Territory in northwest Europe, ruled since 1830 by the Koninkrijk België/Royaume de Belgique
Belgium officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Western Europe bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. It covers an area of 30,528 square kilometers and has a population of more than 11 million. The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi and Liège.
Geographical type: Territory
Latitude: 50.83° N — Longitude: 4° E
Area: 30,528 km²
ISO 3166-2 code: BE
Birthplace of
Gustave de Molinari, in Liège, on 3 Mar 1819
Home To
Libertair, Direct, Democratisch, Ostend
Deathplace of
Gustave de Molinari, in Adinkerque, on 28 Jan 1912
Measures of Freedom
Belgium: Country Profile, Freedom in the World, 2025Status: Free, Aggregate Score: 96/100, Political Rights: 39/40, Civil Liberties: 57/60
Belgium is a stable electoral democracy with a long record of peaceful transfers of power. Political rights and civil liberties are legally guaranteed and largely respected. Major concerns in recent years have included the threat of terrorism, corruption scandals, and rising xenophobia.
Economic Freedom Summary Index, Economic Freedom of the World, 25 Sep 2025
2023 overall score: 7.58, rank: 31
2023 overall score: 7.58, rank: 31
Human Freedom Index [PDF], The Human Freedom Index 2023: A Global Measurement of Personal, Civil, and Economic Freedom
2021: 8.33, Rank: 22, Personal freedom: 8.97, Economic freedom: 8.33
2021: 8.33, Rank: 22, Personal freedom: 8.97, Economic freedom: 8.33
Articles
The Railroads of France, by Murray N. Rothbard, Ideas on Liberty, Sep 1955
Recounts the history of gradual nationalization of French railroads from 1876 to 1938, as well as a comparison between the Belgian state-owned railway and the then privately-owned French Northern Railway
Recounts the history of gradual nationalization of French railroads from 1876 to 1938, as well as a comparison between the Belgian state-owned railway and the then privately-owned French Northern Railway
Another comparison is provided by the Belgian state-owned railway which was directly adjacent to the privately-owned French Northern Railway. The roads were of similar size and faced comparable conditions, and in 1911 both railways charged practically the same rates. The privately-operated French Northern paid taxes of 28 million francs and rent of 41 million, with 31 million francs remaining as profit. Yet, the Belgian state railway, which paid neither rent nor taxes, operated at a loss.
Related Topics: France, Transportation
The introductory paragraph uses material from the Wikipedia article "Belgium" as of 18 Sep 2018, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.