
Islamic Finance FAQ: A Global Finance Series
Islamic finance is a fast-growing $2 trillion industry, yet many finance professionals do not know halal from haram. Global Finance's series on Islamic finance explains.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Belgium economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Belgium best banks and safest banks are also available.
The Global Finance ranking of World's Safest Countries incorporates three measures of security and safety, factoring natural disaster risk with measures of peace and crime.
USD 15.4 billion (2016)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved January 2017
USD 488.7 billion (2017, estimate)
Intl$ 526.6 billion (2017, estimate)
2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
2.5% | 3.4% | 0.8% | -2.3% | 2.7% | 1.8% | 0.2% |
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* | ||
0% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.4% |
*Estimate
USD 42,661.8 (2017, estimate)
1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2017* |
0.83% | 0.74% | 0.62% | 0.49% | 0.4% |
*Estimate
(2016 estimate)
2.5% (2014)
OECD, data retrieved January 2017
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
1.2% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2.1% | 1.6% |
*Estimate
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
8.5% | 8.6% | 8.5% | 8.4% | 8.3% |
*Estimate
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
105.2% | 106.6% | 106.1% | 105.8% | 105% |
*Estimate
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
-3% | -3.1% | -2.6% | -2.7% | -2.2% |
*Estimate
Standard & Poor's: AA
Moody's: Aa3
Standard & Poor's / Moody's (Updated January 2017)
2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
USD 374.3 billion | USD 378.5 billion | USD 414.6 billion |
*Estimate
Anheuser-Busch InBev, KBC Group, Solvay, Delhaize Group, Belgacom, Colruyt, UCB, Dexia, Umicore, Banque Nationale de Belgique.
0.4% (2017 estimate)
82.9% (2015)
2.4% (2015)
2.3% (2015)
Chemicals, machinery and equipment, finished diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
Raw materials, machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products
Germany 16.9%, France 15.5%, Netherlands 11.4%, UK 8.8%, US 6%, Italy 5% (2015)
Netherlands 16.7%, Germany 12.7%, France 9.6%, US 8.7%, UK 5.1%, Ireland 4.7%, China 4.3% (2015)
2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
USD 13,682 million | USD -8,703 million | USD 31,029 million |
2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
USD 18,161 million | USD 5,010 million | USD 38,547 million |
2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
USD -1353.9 million | USD 13250.8 million | USD 4459.7 million | USD 5538.8 million |
Anheuser-Busch Inbev, Oriental Brewery Co Ltd, Korea, Republic of, USD 5.8 billion
(for a monthly update on M&A; click here )
Solvay SA, Cytec Industries Inc, United States, USD 5.5 billion
(for a monthly update on M&A; click here )
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.
Overall ranking: 42 out of 190 countries (2016)
Subcategories:
Starting a business: 17 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 52 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 131 out of 190 countries
Getting credit: 101 out of 190 countries
Protecting investors: 63 out of 190 countries
Trading across border: 1 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 66 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 44 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 60 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 10 out of 190 countries
17 out of 138 countries
(2016-2017)
Ranking: 44 / Score: 68.41 (Moderately free) (2017)
(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)
Federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%
1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2016* | 2021* |
9.948 million | 10.239 million | 10.84 million | 11.332 million | 11.93 million |
*Estimate
1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2015 |
93% | 95% | 97% | 98% |
27.6 (2012)
(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 1 (2014)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free)
Fixed 40.14% Mobile 115.69% (2015)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)