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

Health

be 36.3% less likely to be obese

In Romania, 32.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.

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have 30.1% more doctors per person

Romania has 36.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belarus has 47.2 as of 2023.

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live 2.1 years less

In Romania, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 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 16.1% less spent on your healthcare

Romania spends $2,614 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belarus spends $2,194 as of 2023.

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be 62.3% more likely to die by suicide

Romania has a suicide rate of 9.6 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 43.6% less likely to be unemployed

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

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be 81.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Romania, 18.4% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Belarus, however, that number is 3.5% as of 2024.

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make 54.4% less money

Romania has a GDP per capita of $22,538 as of 2025, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $10,279 as of 2025.

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Life

be 91.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Romania, approximately 12.0 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 70.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Romania, approximately 6.0 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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Expenditures

spend 54.0% more on education

Romania spends 3.3% 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 24.0% more on healthcare

Romania spends 5.7% 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 22.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Romania, road accidents kill 9.6 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 38.9% less strain on fresh water

Romania withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belarus withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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use 62.4% more electricity

Romania uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belarus uses 4,198 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 47.8% more likely to die from air pollution

In Romania, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belarus, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.

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emit 59.7% more CO2

Romania emits 3.7 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 Romania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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