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.