Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Russia instead of Belarus, you would:
Health
be 14.7% less likely to be obese
In Belarus, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Russia, that number is 17.6% of people as of 2024.
see 46.1% more spent on your healthcare
Belarus spends $2,194 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Russia spends $3,204 as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Belarus, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Russia, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2017.
live 0.9 years less
In Belarus, the average life expectancy is 74 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Russia, that number is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 36.9% more likely to die by suicide
Belarus has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Russia, it is 21.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 37.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Belarus, 3.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Russia, that number is 2.1% as of 2025.
make 70.7% more money
Belarus has a GDP per capita of $10,279 as of 2025, while in Russia, the GDP per capita is $17,547 as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belarus, 3.5% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Russia, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2024.
Life
have 19.5% more children
In Belarus, there are approximately 7.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Russia, there are 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belarus, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Russia, 9.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belarus, approximately 1.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Russia, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.6% less on education
Belarus spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Russia spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to be murdered
Belarus has a homicide rate of 2.4 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Russia, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 43.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Belarus, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Russia, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 11.6% less strain on fresh water
Belarus withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Russia withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 73.6% more electricity
Belarus uses 4,198 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Russia uses 7,285 kWh as of 2023.
find 25.2% less home broadband
Belarus has 36.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Russia has 27.1 as of 2024.
Environment
be 42.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belarus, air pollution causes 68.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Russia, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Belarus emits 5.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Russia emits 14.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2017–2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Belarus vs. Russia
Russia: At a glance
How big is Russia compared to Belarus? See an in-depth size comparison.