US Trends

how big is belgium compared to a us state

Belgium is roughly the size of the U.S. state of Maryland , making it one of the smaller countries in Europe when measured by land area.

How big is Belgium compared to a US state?

Belgium covers about 30,528 to 30,689 square kilometers (roughly 11,800 square miles), depending on the source. That puts it in the same ballpark as several mid-sized U.S. states:

  • Maryland : ~32,131 km² — Belgium is slightly smaller than Maryland.
  • West Virginia : ~62,756 km² — Belgium is about half the size.
  • Vermont : ~24,906 km² — Belgium is around 1.2 times larger than Vermont.
  • Hawaii : ~28,313 km² — Belgium is a bit bigger than the entire Hawaiian island chain.

So if you're picturing Belgium on a U.S. map, imagine it stretching from the eastern shore of Maryland up through most of the state—but not quite covering all of it.

Scale context: Belgium vs. the entire U.S.

To put things in even starker perspective:

  • The United States is about 9.8 million square kilometers , making it roughly 320 times larger than Belgium in total area.
  • In population terms, Belgium has around 11.8 to 11.9 million people , while the U.S. has over 340 million —about 28 to 29 times more people.

Driving across Belgium from end to end takes just 3 to 4 hours , whereas crossing the U.S. can take 40 to 50 hours of nonstop driving.

Mini FAQ

  • Is Belgium bigger than Maryland?
    No—Belgium is slightly smaller than Maryland.
  • Which U.S. state is closest in size to Belgium?
    Maryland is the closest match, followed closely by Hawaii and Vermont.
  • How does Belgium rank in Europe by size?
    It's one of the smallest countries in Europe by land area, though it's densely populated and highly urbanized.

TL;DR

Belgium is about the size of Maryland , slightly smaller, and vastly tinier than the U.S. as a whole—roughly 1/320th the area.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.