Interesting facts about Belgium in 2024
- Belgium has 3 official languages. Majority people speak Flemish, which is a local dialect of Dutch, then French is the 2nd most popular, finally very small percent of Belgians (1%) speak German;
- Tax levels in Belgium are among the highest in the world, and the highest rate out of 30 OECD countries, with about 40% of gross earnings given up in tax for a single-income family;
- The country that grants the most new citizenships per capita in the world after Canada;
- World’s 3rd country with the most vehicles per square kilometres. It has the highest density of roads and railroads in the world;
- Belgium became the world’s first country to ban cluster bombs, and second to ban forced marriages in 2006;
- The world’s main diamond center and second largest petrochemical center is in Belgium. Almost 90% of raw diamonds in the world are negotiated, polished, and distributed in Antwerp, Belgium;
- Belgium produces 220,000 tonnes of chocolate per year. This amounts to 22kg of chocolate per inhabitant annually;
- One of the rare countries with compulsory education up to 18 years old (highest in the world);
- Europe’s tallest man is Belgian (Alain Delaunois, 2m30);
- Brussels is the capital of Belgium, and also the capital of European Union (EU) and houses the headquarter of NATO. That’s why Brussels is called the “Heart of Europe”.