Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belarus instead of Russia, you would:
Health
be 58.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Russia, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2017. In Belarus, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2020.
live 0.9 years longer
In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 74 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 27.0% less likely to die by suicide
Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belarus, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 17.2% more likely to be obese
In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
see 31.5% less spent on your healthcare
Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belarus spends $2,194 as of 2023.
Economy
be 51.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Russia, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Belarus, however, that number is 3.5% as of 2024.
be 58.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belarus, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.
make 41.4% less money
Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $10,279 as of 2025.
Life
be 88.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Russia, approximately 9.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belarus, 1.0 women do as of 2023.
be 56.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Russia, approximately 4.1 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.
have 16.3% fewer children
In Russia, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belarus, there are 7.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.4% more on education
Russia spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Belarus spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 64.8% less likely to be murdered
Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belarus, that number is 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 30.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belarus, they kill 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 33.7% more home broadband
Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belarus has 36.3 as of 2024.
live with 13.1% more strain on fresh water
Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belarus withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 42.4% less electricity
Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belarus uses 4,198 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 57.5% less CO2
Russia emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belarus emits 5.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 74.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belarus, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2017–2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Russia vs. Belarus
Belarus: At a glance
How big is Belarus compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.