Belgium
- Land area
- 30,528 km2
- Population
- 11.2 million
- Currency
- euro [EUR]
The Kingdom of Belgium, located in Western Europe, is made up of three main regions: Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north, French-speaking Wallonia in the south and the capital city of Brussels, where both French and Dutch serve as the official languages. The eastern part of the country is also home to a small German-speaking minority. Since Brussels serves as headquarters for numerous institutions of the European Union, a large number of foreign nationals from other EU countries also live in Belgium.
The Belgian economy is driven by the service industry, which makes up about 70 per cent of the country’s GDP. Despite Belgium’s great industrial tradition, the manufacturing industry now only represents some 15 per cent. The largest economic sectors include the pharmaceutical and chemical industries as well as the food industry.
Belgium’s retail landscape is distinctly diverse and competitive, with its five largest retail companies accounting for some 60 per cent of retail sales. They have cemented their market position in recent years.