Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Belarus instead of Iceland, you would:

Health

live 9.4 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Belarus, that number is 74 years (69 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022.

be 11.9% more likely to be obese

In Iceland, 21.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belarus, that number is 24.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 45.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Belarus, however, that number is 4.8% as of 2020.

pay a 71.9% lower top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Belarus, the top tax rate is 13.0% as of 2017.

make 58.3% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $27,700 as of 2023.

Life

be 66.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belarus, 1.0 women do as of 2020.

be 98.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Iceland, approximately 1.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belarus, on the other hand, 3.3 children do as of 2022.

have 34.1% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belarus, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 15.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Belarus, about 85.0% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 39.0% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belarus spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 33.3% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Belarus, that number is 6.4% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate of Internal Revenue, Ministry for Taxes and Levies of the Republic of Belarus.

Belarus: At a glance

Belarus is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 202,900 sq km. After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than have any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first directly elected president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion remain in place.
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How big is Belarus compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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