Belarus at its true size
Belarus covers 207,597 km², number 84 of 194 countries by area. Home to 9,085,991 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 2.83× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 207,597 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 9,085,991 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 44 per km² |
| Capital | Minsk |
| Local time in Minsk | |
| Time zone | UTC+3 IANA |
| Currency | Belarusian ruble (BYN) Wikidata |
| Languages | Russian, Belarusian |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +375 |
| Codes | BY · BLR · 112 |
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Where Belarus ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#100 of 1949.1 million people#19 of 44 in Europe
- Population density#141 of 19444 people per km²#37 of 44 in Europe
- Urban population#44 of 19280% urban#16 of 43 in Europe
- Fertility rate#176 of 1921.22 births per woman#34 of 43 in Europe
- Population growth#181 of 192−0.51% a year#37 of 43 in Europe
- Birth rate#180 of 1927.0 births per 1,000 people#34 of 43 in Europe
- Death rate#11 of 19213.1 deaths per 1,000 people#10 of 43 in Europe
- Children under 15#151 of 19215.9% under 15#11 of 43 in Europe
- People over 65#39 of 19218.3% aged 65 and over#35 of 43 in Europe
- Net migration#89 of 192−0.3 per 1,000 people#25 of 43 in Europe
- Refugees abroad#40 of 1902.14 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#7 of 41 in Europe
Health & education
- Life expectancy#93 of 19274.4 years#41 of 43 in Europe
- Infant mortality#187 of 1911.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#39 of 42 in Europe
- Doctors#12 of 1784.72 doctors per 1,000 people#8 of 41 in Europe
- University enrolment#45 of 14570.1% gross enrolment#29 of 43 in Europe
- Human Development Index#64 of 190an index of 0.824#37 of 42 in Europe
Economy
- GNI per capita#83 of 185$9,160 a person#39 of 41 in Europe
- Internet users#32 of 18494% online#17 of 43 in Europe
- GDP per capita (PPP)#63 of 184$34,716 a person#35 of 41 in Europe
- GDP growth#148 of 187+1.3% a year#25 of 42 in Europe
- Inflation#34 of 176+6.6% a year#5 of 40 in Europe
- Unemployment#126 of 1783.4% of the labour force#33 of 39 in Europe
- Extreme poverty#136 of 1490.0% under $3.00 a day#35 of 39 in Europe
- Income inequality (Gini)#147 of 149a Gini index of 24.4#38 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in agriculture#110 of 1789.5% of jobs#8 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in industry#15 of 17831.1% of jobs#5 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in services#85 of 17859.5% of jobs#34 of 39 in Europe
- Foreign investment#100 of 1841.8% of GDP#22 of 41 in Europe
- Exports#38 of 16855.1% of GDP#17 of 40 in Europe
- Military spending#44 of 1552.4% of GDP#13 of 39 in Europe
- Mobile subscriptions#50 of 191131 subscriptions per 100 people#13 of 43 in Europe
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#40 of 1855.94 tonnes a person#15 of 37 in Europe
- Forest area#58 of 19244% forest#9 of 43 in Europe
- Renewable energy#152 of 1908.2% renewable#40 of 41 in Europe
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 43 in Europe
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#139 of 19112.0 µg/m³#20 of 42 in Europe
- Protected land#145 of 1919.2% of the land protected#42 of 42 in Europe
- Arable land#35 of 19027.2% of the land arable#16 of 42 in Europe
- Water stress#123 of 1764.7% of its available fresh water#28 of 38 in Europe
- Precipitation#129 of 180618 mm a year#29 of 37 in Europe
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Belarus’s area, lit up on the map →
How many times does Belarus fit into…
- Russia: about 82 times
- Canada: about 48 times
- United States: about 47 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Belarus shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Dnieper2,285 km
- Daugava1,020 km
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Belarus. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Belarus
- How big is Belarus?
- Belarus covers 207,597 km², which makes it number 84 of 194 countries by area. About 9,085,991 people live there (2025), 44 per km².
- Is Belarus bigger than Guyana?
- Belarus is 3% smaller than Guyana. Belarus: 207,597 km²; Guyana: 214,970 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Belarus?
- At about 54° latitude, Mercator stretches Belarus to roughly 2.83× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border Belarus?
- Belarus shares a land border with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia.