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
116th
of 224 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 116th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Land use in Belgium, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 882,600 hectares | — |
| 2001 | 865,800 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 853,100 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 856,200 hectares | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 861,300 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 864,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 863,000 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 859,900 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 865,300 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 861,600 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 855,700 hectares | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 846,700 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 825,000 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 838,300 hectares | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 839,300 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 852,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 872,400 hectares | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 859,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 874,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 880,959 hectares | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 888,490 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 889,390 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 887,560 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 886,359 hectares | -0.1% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 886,359 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 2.9× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 886,359 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.39 million hectares, 64% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
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
- 113 Tajikistan 1.05 million hectares compare
- 114 Netherlands 1.04 million hectares compare
- 115 Croatia 947,000 hectares compare
- 117 El Salvador 881,000 hectares compare
- 118 Namibia 812,000 hectares compare
- 119 Norway 806,000 hectares compare
More environment data for Belgium
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.574 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.19 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.5577 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.0605 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (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 116th out of 224 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).