Belarus vs Latvia
Belarus is 3.21 times larger than Latvia. Latvia would fit into Belarus about 3.2 times.
BelarusLatviaBelarus moved onto Latvia · Equal-area projection
3.21×
Belarus is 3.21× the area of Latvia.
 Belarus |  Latvia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBelarus: 3.21× the area | 207,597 km²#84 of 194 | 64,594 km²#122 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBelarus: 4.92× the population | 9,085,991#100 of 194 · 2025 | 1,847,785#148 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBelarus: 1.53× the density | 44 / km²#141 of 194 | 29 / km²#155 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelarus: 1.16× the urban share | 80%#44 of 192 · 2025 | 69%#80 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 1.22 per woman#176 of 192 · 2024 | 1.24 per woman#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBelarus: 0.48 points higher | −0.51%#181 of 192 · 2025 | −0.99%#189 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 7.0 per 1,000#180 of 192 · 2024 | 6.9 per 1,000#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLatvia: 1.09× the death rate | 13.1 per 1,000#11 of 192 · 2024 | 14.3 per 1,000#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Belarus: 0.7 points higher | 15.9%#151 of 192 · 2025 | 15.2%#160 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Latvia: 3.9 points higher | 18.3%#39 of 192 · 2025 | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelarus: 3.7 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −4.0 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBelarus: 21.4× the refugees for its size | 2.14 per 1,000#40 of 190 · 2025 | 0.10 per 1,000#118 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyLatvia: 2.0 years longer | 74.4 years#93 of 192 · 2024 | 76.4 years#74 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLatvia: 1.22× the infant mortality | 1.8 per 1,000 births#187 of 191 · 2024 | 2.2 per 1,000 births#177 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBelarus: 1.39× the doctors per person | 4.72 per 1,000#12 of 178 · 2023 | 3.40 per 1,000#49 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentLatvia: 1.18× the university enrolment | 70.1%#45 of 145 · 2024 | 82.9%#19 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexLatvia: 0.065 higher | 0.824#64 of 190 · 2023 | 0.889#40 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaLatvia: 2.73× the income per person | $9,160#83 of 185 · 2025 | $24,980#47 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBelarus: 1.92× the economy | $93.4B2025 | $48.62B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Latvia: 1.33× the output per person | $34,716#63 of 184 · 2025 | $46,137#47 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLatvia: 0.8 points higher | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBelarus: 2.9 points higher | +6.6%#34 of 176 · 2025 | +3.7%#68 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLatvia: 1.94× the unemployment | 3.4%#126 of 178 · 2025 | 6.6%#63 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2020 | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Latvia: 9.6 higher | 24.4#147 of 149 · 2020 | 34.0#79 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBelarus: 2.8 points higher | 9.5% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 6.7% of jobs#124 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBelarus: 9.3 points higher | 31.1% of jobs#15 of 178 · 2025 | 21.8% of jobs#65 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLatvia: 12.0 points higher | 59.5% of jobs#85 of 178 · 2025 | 71.5% of jobs#46 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBelarus: 1.0 points higher | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLatvia: 7.5 points higher | 55.1% of GDP#38 of 168 · 2025 | 62.6% of GDP#32 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingLatvia: 1.5× the military spending | 2.4% of GDP#44 of 155 · 2025 | 3.6% of GDP#16 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 94%#32 of 184 · 2024 | 93%#40 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBelarus: 1.08× the mobile subscriptions | 131 per 100#50 of 191 · 2024 | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLatvia: 1.26× the forest share | 44% of land#58 of 192 · 2024 | 56% of land#38 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBelarus: 1.63× the CO₂ per person | 5.94 t a year#40 of 185 · 2024 | 3.65 t a year#70 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLatvia: 35.8 points higher | 8.2%#152 of 190 · 2021 | 44.0%#55 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Latvia: 1.08× the air pollution | 12.0 µg/m³#139 of 191 · 2023 | 13.0 µg/m³#134 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLatvia: 9.6 points higher | 9.2% of land#145 of 191 · 2025 | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBelarus: 5.4 points higher | 27.2% of land#35 of 190 · 2024 | 21.8% of land#49 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBelarus: 4.7× the water stress | 4.7%#123 of 176 · 2022 | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLatvia: 1.08× the rain and snow | 618 mm#129 of 180 · 2022 | 667 mm#117 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLatvia: 0.98 higher | −0.17#117 of 193 · 2025 | +0.81#48 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionLatvia: 1.34 higher | −0.57#126 of 193 · 2025 | +0.77#43 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateLatvia: 1.04× the homicide rate | 2.4 per 100,000#71 of 146 · 2019 | 2.5 per 100,000#68 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republicpresidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Minsk | Riga |
| Currency | Belarusian ruble (BYN) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Russian, Belarusian | Latvian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +375 | +371 |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe | Northern Europe, Europe |
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; Latvia at 57° N is stretched to 3.35×. That difference is why Latvia looks so much bigger than it is next to Belarus. 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 Latvia?
- Yes. Belarus is 3.21 times larger than Latvia. Belarus covers 207,597 km² and Latvia covers 64,594 km².
- How many times does Latvia fit into Belarus?
- About 3.2 times: Belarus has 3.21× the area of Latvia.
- Why do Belarus and Latvia 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 Latvia about 3.35×. That is why Latvia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Belarus. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belarus or Latvia?
- Belarus: 9,085,991 people against 1,847,785. Density: Belarus 44 per km², Latvia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, Belarus or Latvia?
- By gross national income per person, Latvia: $24,980 against $9,160 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.73× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belarus or Latvia?
- In Latvia: life expectancy at birth is 76.4 years, against 74.4 — 2.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belarus and Latvia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belarus: presidential republic; Latvia: parliamentary republic.