Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Belarus instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 2.5 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belarus, that number is 24.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 16.3 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $27,700 as of 2023.

be 19.0% more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Belarus, that number is 3.6% as of 2023.

Life

be 99.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belarus, 1.0 women do as of 2020.

be 85.3% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 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 37.1% fewer children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 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 82.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 55% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Belarus, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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