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Insight Horizon Media

What are major industries in Belgium?

Author

Robert Miller

Published Mar 12, 2026

What are major industries in Belgium?

Metallurgy, steel, textiles, chemicals, glass, paper, and food processing are the dominant industries. Belgium is one of the world’s leading processors of cobalt, radium, copper, zinc, and lead. Refineries, located principally in the Antwerp area, process crude petroleum.

Does Belgium have a strong economy?

Belgium has a well-developed free market economy, based on both industrial and service sectors. In spite of its small size, Belgium’s economy has consistently placed among the top 20 economies of the world and remains strong.

Where does Belgium get its wealth?

Despite the heavy industrial component, services account for 74.9% of GDP, while agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP. With exports equivalent to over two-thirds of GNP, Belgium depends heavily on world trade.

Is Belgium a high income country?

Belgium is considered a high-income country, and reports a comparatively high quality of life for its citizens, as well as high levels of health care.

What is Belgium’s biggest export?

Cars
Exports The top exports of Belgium are Cars ($33.7B), Refined Petroleum ($25B), Packaged Medicaments ($24.2B), Blood, antisera, vaccines, toxins and cultures ($20.3B), and Diamonds ($12.8B), exporting mostly to Germany ($68.9B), France ($55.6B), Netherlands ($53.1B), United Kingdom ($33.3B), and United States ($25.1B).

What is Belgium known for producing?

The nation’s main crops include barley, corn, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat, and assorted fruits and vegetables. Sugar beets, potatoes, and barley are the main staples. In 1999, the country produced 6.15 million metric tons of sugar beets, 2.7 million metric tons of potatoes, and 1.63 million tons of wheat.

Is Belgium a good place to live?

Belgium is a very family-friendly country to live in. It has good educational, healthcare, and cultural facilities in all the main cities. Belgium is generally quite a safe place to live. Brussels has many municipalities popular with young families and the city has some of the best international schools.

Why is Belgium poor?

Leading Facts on Poverty in Belgium Poverty in Belgium is on the decline due to a strong economy and a high awareness rate, however, the youth population is still at risk. In 2014, the monetary poverty rate stood at 15 percent, while 21 percent of the Belgian population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

What is the richest city in Belgium?

Sint-Martens-Latem is Belgium’s richest place, and what about your municipality? Local residents in Sint-Martens-Latem, near Ghent, boast the highest average income of all Belgian municipalities. They can count on an annual income of 27,678 euros.

How good is life in Belgium?

Belgium ranks 28th on the 2020 Bloomberg Global Health Index, indicating the good quality health of its population. It ranks 25th for life expectancy which is currently 84.3 for women and 80 for men. Belgium’s healthcare system has been ranked 10th in the world according to a 2019 ID Medical study.

What is Belgium’s largest import?

Top 10

  • Pharmaceuticals: US$51.4 billion (13% of total imports)
  • Vehicles: $49.7 billion (12.6%)
  • Mineral fuels including oil: $33.2 billion (8.4%)
  • Machinery including computers: $31.6 billion (8%)
  • Organic chemicals: $25 billion (6.3%)
  • Electrical machinery, equipment: $23.1 billion (5.8%)

What cars are made in Belgium?

Despite the crisis affecting the sector, Belgium remains a major player in automotive assembly. With plants like Opel Antwerp, Ford Genk, Audi Forest /Brussels, Volvo Europe in Ghent, Van Hool (buses) and Truco, we can rightly claim to have established a strong foothold in the vehicle production market.