STATISTICS: BELGIUM

Belgium Official name: Koninkrijk Belgi (Dutch); Royaume de Belgique (French) (Kingdom of Belgium). Form of government: federal constitutional monarchy with a Parliament composed of two legislative chambers (Senate ; House of Representatives ). Chief of state: Monarch. Head of government: Prime Minister. Capital: Brussels. Official languages: Dutch; French; German. Official religion: none. Monetary unit: 1 Belgian franc (BF) = 100 centimes; valuation (Sept. 25, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = BF 34.47; 1 = BF 58.69. Demography Population (1998): 10,208,000. Density (1997): persons per sq mi 866.0, persons per sq km 334.4. Urban-rural (1996{2}): urban 96.8%; rural 3.2%. Sex distribution (1996{2}): male 49.02%; female 50.98%. Age breakdown (1994{3}): under 15, 18.1%; 15-29, 20.7%; 30-44, 22.7%; 45-59, 17.3%; 60-74, 15.1%; 75 and over, 6.1%. Population projection: (2000) 10,260,000; (2010) 10,149,000. Doubling time: not applicable; doubling time exceeds 100 years. Nationality (1992): Belgian 91.0%; Italian 2.4%; Moroccan 1.4%; French 0.9%; Turkish 0.8%; Dutch 0.6%; other 2.9%. Religious affiliation (1995): Roman Catholic 87.9%; Muslim 2.5%; other Christian 2.4%, of which Protestant 1.0%; Jewish 0.3%; other 6.9%. Major cities (1996{3}): Brussels 136,424{4} (948,122{5}); Antwerp 455,852; Ghent 226,464; Charleroi 205,591; Lige 190,525. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1996): 11.4 (world avg. 25.0); (1989) legitimate 88.7%; illegitimate 11.3%. Death rate per 1,000 population (1996): 10.4 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1996): 1.0 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1990-95): 1.6. Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1994): 5.1. Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1994): 2.2. Life expectancy at birth (1991-93): male 73.0 years; female 79.8 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1989): diseases of the circulatory system 412.8; malignant neoplasms (cancers) 274.6; accidents and violence 64.6; diseases of the respiratory system 50.1. National economy Budget (1994). Revenue: BF 2,292,500,000,000 (direct taxes 52.3%, indirect taxes 40.8%). Expenditures: BF 2,668,700,000,000 (government departments 27.9%, debt service 27.7%, domestic transfers 16.3%). Public debt (1998{3}): U.S.$265,600,000,000. Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1997{2}): sugar beets 5,245,000, potatoes 2,490,000, wheat 1,910,000, barley 435,500, apples 302,400, tomatoes 300,000; livestock (number of live animals) 7,050,000 pigs, 3,000,000 cattle, 161,000 sheep, 24,000 horses; roundwood (1995{2}) 4,185,000 cu m; fish catch (1995) 36,445. Mining and quarrying (1994): quartz 500,000; barite 30,000; granite (Belgium bluestone) 2,105,000 cu m; marble 330 cu m. Manufacturing (value added in U.S.$'000,000; 1994): chemicals 4,771; transport equipment 3,632; textiles 2,056; plastics 2,045; printing 1,968; furniture 1,632. Construction (1993): residential 33,063,000 cu m; nonresidential 42,864,000 cu m. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1994) 72,236,000,000 (76,219,000,000); coal (metric tons; 1994) 753,000 (13,050,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1994) none (206,706,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) 25,373,000 (17,036,000); natural gas (cu m; 1994) 1,351,000 (11,531,000,000). Tourism (1995{2}): receipts U.S.$5,593,700,000; expenditures U.S.$9,038,100,000. Household income and expenditure. Avg. household size (1991) 2.7; sources of income (1992): wages 49.6%, transfer payments 20.7%, property income 18.8%, self-employment 10.9%; expenditure (1992): food 18.0%, housing 17.0%, transp. 13.3%, health 11.8%, durable goods 10.7%, clothing 7.7%. Gross national product (1996): U.S.$268,633,000,000 (U.S.$26,440 per capita). Population economically active (1996): total 4,196,000; activity rate 41.3% (participation rates: ages 14-64, 61.1%; female 41.6%; unemployed 9.6%). Land use (1994{2}): forest 21.3%; pasture 21.0%; agriculture 24.2%; other 33.5%. Foreign trade{2} Imports (1994): BF 4,206,413,900,000 (machinery 25.6%; chemicals 13.0%; food 8.9%; diamonds 7.2%; mineral fuels 6.9%; petroleum products 4.8%). Major import sources: Germany 20.2%; The Netherlands 17.7%; France 16.1%; U.K. 9.4%. Exports (1994): BF 4,588,184,500,000 (machinery 28.1%; chemicals 16.7%, of which plastics 5.1%; food 9.1%; diamonds 6.8%; iron and steel 6.0%; textiles 5.0%; petroleum products 2.8%). Major export destinations: Germany 21.0%; France 19.0%; The Netherlands 13.2%; U.K. 8.5%. Transport Transport. Railroads (1995): route length 3,368 km; passenger-km 6,757,000,000; metric ton-km cargo 7,787,000,000. Roads (1995): total length 142,555 km (paved 97%). Vehicles (1996): passenger cars 4,339,231; trucks and buses 431,376. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 232; total deadweight tonnage 218,506. Air transport (1994): passenger-km 7,496,412,000; metric ton-km cargo 422,249,000; airports (1997) 2. Education and health Educational attainment (1981). Percentage of population age 15 and over having: less than secondary education 44.4%; lower secondary 26.5%; upper secondary 17.0%; vocational 2.9%; teacher's college 0.6%; university 3.5%. Literacy (1995): virtually 99% literate. Health: physicians (1996{3}) 38,363 (1 per 264 persons); hospital beds (1994) 77,181 (1 per 131 persons); infant mortality rate (1996) 5.6. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 3,530 (vegetable products 68%, animal products 32%); 134% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel (1997): 44,450 (army 64.1%, navy 6.1%, air force 27.0%, medical service 2.8%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1996): 1.7% (world 2.8%); per capita expenditure U.S.$439. {1} Excludes children of the monarch serving ex officio from age 18. {2} Includes Luxembourg. {3} January 1. {4} 1991. {5} Rgion Bruxelloise.