According to 2012 statistics, Belgians are richer than other Europeans. At the end of 2012, Belgian households’ financial assets totalled about 981 billion euros. Loans, mortgages and other debts included, they run over 770 billion euros.
As the Eurostat informs, at the end of 2011 each Belgian had savings of 67,158 euros, which is a record across Europe. This indicator constitutes 61,219 euros in the Netherlands, 60,366 euros in Luxembourg, while in France it is just 41,407 euros and in Germany ― mere 38,702 euros. What is more, Belgians are also the largest property owners among other Europeans. The National Bank of Belgium estimated the total cost of Belgian households’ property at over a trillion euros. As experts say, Belgium has mild rental income taxes in comparison with other countries. Meanwhile, prices for real estate located in Belgium are relatively low.
However, the government of the country still has its concerns. Under the unstable conditions of the ongoing crisis, cautious Belgians prefer savings accounts to investment in stocks or obligations. Much to the government's regret, investment activity that could speed the economic growth up is not favoured by Belgians.
