Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belarus instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
live 9.7 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 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 17.9% more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
see 71.8% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belarus spends $2,194 as of 2023.
be 12.8% more likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belarus, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belarus, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.
be 78.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Belarus, however, that number is 3.5% as of 2024.
make 83.7% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $10,279 as of 2025.
Life
be 75.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belarus, 1.0 women do as of 2023.
have 24.4% fewer children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belarus, there are 7.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.0% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belarus spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 36.9% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 7.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belarus, they kill 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.7% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belarus has 36.3 as of 2024.
live with 30.2% more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belarus withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 65.7% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belarus uses 4,198 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 8.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belarus, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.
emit 66.4% more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belarus emits 5.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Belarus
Belarus: At a glance
How big is Belarus compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.