Travel and tourism will be changed forever. We asked seven leading thinkers for their predictions.
47.4
Overall Score
(No change since Aug 1st)
- 5 Public Health
Directives - 26.9 Financial
Response - 100 Fact-Based
Communication
Belgium has a relative strong score, with its generous income support and strong testing and contact tracing countered by limited public health directives.
Pre-COVID Conditions
Belgium had relatively strong pre-pandemic capacity, boasting accessible, quality healthcare, a healthy population, relatively low levels of inequality, and one of the highest rates of hospital beds per 100,000 people in the Index.
- Debt/GDP ratio 102%
- GDP/capita $50,905
- Gini coefficient (out of 100) 27.4
- Infant mortality rate (out of 1,000 live births) 3
- Healthcare access score (out of 100) 87.9
- Hospital beds/1,000 People 44.5
Government Response
Select a data point for more information(Data points represent policy level as of Oct 1.)
5
Public Health Directives
Belgium scores near the bottom on public health, with open testing and strong contact tracing countered by relatively weak policy on lockdowns, school closings, and emergency healthcare spending; most notably, Belgium's extremely high case rate pushes its scores down substantially, as most of its policies appear to be implemented well into its crisis.
- Stay at home order 0
- Public gathering restrictions 4
- School closings 1
- Public event cancellations 2
- Testing policy 2
- Emergency healthcare investments/capita $141.51
- Travel restrictions 3
- Tests/1,000 people 279.2
- Contact tracing 2
26.9
Financial Response
Belgium’s low financial score is due to a relatively low stimulus as a share of GDP, and poor debt-relief opportunities.
- Financial stimulus as share of GDP 10.3%
- Income support 2
- Debt forebearance 1
100
Fact-Based Communication
Belgium’s government has communicated regularly with the public, avoiding misinformation or exaggeration, and publishing excess death numbers as well as more basic statistics.
- Reliance on science/fact based information 0
- Press freedom 0
COVID-19 Status as of Oct 1
Belgium has the highest death rate in the Index, which health authorities attribute to COVID’s spread in care homes and a high case rate, although they seem to be capturing most cases through testing, and they are classifying cases as COVID-19-related in a far more liberal manner than any other country.
- Total deaths 10,020
- Death rate per 100K 864.6
- Total cases 120,965
- Cases per 100K 10,437
- Percent of positive tests 4.5
- Change in positivity rates +1.9
Case Trend Line
Level 1 Lockdown
Level 2 Lockdown
| Date | Status | New Cases/1M | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 04 | Some businesses reopen | 38.15 |
| 2 | May 18 | Shops and schools reopen | 25.53 |
| 3 | Jun 08 | Religious institutions reopen | 10.44 |
| 4 | Jul 01 | Malls and pools reopen | 7.16 |
| 5 | Aug 24 | People allowed to shop in pairs with no time limits | 42.56 |
| 6 | Sep 01 | Schools (except universities) reopen, funeral receptions allowed up to 50 people, public events allowed up to 200 (indoors) and 400 (outdoors) people. | 38.80 |
| 7 | Sep 25 | Travel allowed to high-risk regions, although discouraged. | 137.98 |
Differentiating Factors
- Belgium's cases continue to surge: 7th most affected country in Europe; cases reached over 100,000. Read More
- Belgium's COVID-19 Cases Surging: Continuing to be an epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe, Belgium's cases are spreading "intensively," with weekly deaths up 30 percent in August. Read More
- New corporate tax incentives amid spike in cases: In August, the Belgian parliament passed corporate tax measures to bolster the liquidity of taxpayers and preserve solvency as COVID-19 cases continue to surge. Read More
- Hotspots in nursing homes: More than half of Belgium's coronavirus fatalities have occurred in nursing homes, partly because elderly people in Belgium are more likely than their peers in the rest of Europe to live in elder-care housing. Read More
- Stockpiling for second wave: In early July, Belgium's Minister of Health announced that the country had prepared itself for a second wave, having stockpiled PPE, medicine, tests and equipment such as ventilators. Read More
- Businesses hard hit despite support: Despite generous financial stimuli in response to the pandemic, financial analysts are predicting that as many as 50,000 Belgian businesses may file for bankruptcy in the coming months. Read More
Compared with Neighboring Countries
-
72.8Germany 291,722
Cases 3,482
Per 1M 9,500
DeathsGermany has improved its score a bit in the past few months, after a sharp decline in the fall. Its improvements in contact tracing, which are already likely underestimated in the data, and restrictions on public gatherings, have played important roles in this turnaround, although there has been a recent spike in cases, likely due to both recent restriction relaxations and vaccine rollout issues.
-
64.3Norway 13,914
Cases 2,567
Per 1M 274
DeathsNorway scores just below the median, pulled down by its weak public health and financial response scores, despite a strong reliance on facts and a free press.
-
58.2Sweden 93,615
Cases 9,270
Per 1M 5,893
DeathsDespite being known for a relatively strong public healthcare system, Sweden has been hit hard with cases; the country’s lack of stay-at-home orders and school closures, limited testing, and few gathering restrictions overshadowed its financial support, reliance on facts, and accountability with an open press.
Further Reading From Foreign Policy
Be the source of actionable insight.
Select one of the subscription options below to read the full Covid-19 Global Response Index. Unlock even more global intelligence with a subscription to FP Insider.
Already an FP Insider? Log In
Best Value
One-Year All Access
FP Insider
$450
1-year of full access to FP Insider exclusive content and subscription benefits
See benefits ▾
- All FP Analytics Special Reports, including the COVID-19 Global Response Index
- FP Analytics Power Maps
- Editorial conference calls
- Unlimited articles on ForeignPolicy.com
- Digital and print editions of FP’s award-winning magazine
- Print archive, containing 50 years of FP journalism
- Subscriber-only newsletters
- Security and defense news alerts
- Bonus episodes of FP podcasts
- FP mobile app
Hide benefits
One-Month
COVID-19 Report Bundle
$150
30-day Access to the COVID-19 Global Response Index and Global Race to Vaccinate report
Looking for group access? Contact us directly
Statistics and government response factors available on each country profile include:
Pre-COVID Conditions:
- Debt to GDP ratio
- Infant mortality rates
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- Gini coefficients measuring inequality
- Health access and quality
COVID-19 Public Health Directives:
- Stay-at home orders
- School-closing policy
- Public-gathering restrictions
- Cancellation of public events
- Testing policy and rates per 1,000 people
- Emergency healthcare spending per capita
- Travel restrictions
- Contact tracing
COVID-19 Financial Response:
- Stimulus package as a share of GDP
- Income support
- Debt-forbearance
Public Communications:
- Instances of misinformation by leadership
- Limitations on press freedom, censorship
Current/Historic In-Country COVID-19 Status:
- Death rates per 1 million
- Case rates per 1 million