Country safety profile
Is Belgium safe to visit?
This briefing uses the latest Global Peace Index country data as a broad signal, not a substitute for current government advisories. Use it to understand the overall climate before you layer in local events, route decisions, and seasonal context.
Regional context
How Belgium fits within Western Europe
Western Europe is usually one of the easiest regions for independent travel thanks to dense transport networks, high visitor familiarity, and strong emergency response. Day-to-day safety planning is more often about crowd management, strikes, and petty theft around major hubs than about broad national instability.
Trips tend to move quickly between large cities, rail interchanges, and high-volume landmarks. The practical distinction is rarely safe versus unsafe, but smooth versus overloaded during demonstrations, holiday peaks, and major event windows.
Belgium's overall score is lower than the Western Europe average of 1.65, which points to a calmer broad backdrop than many nearby itineraries. Belgium lands around the middle of the current regional comparison.
No single GPI domain overwhelms Belgium's profile, so the smarter approach is to plan by neighborhood, route, season, and live local developments instead of treating the whole country as uniformly risky.
Regional snapshot
- Region
- Western Europe
- Macro area
- Europe
- Regional average
- 1.65 / 5
- Regional position
- #2 of 3
- Standing
- Near the regional midpoint
Planning cues for Western Europe
- Watch for rail strikes, protest routes, and airport disruption before intercity moves.
- Keep bags and phones tighter in crowded stations and tourist cores.
- Build neighborhood-level judgment for nightlife rather than relying on country averages.
Overall Indicator
A composite index measuring the peacefulness of countries made up of 23 quantitative and qualitative indicators each weighted on a scale of 1-5. The lower the score the more peaceful the country.
Domestic & International Conflict
Safety & Security
Militarisation
Indicator breakdown
Tap a row for the source description+-Perceptions of CriminalityLevel of perceived criminality in society
2.2/ 5
Level of perceived criminality in society
Level of perceived criminality in society. Source: Gallup World Poll, IEP estimates
+-Police RateNumber of internal security officers and police per 100,000 people
2.658/ 5
Number of internal security officers and police per 100,000 people
Number of internal security officers and police per 100,000 people. Source: UNODC CTS
+-Homicide RateNumber of homicides per 100,000 people
1.534/ 5
Number of homicides per 100,000 people
Number of homicides per 100,000 people. Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Surveys on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (CTS); EIU estimates
+-Incarceration RateNumber of jailed population per 100,000 people
1.841/ 5
Number of jailed population per 100,000 people
Number of jailed population per 100,000 people. Source: World Prison Brief, Institute for Criminal Policy Research at Birkbeck, University of London
+-Access to Small ArmsEase of access to small arms and light weapons
3/ 5
Ease of access to small arms and light weapons
Qualitative assessment of ease of access to small arms and light weapons by EIU analysts. Source: Economist Intelligence Unit
+-Intensity of Internal ConflictLevel of organised conflict (internal)
1/ 5
Level of organised conflict (internal)
Qualitative assessments of the intensity of organised internal conflict by EIU analysts. Source: Economist Intelligence Unit
+-Violent DemonstrationsLikelihood of violent demonstrations
1.75/ 5
Likelihood of violent demonstrations
Violent demonstrations. Source: Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED); IEP
+-Violent CrimeLevel of violent crime
2/ 5
Level of violent crime
Qualitative assessment of level of violent crime by EIU analysts. Source: Economist Intelligence Unit
+-Political InstabilityPolitical instability
1.625/ 5
Political instability
Qualitative assessment of political instability by EIU analysts. Source: Economist Intelligence Unit
+-Political Terror ScalePolitical Terror Scale
1/ 5
Political Terror Scale
Political Terror Scale. Source: Gibney, Mark, Linda Cornett, Reed Wood, Peter Haschke, Daniel Arnon, and Attilio Pisanò. 2021. The Political Terror Scale 1976-2019. Date Retrieved, from the Political Terror Scale website: http://www.politicalterrorscale.org.
+-Weapons ImportsImports of major conventional weapons per 100,000 people
2.227/ 5
Imports of major conventional weapons per 100,000 people
Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as recipient (imports) per 100,000 people. Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Arms Transfers Database
+-Terrorism ImpactTerrorist Activity
1.539/ 5
Terrorist Activity
Calculation based on a weighted average of the last five years of the number of incidents, injuries, hostages and fatalities by terrorism. Source: Global Terrorism Index (GTI), IEP
+-Deaths from Internal ConflictNumber of deaths from organised conflict (internal)
1/ 5
Number of deaths from organised conflict (internal)
Number of deaths from internal organised conflict. Source: UCDP Georeferenced Event Dataset
+-Military Expenditure (% GDP)Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP
1.612/ 5
Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP
Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. Source: The Military Balance, IISS, EIU estimates
+-Armed Services Personnel RateNumber of armed services personnel per 100,000 people
1.304/ 5
Number of armed services personnel per 100,000 people
Number of armed services personnel per 100,000 people. Source: The Military Balance, IISS
+-UN Peacekeeping FundingFunding for UN peacekeeping missions
1.085/ 5
Funding for UN peacekeeping missions
Financial contribution to UN peacekeeping missions. Source: United Nations Committee on Contributions; IEP
+-Nuclear and Heavy WeaponsAggregate weighted number of heavy weapons per 100,000 people
1.181/ 5
Aggregate weighted number of heavy weapons per 100,000 people
Nuclear and heavy weapons capabilities. Source: Military Balance+, IISS; IEP
+-Weapons ExportsExports of major conventional weapons per 100,000 people
1.808/ 5
Exports of major conventional weapons per 100,000 people
Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as supplier (exports) per 100,000 people. Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database
+-Refugees and IDPsNumber of displaced people as a percentage of the population
1/ 5
Number of displaced people as a percentage of the population
Number of refugees and internally displaced people as a percentage of the population. Source: Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Mid-Year Trends; Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)
+-Neighbouring Countries RelationsRelations with neighbouring countries
1/ 5
Relations with neighbouring countries
Qualitative assessment of relations with neighbouring countries by EIU analysts. Source: Economist Intelligence Unit
+-Deaths from External ConflictEstimated number of deaths from organised conflict (external)
1/ 5
Estimated number of deaths from organised conflict (external)
Number of deaths from external organised conflict. Source: UCDP Georeferenced Event Dataset
+-External Conflicts FoughtNumber, duration and role of external conflicts fought
1.525/ 5
Number, duration and role of external conflicts fought
Number, duration and role in external conflicts. Source: UCDP Battle-Related Deaths Dataset; IEP
+-Internal Conflicts FoughtNumber and duration of internal conflicts
1.211/ 5
Number and duration of internal conflicts
Number and duration of internal conflicts. Source: Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) Battle-Related Deaths Dataset, Non-State Conflict Dataset and One-sided Violence Dataset; Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP)