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Transport and infrastructure in Belgium

Our listing of the primary types of transport compares the infrastructure of Belgium with the average of all countries in Europe. Overall, the traffic routes are above average and in good condition.

In terms of the length of its rail network, Belgium ranks 51st in the world with 0.31 meters per inhabitant. In total, the rail network is 3,592 kilometers long. Passenger traffic reached 6.97 billion passenger-kilometers in 2021.

The waterways listed refer to inland traffic on rivers and canals. The number of ports includes those located on the 67 km of coastline. In 2020, about 12.70 million freight containers were transported.

Airports in Belgium


Back to overview: Belgium

Road traffic

The network of roads and highways has a total length of 118,414 km. For each of the country's 11.59 million inhabitants, this corresponds to 10.21 meters. This puts Belgium in 52nd place in the global ranking. However, the country's population density must also be taken into account, which is relatively high at around 380 inhabitants per km². The higher the population density of a country, the shorter the average distance traveled.

With an average of 697 traffic fatalities per year (2013 - 2019), road traffic in Belgium is considered relatively safe. This corresponds to 6.1 accident fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants per year. By comparison, this figure is 12.3 in the USA and 17.0 worldwide.

In Belgium, traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road, i.e. people drive in the right-hand lane and overtake on the left. Oncoming traffic comes toward you on the left side. This rule was introduced at the end of the 18th century during the Napoleonic Wars. Here you can also find an overview of all countries with left-hand traffic.


 

Belgium

 totalper 1 mio
inhabitants
per km²
Roadways118,400 km10,214.31 km3,878.61 m
Railroads3,600 km309.84 km117.65 m
Waterways2,043 km176.23 km66.92 m
Commercial harbors20117.340.007
Airports50.430.164
 

Europe

 total per 1 mio
inhabitants
per km²
Roadways6,708,900 km11,154.38 km1,111.71 m
Railroads258,600 km429.97 km42.85 m
Waterways54,800 km91.17 km9.09 m
Commercial harbors15,27325.390.003
Airports5730.950.000


Data sources used

Global Health Observatory Data Repository (World Health Organization)
UNCTAD
Internation Union of Railways (UIC)
CIA Factbook
OECD Statistics
Wikipedia (german)
Belgium: AirportsLargest airports and airlines in BelgiumThe 5 biggest airports and 3 airlines in Belgium with further information and data with further information on airlines and destinations
Belgium: ClimateClimate details in BelgiumA climate analysis for Belgium incl. temperatures, humidity, rain days per month, hours of sunshine, rainfalls
Ranking: MegacitiesMega cities - the biggest cities all over the worldRanking of the biggest cities worldwide. On top: Shanghai, Chongqing and Beijing