French, and German speaking) each having responsibility for their own broadcast media; multiple TV channels exist for each community; additionally, in excess of 90% of households are connected to cable and can access broadcasts of TV stations from neighboring countries; each community has a public radio network coexisting with private broadcasters

Internet
Country code: .be
Users total: 10.92 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 91% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 4,734,210 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Belgian Armed Forces (Defensie or  La Défense): Land Component, Marine (Naval) Component, Air Component, Medical Component (2023)
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; the force reports to the ministers of interior and justice

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished in 1995 (2023)
Note 1: in 2023, women comprised nearly 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

Space program
Overview: founding member of the European Space Agency (ESA), which acts as the de facto Belgian space agency as most programs are carried out under the ESA or bi-laterally with its member states; builds satellites, particularly research/science/technology and remote sensing (RS) platforms; also researches, develops, and produces a wide variety of other space technologies, including telecommunications, optics, robotics, scientific instruments, and space launch vehicle (SLV) components; supports the ESA’s SLV program with economic assistance (6% of the funding for the Ariane-5 SLV, for example), as well as legal, scientific, and technological expertise; hosts the European Space Security and Education Center (established 1968); participates in international astronomy efforts, particularly through the European Southern Observatory (ESO); participates in multiple ESA and EU space-related programs and research efforts; in addition to the ESA and EU, has cooperated with a variety foreign space agencies and commercial entities, including those of Argentina, China, India, Russia, South Africa, UAE, Vietnam, and the US (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: 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 terrorist organizations

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 7 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 117
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 13,639,487 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,285,340,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: OO

Airports: 41 (2021)
With paved runways: 26
With paved runways civil airports: 5
With paved runways military airports: 5
With paved runways joint use (civil-military) airports: 2
With paved runways other airports: 14
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 15
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 1 (2021)

Pipelines: 3,139 km gas, 154 km oil, 535 km refined products (2013)

Railways
Total: 3,602 km (2020) 3,160 km electrified

Roadways
Total: 118,414 km (2015)
Paved: 118,414 km (2015) (includes 1,747 km of expressways)
Unpaved: (2010)

Waterways: 2,043 km (2012) (1,528 km in regular commercial use)

Merchant marine
Total: 199 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 18, container ship 3, general cargo 15, oil tanker 23, other 140

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Oostende, Zeebrugge
Container ports teus: Antwerp (12,020,000) (2021)
Lng terminals import: Zeebrugge
River ports:

Disputes international: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 20,086 (Syria), 7,049 (Afghanistan), 5,769 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 73,095 (Ukraine) (as of 22 August 2023)
Stateless persons: 1,190 (2022)

Illicit drugs: a transit point for precursor chemicals from China and India destined for clandestine synthetic drug laboratories in the Netherlands and to some labs in Belgium; a primary entry point for cocaine into Europe; one of the top methamphetamine producers in Europe;  a major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics