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    Belgium

    Extended
    Europe · #12 of 117 markets · IEPA 2024 (final) · 2026 current estimate available
    69.7▼ -1.3 YoY
    ●●○0.79IEPA COMPOSITE

    Belgium scores 69.7 out of 100 on the IEPA (2024 edition), ranking #12 of 117 economies. That is down 1.3 points on the year before. Its strongest zone is Innovation Capacity at 81.3. Its binding constraint, the lowest-scoring of its six zones, is FDI Accelerator at 55.7. How the IEPA works →

    SIX FACTORS · CLICK ANY SCORE FOR ITS EVIDENCE
    IEPA TRAJECTORY · 2010–2026
    2010201220142016201820202022202420264856647280
    CAPITAL FLOWS · FDI NET INFLOWS % OF GDP
    2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202120232025-110112233
    IE FDI intelligence · synced weekly
    PRODUCTIVE CAPABILITY
    IE COMPLEXITY LAYER · VINTAGE 2024
    #25of 145 ranked economies▼ 7 places since 2010
    How much productive know-how this market has demonstrated, read from the range and rarity of what it makes competitively.
    20102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202417202326
    CAPABILITY RANK · HIGHER IS BETTER
    1.33% / yr
    Implied growth
    Annual growth the current capability base points to.
    382
    Diversity
    Distinct products made at competitive scale.
    +0.97
    Capability score
    Standardized: 0 is the world average.
    +1.40
    Outlook
    Value of the new products within reach of what it already does.
    INDUSTRY STRENGTHS · REVEALED FROM TRADE EVIDENCE
    VINTAGE 2022-2024
    POSITION IN THE PRODUCT SPACE
    IE COMPLEXITY LAYER · VINTAGE 2024
    Industrial Chemicals and Metals89 of 157 made · 84% of the rest within reach
    Construction, Building, and Home Supplies47 of 104 made · 86% of the rest within reach
    Minerals15 of 48 made · 70% of the rest within reach
    Agriculture55 of 200 made · 59% of the rest within reach
    Textile and Home Goods16 of 78 made · 50% of the rest within reach
    Metalworking and Electrical Machinery and Parts27 of 155 made · 64% of the rest within reach
    Textile Apparel and Accessories3 of 50 made · 19% of the rest within reach
    Electronic and Electrical Goods4 of 73 made · 13% of the rest within reach
    MADE COMPETITIVELYONE STEP AWAY
    Widest opening is Metalworking and Electrical Machinery and Parts. This market makes 17% of that cluster today, and 64% of what it does not make sits one step from something it already does.
    Electronic and Electrical Goods is the furthest: 5% made, and only 13% of the rest is within one step. A move there means building capability rather than extending it.
    READ ON THE 256 OF 382 COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS THAT CARRY A POSITION IN THE CAPABILITY MAP
    POSITIONED TO BUILD NEXT
    IE COMPLEXITY LAYER · VINTAGE 2024
    Diagnostic or laboratory reagents$31B world market
    Chemicals & PlasticsOPENS 0.26 · COMPLEXITY +1.17
    Machinery for soil preparation or cultivation$9B world market
    Machinery & Industrial EquipmentOPENS 0.16 · COMPLEXITY +0.44
    Trailers and semi-trailersENERGY TRANSITION$32B world market
    Automotive & MobilityOPENS 0.16 · COMPLEXITY +0.33
    Mixtures of odoriferous subtances$31B world market
    Chemicals & PlasticsOPENS 0.07 · COMPLEXITY -0.12
    Tanks etc. < 300 liters, iron or steelENERGY TRANSITION$7B world market
    Mining, Metals & MaterialsOPENS 0.07 · COMPLEXITY 0.00
    Books, brochures etc.$13B world market
    Wood, Paper & FurnitureOPENS 0.06 · COMPLEXITY +0.06
    THE NEAREST OPTIONS AMONG 311 PRODUCTS ASSESSED · RANKED BY HOW MUCH EACH OPENS UP NEXT
    LIVE SIGNALS
    TriplePoint Capital and TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. Announce Management Transition - Stock Titan
    Google News · Belgium · Startups & Innovation · Sep 21 · Startup Ecosystem
    PEERS · EXTENDED
    🇬🇧United Kingdom68.5→🇨🇿Czech Republic68.4→🇳🇱Netherlands70.5→🇨🇾Cyprus71.1→
    ECOSYSTEM DENSITY
    IE Ecosystem Registry · 2026-10-11
    1,149organizations indexed across 12 types · 1,137 mapped
    Research organizations
    396
    Corporate R&D
    320
    Universities & research bodies
    157
    Government bodies
    104
    Health research
    75
    Science & tech parks
    54
    Fab labs & makerspaces
    35
    network
    2
    investor
    2
    Incubators
    2
    Accelerators
    1
    program
    1
    Universities, corporate R&D, government bodies, incubators, accelerators, science parks, and special economic zones, indexed today.Explore the directory →
    ORGANIZATIONS
    a sample of 1,149 indexed
    Blue Startups
    Accelerators · 2012
    CAP INNOVE
    Incubators · Nivelles
    B3 (Liège)
    Incubators · 2023
    Science Park University of Antwerp
    Science & tech parks · Niel
    Limburg DC
    Science & tech parks · Diepenbeek
    Thomas More Kempen
    Universities & research bodies · Geel · 2012
    VIB-VUB Laboratory Myeloid Cell Immunology
    Universities & research bodies · Brussels
    Neoceram (Belgium)
    Corporate R&D · La Louvière · 1985
    Renson (Belgium)
    Corporate R&D · Waregem
    European Society of Surgical Oncology
    Research organizations · Brussels · 1981
    Kom op tegen Kanker
    Research organizations · Brussels · 1924
    ZNA Middelheim Hospital
    Health research · Antwerp
    Members get the full directory, filters, and exports.See all 1,149 organizations →

    Belgium: common questions

    What is Belgium's IEPA score?
    Belgium scores 69.7 out of 100 on the IEPA, 2024 edition, which ranks it #12 of 117 economies.
    What is Belgium's strongest zone?
    Innovation Capacity, at 81.3. The six zones are scored separately, so a market's strengths stay visible instead of being averaged away.
    What is holding Belgium back?
    Its binding constraint is FDI Accelerator, at 55.7, the lowest of its six zones. The IEPA reports every zone separately so the constraint stays visible instead of being averaged into the composite.
    How does Belgium compare with its peers?
    The closest scored peers are United Kingdom (68.5), Czech Republic (68.4), Netherlands (70.5), Cyprus (71.1).
    What is the IEPA?
    The Innovation Ecosystem Prosperity Assessment (IEPA) scores economies across six zones: innovation capacity, entrepreneurship capacity, resilience, alignment, the FDI accelerator, and prosperity outcomes. Every score carries a confidence band and traces to the evidence behind it.
    Run the full diagnostic →Talk to IE about Belgium →