FSCI Indicators Breakdown
The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to monitor global food systems. The FSCI developed a framework that includes five themes: (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment, natural resources, and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and identified 50 indicators across these themes. This page presents national level data for these 50 indicators for Belgium.
Belgium income group: High Income
Comparison
Belgium
Western Europe
World
Diets, Nutrition, and Health
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Belgium
2.32
Western Europe
2.93
World
3.32
PPP dollar/capita/day
Cost of a healthy diet per capita
2.32 PPP dollar/capita/day
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
1%
Western Europe
3%
World
37%
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
1%
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
326.3
Western Europe
336.3
World
256.7
g/capita/day
Availability of fruits
326.3 g/capita/day
Amount of fruits—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
667.6
Western Europe
422.7
World
278.9
g/capita/day
Availability of vegetables
667.6 g/capita/day
Amount of vegetables—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
100%
Western Europe
100%
World
68%
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services
100%
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
2022
Belgium
1,269.7
Western Europe
1,100.8
World
155.1
current PPP dollar/capita/year
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
1,269.7 current PPP dollar/capita/year
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2021
World
66%
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women
No Data
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
World
39%
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
No Data
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices protective against noncommunicable diseases, like eating enough fiber, on a scale from 0 to 9
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices known to raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, like eating too much sugar, on a scale from 0 to 9
World
11%
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
No Data
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
World
19%
Adults: Soft drink consumption
No Data
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
World
11%
POU: Prevalence of undernourishment
No Data
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
4%
Western Europe
4%
World
29%
Percent of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity
4%
Share of the population experiencing food insecurity, measured according to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) (SDG 2.1.2)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
World
32%
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
No Data
Share of young children who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
Source: UNICEF
World
39
% population 6-23 months
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
No Data
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Environment, natural resources, and production
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Belgium
0.9
Western Europe
0.7
World
0.4
tonnes/ha
Cereals yield
0.9 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
3.3
Western Europe
1.2
World
1.4
tonnes/ha
Fruit yield
3.3 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
3.5
Western Europe
3.2
World
2
tonnes/ha
Vegetable yield
3.5 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
77,537
Western Europe
77,829.1
World
22,628.8
100 g/animal
Cow's milk yield
77,537 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2017
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
315.4
Western Europe
296.1
World
221
kg/animal
Beef yield
315.4 kg/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
20.4
Western Europe
28.5
World
21.2
Fishery health index progress score
20.4
An indicator summarizing the availability and sustainability of fish, which are at risk of overfishing or environmental degradation
2021
Source: Minderoo Foundation
Belgium
23,731.8
Western Europe
52,404.2
World
83,692.6
kT CO2eq
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
23,731.8 kT CO2eq
Belgium
0.2
Western Europe
0.1
World
0.2
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.2 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Western Europe
24
World
1.1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
No Data
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of rice
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
0.6
Western Europe
0.6
World
1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
0.6 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cow's milk
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
15.7
Western Europe
17.1
World
28.3
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
15.7 kg CO2eq/kg product
Belgium
0
Western Europe
-0
World
0
% change
Cropland area change
0% change
Average percentage change in cropland over the previous five years; expanding cropland is a major driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss and greenhouse gas emissions
2021
Source: FSCI
Belgium
29
Western Europe
36
World
43
% agricultural land
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
29% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land area with enough semi-natural or natural habitat, relative to the amount of cropland or rangeland, to maintain biodiversity and functioning ecosystems
2015
Source: DeClerck et al. 2021
Belgium
0%
Western Europe
1%
World
17%
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
0%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source: AQUASTAT
Belgium
6.3
Western Europe
4
World
2.3
kg/ha
Pesticide use per area of cropland
6.3 kg/ha
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Belgium
1
Western Europe
1
World
4
% GDP
Share of agriculture in GDP
1% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
4
Western Europe
3
World
4
% working age population
Unemployment rate (Rural)
4% working age population
Western Europe
6
World
6
% working age population
Underemployment rate (Rural)
No Data
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
Source: ILO
World
58
% population
Social protection coverage
No Data
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
Source: World Bank
World
23
% welfare of beneficiary households
Social protection adequacy
No Data
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
Source: World Bank
World
8
% children 5-17
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
No Data
Percentage of children ages 5–17 who are engaged in child labor, the majority of which is known to be in the food system and specifically in agriculture
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Governance
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Belgium
0.9
Western Europe
0.9
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.9
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Belgium
43%
Western Europe
17%
World
8%
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
43%
Percentage of the urban population that lives in cities signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, suggesting prioritization of food issues in urban planning
2023
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
No Data
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No Data
Belgium
1.2
Western Europe
1.3
World
0
Government effectiveness index
1.2
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Source: World Governance Indicators
Belgium
100
Western Europe
82.1
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
100
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory
Presence of national health-related food environment policies
No Data
Whether the country has any health-related food taxes, which are used to discourage consumption of unhealthy foods
Belgium
1.8
Western Europe
1.7
World
0.2
V-Dem accountability index
1.8
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Western Europe
72.6
World
43
Open budget index score
No Data
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
Source: International Budget Partnership
Guarantees for public access to information
No Data
Whether the country has and implements guarantees for access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
Source: Sustainable Development Goals
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Resilience
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Ratio of total damages from all disasters to GDP
No Data
Cost of all damage from natural disasters, as a percentage of GDP
Source: EM-DAT
Belgium
0.9
Western Europe
0.8
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
0.9
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
2019
Source:
FAO
Belgium
101.9
Western Europe
119.7
World
110.1
Number per 100 people
Mobile cellular subscriptions
101.9 Number per 100 people
Number of mobile phone subscriptions as a percentage of the population, indicating the level of infrastructure and access to information to respond to shocks
2022
Belgium
0.6
Western Europe
0.6
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.6
An index for the social capital in the country—how much people feel they can trust and can rely on their government and one another
2021
Source: Legatum InstituteFSCI
Belgium
27
Western Europe
36
World
25
% agricultural land
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
27% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land (crop and pasture) containing a sufficient diversity of species, which helps cope with shocks and changes
2020
Source:
Jones et al. 2021
Belgium
9,311
Western Europe
81,625.6
World
163,165.1
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
9,311
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Belgium
3
Western Europe
7.3
World
3.8
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
3
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
World
0.4
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
No Data
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
Source:
WFP
Belgium
0.5
Western Europe
0.5
World
0.7
Food price volatility
0.5
Belgium
31
Western Europe
43.6
World
32.2
kcal/capita/day
Food supply variability per capita
31 kcal/capita/day
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable