Land use in Belgium
Belgium: Land use was 886,359 hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
886,359 hectares
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
115th
of 223 countries
All-time high
889,390 hectares
in 2021
All-time low
825,000 hectares
in 2012
Years of data
24
2000–2023
Land use in Belgium, 2000–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 886,359 hectares for land use in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Belgium peaked at 889,390 hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 825,000 hectares, in 2012.
Belgium ranks 115th of 223 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 863,280 hectares | 853,100 hectares | 882,600 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 854,336 hectares | 825,000 hectares | 880,959 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 887,950 hectares | 886,359 hectares | 889,390 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 112 Tajikistan 1.05 million hectares compare
- 113 Netherlands 1.04 million hectares compare
- 114 Croatia 947,000 hectares compare
- 116 El Salvador 881,000 hectares compare
- 117 Namibia 812,000 hectares compare
- 118 Norway 806,000 hectares compare
More environment data for Belgium
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 107.82 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 9.09 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 6.62 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.2815 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 2.68 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0377 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 11.74 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0561 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0383 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.98 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Belgium?
- Land use in Belgium was 886,359 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 889,390 hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 825,000 hectares in 2012.
- How does Belgium rank for land use?
- Belgium ranks 115th out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).