If you lived in Belarus instead of Puerto Rico, you would:

Health

be 51.3% less likely to be obese

In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 7.5 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 74 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide

Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belarus, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 43.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belarus, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 74.7% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $10,279 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 90.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belarus, 1.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 70.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belarus, on the other hand, 1.8 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 23.3% more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belarus, there are 7.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 18.3% more on education

Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Belarus spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 40.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belarus, they kill 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 29.5% more home broadband

Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belarus has 36.3 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 76.2% less strain on fresh water

Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belarus withdraws 5% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 23.2% more CO2

Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belarus emits 5.9 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2022). 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.
Read more

How big is Belarus compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Belarus or Puerto Rico. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.