Belgium vs Ethiopia
Belgium vs Ethiopia: GDP growth
GDP growth: 1% a year in Belgium in 2025 and 8.1% a year in Ethiopia in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Ethiopia, by 7 percentage points, or 7.33 times that in Belgium.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Ethiopia has been higher since 2004, when it overtook Belgium.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Belgium at 1.3% a year and Ethiopia at 7.7% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Belgium | Ethiopia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 9.2 |
| 2024 | 1.1 | 8.1 |
| 2023 | 1.6 | 7.2 |
| 2022 | 4 | 6.4 |
| 2021 | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| 2020 | -4.8 | 6.1 |
| 2019 | 2.4 | 9 |
| 2018 | 1.9 | 7.7 |
| 2017 | 1.5 | 10.2 |
| 2016 | 1.2 | 8 |
| 2015 | 1.5 | 10.4 |
| 2014 | 1.8 | 10.3 |
| 2013 | 0.3 | 9.9 |
| 2012 | 0.2 | 8.7 |
| 2011 | 1.9 | 11.4 |
| 2010 | 2.7 | 10.6 |
| 2009 | -1.9 | 10 |
| 2008 | 0.4 | 11.2 |
| 2007 | 3.7 | 11.8 |
| 2006 | 2.6 | 11.5 |
| 2005 | 2.3 | 12.6 |
| 2004 | 3.6 | 11.7 |
| 2003 | 1 | -2.1 |
| 2002 | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| 2001 | 1.1 | 7.4 |
| 2000 | 3.7 | 9.8 |
| 1999 | 3.5 | 6.3 |
| 1998 | 2 | -4.2 |
| 1997 | 3.8 | 2.8 |
| 1996 | 1.3 | 13.5 |
| 1995 | 2.4 | 6.1 |
| 1994 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| 1993 | -1 | 13.4 |
| 1992 | 1.5 | -8.9 |
| 1991 | 1.8 | -7.2 |
| 1990 | 3.1 | 2.6 |
| 1989 | 3.5 | -0.5 |
| 1988 | 4.7 | 0.6 |
| 1987 | 2.3 | 13.9 |
| 1986 | 1.8 | 9.7 |
| 1985 | 1.7 | -11.4 |
| 1984 | 2.5 | -2.3 |
| 1983 | 0.3 | 7.8 |
| 1982 | 0.6 | 1 |
| 1981 | -0.3 | – |
| 1980 | 4.4 | 4 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Belgium | Ethiopia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.7 | 9.2 |
| 2027 | 1.1 | 7.8 |
| 2028 | 1.2 | 8.2 |
| 2029 | 1.3 | 8.2 |
| 2030 | 1.3 | 8 |
| 2031 | 1.3 | 7.7 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Belgium vs Ethiopia
Health
- Life expectancyBelgium: 82.1 years in 2023Ethiopia: 67.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBelgium: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024Ethiopia: 4.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBelgium: 3.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023Ethiopia: 33 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterBelgium: 99.7% in 2022Ethiopia: 13.2% in 2022
- DepressionBelgium: 4.11% in 2017Ethiopia: 3.82% in 2017
- Suicide rateBelgium: 14.3 per 100,000 people in 2017Ethiopia: 9.6 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBelgium: 11.7 million people in 2023Ethiopia: 129 million people in 2023
- Population growthBelgium: 0.25% a year in 2023Ethiopia: 2.59% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBelgium: 1.38 births per woman in 2023Ethiopia: 3.99 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBelgium: 87.7% in 2025Ethiopia: 24.1% in 2025
- Median ageBelgium: 41.4 years in 2023Ethiopia: 18.7 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBelgium: 20.2% in 2023Ethiopia: 3.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateBelgium: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Ethiopia: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBelgium: 2.01% of GDP in 2025Ethiopia: 0.49% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBelgium: $13.6B in 2025Ethiopia: $785M in 2025
- Military spending per personBelgium: $1,237 in 2025Ethiopia: $4 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBelgium: 3.7% of government spending in 2025Ethiopia: 4.1% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBelgium: 24,000 people in 2020Ethiopia: 138,000 people in 2020
- National powerBelgium: 0.22% of world capability in 2022Ethiopia: 0.85% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBelgium: 0.47% of the labour force in 2020Ethiopia: 0.28% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBelgium: 430 million TIV in 2025Ethiopia: 63 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsBelgium: 86 million TIV in 2025Ethiopia: 17 million TIV in 1997