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

Health

have 43.8% more doctors per person

France has 32.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belarus has 47.2 as of 2023.

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live 8.6 years less

In France, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 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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be 84.5% more likely to be obese

In France, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.

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see 68.1% less spent on your healthcare

France spends $6,868 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belarus spends $2,194 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 55.2% less likely to be unemployed

In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belarus, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.

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be 77.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In France, 15.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belarus, however, that number is 3.5% as of 2024.

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make 79.0% less money

France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $10,279 as of 2025.

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Life

be 85.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In France, approximately 7.0 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 47.1% less likely to die during infancy

In France, approximately 3.4 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 27.5% fewer children

In France, there are approximately 9.7 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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Expenditures

spend 38.6% less on healthcare

France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 7.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 57.4% more likely to die in a road accident

In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belarus, they kill 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 78.2% less strain on fresh water

France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belarus withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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find 25.9% less home broadband

France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belarus has 36.3 as of 2024.

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use 34.9% less electricity

France uses 6,447 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belarus uses 4,198 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 6.8 times more likely to die from air pollution

In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belarus, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.

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emit 48.5% more CO2

France emits 4.0 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 (2021–2025), 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 France? See an in-depth size comparison.

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