Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Belgium
Belgium: Pollution, grime or other environmental problems was 13.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
13.5%
Change on year
up 14.4%
World rank
19th
of 47 countries
All-time high
17.5%
in 2013
All-time low
11.8%
in 2020
Years of data
19
2003–2023
Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Belgium, 2003–2023
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 13.5% for pollution, grime or other environmental problems in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.4% on the previous year and down 22.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Belgium peaked at 17.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2020.
That places Belgium 19th out of 47 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 17.4% | — |
| 2004 | 16.6% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 16.8% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 15.8% | -6.0% |
| 2007 | 17.3% | +9.5% |
| 2008 | 16.1% | -6.9% |
| 2009 | 14.6% | -9.3% |
| 2010 | 13.6% | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 16.5% | +21.3% |
| 2012 | 15.4% | -6.7% |
| 2013 | 17.5% | +13.6% |
| 2014 | 15.9% | -9.1% |
| 2015 | 14.9% | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 13.2% | -11.4% |
| 2017 | 12.7% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 14.6% | +15.0% |
| 2019 | 15.0% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 11.8% | -21.3% |
| 2023 | 13.5% | +14.4% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 13.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.4%, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 13.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.3%, 1.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.4% | 14.6% | 17.4% | 7 |
| 2010s | 14.9% | 12.7% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.7% | 11.8% | 13.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 16 United Kingdom 14.0% compare
- 16 United Kingdom 14.0% compare
- 18 Serbia 13.8% compare
- 20 North Macedonia 12.6% compare
- 21 Romania 11.7% compare
- 22 Lithuania 10.9% compare
- 22 Lithuania 10.9% 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)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Belgium?
- Pollution, grime or other environmental problems in Belgium was 13.5% in 2023, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest pollution, grime or other environmental problems recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 17.5% in 2013.
- What is the lowest pollution, grime or other environmental problems recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2020.
- How does Belgium rank for pollution, grime or other environmental problems?
- Belgium ranks 19th out of 47 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pollution, grime or other environmental problems rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Pollution, grime or other environmental problems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).