If you lived in Belarus instead of United States, you would:

Health

be 49.6% less likely to be obese

In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belarus, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.

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have 28.1% more doctors per person

United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belarus has 47.2 as of 2023.

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live 4.5 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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 83.7% less spent on your healthcare

United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belarus spends $2,194 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 19.5% less likely to be unemployed

In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belarus, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.

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make 88.6% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $10,279 as of 2025.

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Life

be 94.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 17.0 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 67.3% less likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.5 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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have 33.7% fewer children

In United States, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belarus, there are 7.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 57.6% less on healthcare

United States spends 16.7% 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 47.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In United States, road accidents kill 14.2 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 83.5% less strain on fresh water

United States withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belarus withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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use 67.3% less electricity

United States uses 12,839 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belarus uses 4,198 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 56.4% less CO2

United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belarus emits 5.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 4.9 times more likely to die from air pollution

In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belarus, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), 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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