Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.2 years less

In Iowa, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Belarus, that number is 74 years (69 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022.

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Economy

be 54.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Iowa, 10.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Belarus, however, that number is 4.8% as of 2020.

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make 56.5% less money

Iowa has a GDP per capita of $63,747 as of 2024, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $27,700 as of 2023.

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The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Economic Analysis, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), The World Factbook.

Compare further: Iowa vs. Belarus

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Belarus is 55.3% cheaper than Iowa
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Size Comparison · See true size
Iowa is about 1.4 times smaller than Belarus.
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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 Iowa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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