If you lived in Germany instead of Russia, you would:

Health

live 7.4 years longer

In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Germany, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Germany spends $8,826 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 11.4% more access to essential health services

Russia scores 79 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Germany scores 88 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 39.6% less likely to die by suicide

Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Germany, it is 12.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 17.2% more likely to be obese

In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Germany, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 11.3% fewer doctors per person

Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Germany has 45.3 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 3.4 times more money

Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in Germany, the GDP per capita is $60,496 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 74.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Germany, that number is 3.7% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Russia, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Germany, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Life

be 55.6% 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 Germany, 4.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 24.4% 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 Germany, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 26.0% more on education

Russia spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Germany spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 74.3% more on healthcare

Russia spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Germany, that number is 12.3% of GDP as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 93.7% less coastline

Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In Germany, that number is 2,389 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 86.6% less likely to be murdered

Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Germany, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 68.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Germany, they kill 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 20.2% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night

In Russia, 90% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Germany, that number is 72% as of 2020.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 68.1% more home broadband

Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Germany has 45.6 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 8.6 times more strain on fresh water

Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Germany withdraws 35% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 16.1% less electricity

Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Germany uses 6,109 kWh as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 61.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Germany, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 50.4% less CO2

Russia emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Germany emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Germany: At a glance

Germany is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 348,672 sq km. As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.
Read more

How big is Germany compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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