Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 58.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Russia, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2017. In Belarus, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2020.

live 1.8 years longer

In Russia, the average life expectancy is 72 years (67 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In Belarus, that number is 74 years (69 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 56.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Russia, 11.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belarus, however, that number is 4.8% as of 2020.

make 30.4% less money

Russia has a GDP per capita of $39,800 as of 2023, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $27,700 as of 2023.

Life

be 92.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Russia, approximately 14.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belarus, 1.0 women do as of 2020.

be 49.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Russia, approximately 6.4 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.

Expenditures

spend 15.8% less on healthcare

Russia spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Belarus, that number is 6.4% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 27.0% more on education

Russia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belarus spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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 Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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