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

Health

be 10.2% less likely to be obese

In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.

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live 3.9 years less

In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 74 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 14.8% less spent on your healthcare

Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belarus spends $2,194 as of 2023.

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have 50.6% fewer doctors per person

Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Belarus has 47.2 as of 2023.

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be 13.2% more likely to die by suicide

Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belarus, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 93.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belarus, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Cuba, approximately 35.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belarus, 1.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 73.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Cuba, approximately 6.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Belarus, on the other hand, 1.8 children do as of 2024.

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have 18.4% fewer children

In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belarus, there are 7.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 33.7% more likely to have internet access

In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belarus, about 94.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 40.2% less on education

Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belarus spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 24.5% less on healthcare

Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belarus, that number is 7.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 46.6% less likely to be murdered

Cuba has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belarus, that number is 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2019.

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be 37.0% more likely to die in a road accident

In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belarus, they kill 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 11.8 times more home broadband

Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belarus has 36.3 as of 2024.

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live with 80.5% less strain on fresh water

Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belarus withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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use 2.9 times more electricity

Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belarus uses 4,198 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belarus, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.1 times more CO2

Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belarus emits 5.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

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 Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.

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