Belarus vs Laos
Laos is 14% larger than Belarus.
BelarusLaosBelarus moved onto Laos · Equal-area projection
0.88×
Belarus is 0.88× the area of Laos. Put the other way, Laos is 1.14× the size of Belarus.
 Belarus |  Laos | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLaos: 1.14× the area | 207,597 km²#84 of 194 | 236,800 km²#82 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBelarus: 1.15× the population | 9,085,991#100 of 194 · 2025 | 7,873,046#103 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBelarus: 1.32× the density | 44 / km²#141 of 194 | 33 / km²#146 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelarus: 1.97× the urban share | 80%#44 of 192 · 2025 | 40%#149 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLaos: 1.97× the births per woman | 1.22 per woman#176 of 192 · 2024 | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLaos: 1.83 points higher | −0.51%#181 of 192 · 2025 | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLaos: 2.99× the birth rate | 7.0 per 1,000#180 of 192 · 2024 | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBelarus: 2.11× the death rate | 13.1 per 1,000#11 of 192 · 2024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Laos: 13.9 points higher | 15.9%#151 of 192 · 2025 | 29.8%#70 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Belarus: 13.5 points higher | 18.3%#39 of 192 · 2025 | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelarus: 1.1 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBelarus: 2.61× the refugees for its size | 2.14 per 1,000#40 of 190 · 2025 | 0.82 per 1,000#64 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelarus: 5.2 years longer | 74.4 years#93 of 192 · 2024 | 69.2 years#136 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLaos: 15.1× the infant mortality | 1.8 per 1,000 births#187 of 191 · 2024 | 27.2 per 1,000 births#53 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBelarus: 14.3× the doctors per person | 4.72 per 1,000#12 of 178 · 2023 | 0.33 per 1,000#135 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBelarus: 4.7× the university enrolment | 70.1%#45 of 145 · 2024 | 14.9%#122 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexBelarus: 0.207 higher | 0.824#64 of 190 · 2023 | 0.617#144 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBelarus: 4.26× the income per person | $9,160#83 of 185 · 2025 | $2,150#147 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBelarus: 5.1× the economy | $93.4B2025 | $18.3B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Belarus: 3.34× the output per person | $34,716#63 of 184 · 2025 | $10,383#125 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLaos: 3.2 points higher | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLaos: 1.1 points higher | +6.6%#34 of 176 · 2025 | +7.7%#31 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBelarus: 2.83× the unemployment | 3.4%#126 of 178 · 2025 | 1.2%#171 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2020 | 7.1%#49 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Laos: 10.3 higher | 24.4#147 of 149 · 2020 | 34.7#73 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureLaos: 59.1 points higher | 9.5% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 68.6% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBelarus: 23.7 points higher | 31.1% of jobs#15 of 178 · 2025 | 7.4% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelarus: 35.5 points higher | 59.5% of jobs#85 of 178 · 2025 | 24.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLaos: 5.9 points higher | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 | 7.7% of GDP#23 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | 55.1% of GDP#38 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 2.4% of GDP#44 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet usersBelarus: 1.44× the share online | 94%#32 of 184 · 2024 | 66%#128 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBelarus: 2.02× the mobile subscriptions | 131 per 100#50 of 191 · 2024 | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLaos: 1.28× the forest share | 44% of land#58 of 192 · 2024 | 57% of land#36 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBelarus: 1.77× the CO₂ per person | 5.94 t a year#40 of 185 · 2024 | 3.35 t a year#79 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLaos: 41.0 points higher | 8.2%#152 of 190 · 2021 | 49.2%#50 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityBelarus: 3.5 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Laos: 2.17× the air pollution | 12.0 µg/m³#139 of 191 · 2023 | 26.0 µg/m³#61 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLaos: 9.6 points higher | 9.2% of land#145 of 191 · 2025 | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBelarus: 21.9 points higher | 27.2% of land#35 of 190 · 2024 | 5.3% of land#127 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressAbout the same water stress | 4.7%#123 of 176 · 2022 | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLaos: 2.97× the rain and snow | 618 mm#129 of 180 · 2022 | 1,834 mm#38 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLaos: 0.72 higher | −0.17#117 of 193 · 2025 | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelarus: 0.42 higher | −0.57#126 of 193 · 2025 | −0.99#155 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 2.4 per 100,000#71 of 146 · 2019 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republicpresidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship | One-party statecommunist party-led state |
| Member of | — | ASEAN |
| Capital | Minsk | Vientiane |
| Currency | Belarusian ruble (BYN) | Lao kip (LAK) |
| Official languages | Russian, Belarusian | Lao |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+7 |
| Calling code | +375 | +856 |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe | South-Eastern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belarus sits at about 54° N and is stretched to 2.83× its true area; Laos at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. That difference is why Belarus looks so much bigger than it is next to Laos. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Belarus bigger than Laos?
- No. Belarus is 12% smaller than Laos. Belarus covers 207,597 km² and Laos covers 236,800 km².
- How many times does Belarus fit into Laos?
- About 1.1 times: Laos has 1.14× the area of Belarus.
- Why do Belarus and Laos look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belarus is drawn about 2.83× its true area there and Laos about 1.11×. That is why Belarus looks so much bigger than it really is next to Laos. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belarus or Laos?
- Belarus: 9,085,991 people against 7,873,046. Density: Belarus 44 per km², Laos 33 per km².
- Which is richer, Belarus or Laos?
- By gross national income per person, Belarus: $9,160 against $2,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 4.26× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belarus or Laos?
- In Belarus: life expectancy at birth is 74.4 years, against 69.2 — 5.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belarus and Laos have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belarus: presidential republic; Laos: one-party state.