Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belarus fits inside Russia 82 times.
Belarus: 207,629 km² (2023) · Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Belarus: 0 km (2026 edition) · Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Russia’s highest peak towers 5,296 m above Belarus’.
Belarus: 346 m (2026 edition) · Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Russia has 16 times as many people as Belarus.
Belarus: 9.09 million (2025) · Russia: 144 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Belarus is 5.1 times as densely populated as Russia.
Belarus: 45 per km² (2025) · Russia: 9 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Belarus are 2.0 cm taller than in Russia.
Belarus: 178.7 cm (2019) · Russia: 176.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Belarus are 2.4 cm taller than in Russia.
Belarus: 166.9 cm (2019) · Russia: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Belarus is 1.1 years older than in Russia.
Belarus: 40.5 years (2023) · Russia: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Russia have 0.2 more children on average than in Belarus.
Belarus: 1.22 children per woman (2024) · Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Belarus and Russia are practically level.
Belarus: 18.3% (2025) · Russia: 17.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Belarus has produced 4.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Russia 2.0.
Belarus: 4.4 (2025) · Russia: 2 (2025)
How many official languages?
Belarus has 2 official languages, Russia 1.
Belarus: 2 (2026) · Russia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Russia’s economy is 27 times the size of Belarus’.
Belarus: $93.4 billion (2025) · Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Russia produces 43% more per person than Belarus.
Belarus: Int$34,716 (2025) · Russia: Int$49,568 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Russia than in Belarus (Gini 8.6 points higher).
Belarus: 24.4 (2020) · Russia: 33 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.4% in Belarus, versus 2.1% in Russia.
Belarus: 3.4% (2025) · Russia: 2.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.1% of its GDP on the military, Belarus 2.1%.
Belarus: 2.1% (2024) · Russia: 7.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Russia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Belarus’.
Belarus: 30% (2025) · Russia: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Russia spends 80% more on health per person than Belarus.
Belarus: $558 (2023) · Russia: $1,003 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Belarus live 0.92 years longer than in Russia.
Belarus: 74.4 years (2024) · Russia: 73.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Russia is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Belarus.
Belarus: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 8% more doctors per person than Belarus.
Belarus: 4.7 per 1,000 (2023) · Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Belarus are obese, versus 21% in Russia.
Belarus: 26.1% (2024) · Russia: 21.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Belarus smoke, versus 27% in Russia.
Belarus: 29.2% (2024) · Russia: 27% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Russia and Belarus are practically level.
Belarus: 5.82 (2021) · Russia: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Belarus drink 8% more alcohol than in Russia.
Belarus: 11.3 litres (2023) · Russia: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Belarus has 32% more meat per person than Russia.
Belarus: 111.7 kg (2023) · Russia: 84.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Russia has 132 kcal more food per person per day than Belarus.
Belarus: 3,396 kcal (2023) · Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Russia put in 212 more hours a year than in Belarus.
Belarus: 1,875 hours (2023) · Russia: 2,087 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Russia went to school 0.07 years longer than in Belarus.
Belarus: 12.3 years (2023) · Russia: 12.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Belarus: 0.16 (2022) · Russia: no data
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Russia and Belarus are practically level.
Belarus: 94% (2024) · Russia: 94% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Belarus and Russia are practically level.
Belarus: 100% (2024) · Russia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Belarus live in cities, versus 75% in Russia.
Belarus: 79% (2025) · Russia: 75% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belarus 131.
Belarus: 131 (2024) · Russia: 186 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Russia’s railway network is 16 times as long as Belarus’.
Belarus: 5,474 km (2021) · Russia: 85,544 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Russia fly 4.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Belarus.
Belarus: 0.15 (2023) · Russia: 0.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Russia, but only 43% of Belarus.
Belarus: 43.4% (2023) · Russia: 49.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Russia emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Belarus.
Belarus: 6.2 t (2024) · Russia: 12.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
17% of Russia’s electricity is renewable, versus 4.8% in Belarus.
Belarus: 4.8% (2025) · Russia: 17.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
Belarus and Russia are nearly identical here.
Belarus: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.3 times as likely to be murdered in Russia as in Belarus.
Belarus: 2.4 per 100k (2019) · Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Russia are 43% deadlier than in Belarus.
Belarus: 7.4 per 100k (2021) · Russia: 10.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Belarus is on average 10.9 °C warmer than Russia.
Belarus: 8.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Belarus gets 28% more rain than Russia.
Belarus: 750 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Belarus bigger than Russia?
Russia is larger. Belarus fits inside Russia 82 times.
Which has more people, Belarus or Russia?
Russia has 16 times as many people as Belarus (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belarus or Russia?
People in Belarus live 0.92 years longer than in Russia. Life expectancy at birth is 74.4 years in Belarus and 73.4 in Russia.
Are people taller in Belarus or Russia?
Men in Belarus are 2.0 cm taller than in Russia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
