GeoRealityMatch
Picturesque view of Minsk cityscape along the river under a cloudy sky with modern and historic architecture.Drone view of Minsk's modern skyline, river, and park in fall.

Belarus

Europe · Eastern Europe

Very high development

The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the whole country.

Source: FCDO travel advice, read 29 October 2026.

Safety

114th most peaceful of 161

Global Peace Index
2.216lower is more peacefulMedium safety
#114 of 161
IEP GPI · 2026
Homicides
2.4per 100,000 people a yearModerateUNODC / World Bank · 2019
Safety index
51.5Numbeo's safety index, higher is saferModerateNumbeo · 2026
Money

Incomes above the median country

GNI per person
$9,160national income per person, US dollarsModerate
World Bank · 2025
Rent index
10.3New York = 100AffordableNumbeo · 2026
Property price to income
10.7years of median income to buy a median flatAffordableNumbeo · 2026

Income and inflation over time

Income per person rose 167% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and rose 62% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$20K$40K$34,716 PPP$10,279Inflation, % a year60%0200620102015202020252006, $3,848 a person, $10,995 at PPP, inflation 7%2007, $4,735 a person, $12,320 at PPP, inflation 8.4%2008, $6,376 a person, $13,886 at PPP, inflation 14.8%2009, $5,352 a person, $14,034 at PPP, inflation 12.9%2010, $6,035 a person, $15,339 at PPP, inflation 7.7%2011, $6,528 a person, $16,563 at PPP, inflation 53.2%2012, $6,953 a person, $18,115 at PPP, inflation 59.2%2013, $7,998 a person, $19,014 at PPP, inflation 18.3%2014, $8,341 a person, $19,038 at PPP, inflation 18.1%2015, $5,967 a person, $18,134 at PPP, inflation 13.5%2016, $5,040 a person, $17,832 at PPP, inflation 11.8%2017, $5,786 a person, $18,414 at PPP, inflation 6%2018, $6,360 a person, $20,026 at PPP, inflation 4.9%2019, $6,838 a person, $22,302 at PPP, inflation 5.6%2020, $6,543 a person, $24,872 at PPP, inflation 5.5%2021, $7,490 a person, $27,611 at PPP, inflation 9.5%2022, $7,995 a person, $28,425 at PPP, inflation 15.2%2023, $7,897 a person, $30,860 at PPP, inflation 5%2024, $8,606 a person, $33,166 at PPP, inflation 5.8%2025, $10,279 a person, $34,716 at PPP, inflation 6.6%$0$20K$40KInflation, % a year60%0200620102015202020252006, $3,848 a person, $10,995 at PPP, inflation 7%2007, $4,735 a person, $12,320 at PPP, inflation 8.4%2008, $6,376 a person, $13,886 at PPP, inflation 14.8%2009, $5,352 a person, $14,034 at PPP, inflation 12.9%2010, $6,035 a person, $15,339 at PPP, inflation 7.7%2011, $6,528 a person, $16,563 at PPP, inflation 53.2%2012, $6,953 a person, $18,115 at PPP, inflation 59.2%2013, $7,998 a person, $19,014 at PPP, inflation 18.3%2014, $8,341 a person, $19,038 at PPP, inflation 18.1%2015, $5,967 a person, $18,134 at PPP, inflation 13.5%2016, $5,040 a person, $17,832 at PPP, inflation 11.8%2017, $5,786 a person, $18,414 at PPP, inflation 6%2018, $6,360 a person, $20,026 at PPP, inflation 4.9%2019, $6,838 a person, $22,302 at PPP, inflation 5.6%2020, $6,543 a person, $24,872 at PPP, inflation 5.5%2021, $7,490 a person, $27,611 at PPP, inflation 9.5%2022, $7,995 a person, $28,425 at PPP, inflation 15.2%2023, $7,897 a person, $30,860 at PPP, inflation 5%2024, $8,606 a person, $33,166 at PPP, inflation 5.8%2025, $10,279 a person, $34,716 at PPP, inflation 6.6%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Around the middle for life expectancy

Life expectancy
74.4years, at birthModerate
#95 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
80WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100HighWHO · 2023
Air pollution
9.3PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageLowWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Fast home internet

Unemployment rate
3.4%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Home internet
91 Mbpsmedian download speedFastOokla Speedtest · 2025
English proficiency
533EF English Proficiency Index scoreModerateEF EPI · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet91 MbpsFast
Mobile27 MbpsVery slow

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

Drone view of Minsk's modern skyline, river, and park in fall.
How it changed

Belarus's Human Development Index

0.824Very high human development

65th of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 38th of 44 in Europe.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #62Serbia0.833
  2. #64Russia0.832
  3. #65Belarus0.824
  4. #66Bahamas0.820
  5. #67Malaysia0.819
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 1995

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.692 in 1995 to 0.824 in 2023.

0.650.750.850.82419952000201020231995: 0.6921996: 0.6971997: 0.7041998: 0.7091999: 0.7162000: 0.7242001: 0.7312002: 0.7382003: 0.7472004: 0.7582005: 0.7672006: 0.7772007: 0.7862008: 0.7962009: 0.7982010: 0.8032011: 0.8122012: 0.8182013: 0.8212014: 0.8252015: 0.8252016: 0.8252017: 0.8282018: 0.8272019: 0.8262020: 0.8152021: 0.8172022: 0.8242023: 0.8240.650.750.8519952000201020231995: 0.6921996: 0.6971997: 0.7041998: 0.7091999: 0.7162000: 0.7242001: 0.7312002: 0.7382003: 0.7472004: 0.7582005: 0.7672006: 0.7772007: 0.7862008: 0.7962009: 0.7982010: 0.8032011: 0.8122012: 0.8182013: 0.8212014: 0.8252015: 0.8252016: 0.8252017: 0.8282018: 0.8272019: 0.8262020: 0.8152021: 0.8172022: 0.8242023: 0.824

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 29 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
74.4 years2024at birthUp 5.5 years from 68.8 years in 2005
Internet users
94%2024of people onlineUp 78 points from 16% in 2006
Urban population
79%2025of people in towns and citiesUp 7 points from 73% in 2006
Births per woman
1.222024births per womanDown 0.03 from 1.25 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
8%2021of energy usedUp 2 points from 6% in 2004
Access to electricity
100%2024of people with electricityUp 9 points from 92% in 2005
Infant mortality
22024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 5 from 7 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
5.9 t2024of CO2 per person a yearDown 0.3 t from 6.2 t in 2005
Forest area
43%2023of land under forestUp 2 points from 41% in 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

Europe's last dictatorship: authoritarian regime, low costs, deeply isolated since 2020. The case against is the UK's advice against travel.

About Belarus

Belarus is a flat, forested country in Eastern Europe with a landscape of birch forests, marshlands, and old Soviet-era cities that preserve a mid-20th century atmosphere found almost nowhere else. The countryside is genuinely beautiful and peaceful, and the people, once past initial reserve, are hospitable and proud of their traditions. It is a destination for those drawn to the unusual and undervisited rather than conventional tourism.

Practical facts

  • CapitalMinsk
  • LanguagesBelarusian, Russian
  • CurrencyBelarusian ruble (BYN)
  • Area202,983 km²
  • Plug typeType C/F
  • Drives on theright
Every figure

Everything we hold on Belarus

Compare Belarus

Borders

LatviaLithuaniaPolandRussiaUkraine

Side by side

Compare any two countries

Quick answers

What is Belarus's Human Development Index?

Belarus's Human Development Index is 0.824 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #65 of 193 by UNDP.

Is Belarus safe?

Belarus scores 2.22 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #114 of 161 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.

How expensive is Belarus?

Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Belarus at 30.5 (New York = 100); that is #31 cheapest of 143 countries with data.

What is life expectancy in Belarus?

Life expectancy at birth in Belarus is 74.4 yrs (World Bank), ranked #95 of 195 countries.

What is the quality of life in Belarus?

Numbeo's quality-of-life index scores Belarus at 135.7, ranked #49 of 87 countries with data. It composites purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, commute and pollution from resident surveys, so it reflects what residents report rather than what an economy produces.