Belgium 
Facts
Population: 10,392,226 (July 2007 est.).
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.5% (male 873,130/female 836,785)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 3,467,044/female 3,406,030)
65 years and over: 17.4% (male 746,969/female 1,062,268) (2007 est.).
Population growth rate: 0.12% (2007 est.).
Birth rate: 10.29 births/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Death rate: 10.32 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Net migration rate: 1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.018 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.703 male(s)/female
total population: 0.959 male(s)/female (2007 est.).
Infant mortality rate: total: 4.56 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.13 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.).
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.92 years
male: 75.75 years
female: 82.24 years (2007 est.).
Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2007 est.).
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2003 est.).
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 10,000 (2003 est.).
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.).
Nationality: noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian.
Ethnic groups: Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%.
Languages: Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French).
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.).
GDP (purchasing power parity): $342.8 billion (2006 est.).
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2006 est.).
GDP - per capita (PPP): $33,000 (2006 est.).
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1%
industry: 24%
services: 74.9% (2005 est.).
Labor force: 4.89 million (2006 est.).
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 1.3%
industry: 24.5%
services: 74.2% (2003 est.).
Population below poverty line: 4% (1989 est.).
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 23% (1996).
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (2006 est.).
Unemployment rate: 8.1% (2006 est.).
Budget: revenues: $195.7 billion
expenditures: $195.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.56 billion (2006 est.).
Agriculture - products: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk.
Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum.
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2006 est.).
Electricity - production: 80.22 billion kWh (2004).
Electricity - consumption: 82.41 billion kWh (2004).
Electricity - exports: 6.8 billion kWh (2004).
Electricity - imports: 14.6 billion kWh (2004).
Exports: $335.3 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.).
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs.
Exports - partners: Germany 19.4%, France 17.3%, Netherlands 11.7%, UK 8.2%, US 6.4%, Italy 5.3% (2005).
Imports: $333.5 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.).
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products.
Imports - partners: Netherlands 17.8%, Germany 17.2%, France 11.4%, UK 6.8%, Ireland 6.5%, US 5.4% (2005).
Debt - external: $1.053 trillion (30 June 2006 est.).
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.072 billion (2002).
Currency (code): euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries.
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002).
Fiscal year: calendar year.
Statistics: C.I.A. World Factbook. Updated: July 20, 2007.
Press
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Displaying 1 to 7 of 22 items.
(Financial), Antwerp
http://www.tijd.be/
(Independent), Brussels
http://www.demorgen.be/
De Nieuwe Gazet
(Centrist), Antwerp
(Catholic-oriented), Brussels
http://www.standaard.be/
El Diario Internacional
(Organ of Peru's Shining Path movement), Brussels
(Weekly EU-related news), Brussels
http://www.european-voice.com
(Conservative, Catholic-oriented), Antwerp
http://www.gva.be/
Belgium in the News
Rarely do Africans seeking to sneak into Europe receive respect, or even a dignified departure home, if caught. But two teenage stowaways from Guinea hoping to enter Belgium recently got a ceremonial return home. Unfortunately, they were dead.
In the conservative daily National Post of Ontario, Carl Honore reports on the widening rift between the Flemish-speaking majority and the French minority that threatens to tear Belgium apart.
Americas 
