Real size
How big is Belgium really?
30,600 km²
11,800 sq mi · 31st smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Lesotho
Normal web maps draw it 2.5× too big
Belgium covers 30,600 km² (11,800 sq mi), about the size of Lesotho. A normal web map draws it about 2.5 times too big, because it lies far from the equator (around 51°N), and those maps stretch land more the closer it gets to the North Pole.
Measured from our map outlines, so official figures can differ by a few percent. Ranks count the 167 countries and territories on these pages: those over 5,000 km², not counting disputed territories.
- Real area
- 30,600 km²
- Size rank
- 137th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 2.5× too big
- Latitude
- 51°N
Countries about the same size
- LesothoAbout the same size
- ArmeniaAbout the same size
- Guinea-BissauAbout the same size
- AlbaniaBelgium is 1.1 times the size of Albania
- MoldovaMoldova is 1.1 times the size of Belgium
Belgium through history
Borders here have moved many times. Step through our maps, from 2000 BCE to today, to see who ruled this land before, and how big their realms really were.
Open the history map →Browse the eras →
Common questions
- How big is Belgium?
- Belgium covers about 30,600 km² (11,800 sq mi). It is the 31st smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Belgium look so big on maps?
- Most web maps use the Mercator projection, which keeps shapes right but stretches area more and more toward the poles. Averaged over the whole country, it draws Belgium about 2.5 times too big.
- Is Belgium bigger than Guinea-Bissau?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is Belgium bigger than Lesotho?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.