Infant health: low birthweight in Belgium

Belgium: Infant health: low birthweight was 6.4 Percentage of live births in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
6.4 Percentage of live births
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
30th
of 41 countries
All-time high
7.3 Percentage of live births
in 2001
All-time low
5.4 Percentage of live births
in 1983
Years of data
40
1982–2023

Infant health: low birthweight in Belgium, 1982–2023

024681982200220231982: 5.6 Percentage of live births1983: 5.4 Percentage of live births1986: 6.1 Percentage of live births1987: 6.1 Percentage of live births1988: 6.1 Percentage of live births1989: 6.2 Percentage of live births1990: 6.1 Percentage of live births1991: 6.2 Percentage of live births1992: 6.2 Percentage of live births1993: 6.4 Percentage of live births1994: 6.6 Percentage of live births1995: 6.8 Percentage of live births1996: 6.8 Percentage of live births1997: 7 Percentage of live births1998: 6.9 Percentage of live births1999: 7 Percentage of live births2000: 7 Percentage of live births2001: 7.3 Percentage of live births2002: 7.3 Percentage of live births2003: 7.3 Percentage of live births2004: 6.9 Percentage of live births2005: 7 Percentage of live births2006: 7.1 Percentage of live births2007: 6.8 Percentage of live births2008: 6.9 Percentage of live births2009: 7 Percentage of live births2010: 6.9 Percentage of live births2011: 6.8 Percentage of live births2012: 6.8 Percentage of live births2013: 7 Percentage of live births2014: 6.9 Percentage of live births2015: 6.8 Percentage of live births2016: 6.7 Percentage of live births2017: 6.8 Percentage of live births2018: 6.8 Percentage of live births2019: 6.7 Percentage of live births2020: 6.4 Percentage of live births2021: 6.5 Percentage of live births2022: 6.6 Percentage of live births2023: 6.4 Percentage of live births

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of live births.

Analysis

Belgium recorded 6.4 Percentage of live births for infant health: low birthweight in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infant health: low birthweight in Belgium peaked at 7.3 Percentage of live births in 2001 and was at its lowest, 5.4 Percentage of live births, in 1983.

That places Belgium 30th out of 41 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.

Infant health: low birthweight in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Infant health: low birthweight in Belgium, 1982 to 2023.
Year Percentage of live births Change
1982 5.6 Percentage of live births
1983 5.4 Percentage of live births -3.6%
1986 6.1 Percentage of live births +13.0%
1987 6.1 Percentage of live births +0.0%
1988 6.1 Percentage of live births +0.0%
1989 6.2 Percentage of live births +1.6%
1990 6.1 Percentage of live births -1.6%
1991 6.2 Percentage of live births +1.6%
1992 6.2 Percentage of live births +0.0%
1993 6.4 Percentage of live births +3.2%
1994 6.6 Percentage of live births +3.1%
1995 6.8 Percentage of live births +3.0%
1996 6.8 Percentage of live births +0.0%
1997 7 Percentage of live births +2.9%
1998 6.9 Percentage of live births -1.4%
1999 7 Percentage of live births +1.4%
2000 7 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2001 7.3 Percentage of live births +4.3%
2002 7.3 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2003 7.3 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2004 6.9 Percentage of live births -5.5%
2005 7 Percentage of live births +1.4%
2006 7.1 Percentage of live births +1.4%
2007 6.8 Percentage of live births -4.2%
2008 6.9 Percentage of live births +1.5%
2009 7 Percentage of live births +1.4%
2010 6.9 Percentage of live births -1.4%
2011 6.8 Percentage of live births -1.4%
2012 6.8 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2013 7 Percentage of live births +2.9%
2014 6.9 Percentage of live births -1.4%
2015 6.8 Percentage of live births -1.4%
2016 6.7 Percentage of live births -1.5%
2017 6.8 Percentage of live births +1.5%
2018 6.8 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2019 6.7 Percentage of live births -1.5%
2020 6.4 Percentage of live births -4.5%
2021 6.5 Percentage of live births +1.6%
2022 6.6 Percentage of live births +1.5%
2023 6.4 Percentage of live births -3.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 5.92 Percentage of live births 5.4 Percentage of live births 6.2 Percentage of live births 6
1990s 6.6 Percentage of live births 6.1 Percentage of live births 7 Percentage of live births 10
2000s 7.06 Percentage of live births 6.8 Percentage of live births 7.3 Percentage of live births 10
2010s 6.82 Percentage of live births 6.7 Percentage of live births 7 Percentage of live births 10
2020s 6.47 Percentage of live births 6.4 Percentage of live births 6.6 Percentage of live births 4

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 27 Australia 6.6 Percentage of live births compare
  2. 27 Czechia 6.6 Percentage of live births compare
  3. 27 Germany 6.6 Percentage of live births compare
  4. 31 Ukraine 6.3 Percentage of live births compare
  5. 32 Luxembourg 6.1 Percentage of live births compare
  6. 33 Switzerland 6 Percentage of live births compare
  7. 33 Ireland 6 Percentage of live births compare

See the full ranking of 51 places →

More health data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is infant health: low birthweight in Belgium?
Infant health: low birthweight in Belgium was 6.4 Percentage of live births in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest infant health: low birthweight recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 7.3 Percentage of live births in 2001.
What is the lowest infant health: low birthweight recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 5.4 Percentage of live births in 1983.
How does Belgium rank for infant health: low birthweight?
Belgium ranks 30th out of 41 countries with data for 2023.
Is infant health: low birthweight rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Infant health: low birthweight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Infant health: low birthweight in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/infant-health-low-birthweight/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
Infant health: low birthweight
Unit
Percentage of live births
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
51 places, 2,043 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents time series on the number of live births weighing less than 2500 grams as a percentage of the total number of live births. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.