Belarus vs Poland
Poland is 51% larger than Belarus. Belarus would fit into Poland about 1.5 times.
BelarusPolandBelarus moved onto Poland · Equal-area projection
0.66×
Belarus is 0.66× the area of Poland. Put the other way, Poland is 1.51× the size of Belarus.
 Belarus |  Poland | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaPoland: 1.51× the area | 207,597 km²#84 of 194 | 312,683 km²#70 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationPoland: 4.01× the population | 9,085,991#100 of 194 · 2025 | 36,435,861#44 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityPoland: 2.66× the density | 44 / km²#141 of 194 | 117 / km²#77 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelarus: 1.32× the urban share | 80%#44 of 192 · 2025 | 60%#105 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBelarus: 1.07× the births per woman | 1.22 per woman#176 of 192 · 2024 | 1.14 per woman#183 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthPoland: 0.17 points higher | −0.51%#181 of 192 · 2025 | −0.34%#175 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 rateBelarus: 1.17× the death rate | 13.1 per 1,000#11 of 192 · 2024 | 11.2 per 1,000#23 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Belarus: 1.4 points higher | 15.9%#151 of 192 · 2025 | 14.5%#167 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Poland: 2.5 points higher | 18.3%#39 of 192 · 2025 | 20.8%#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelarus: 8.8 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −9.1 per 1,000#179 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBelarus: 53.5× the refugees for its size | 2.14 per 1,000#40 of 190 · 2025 | 0.04 per 1,000#134 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyPoland: 4.0 years longer | 74.4 years#93 of 192 · 2024 | 78.4 years#48 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityPoland: 2.0× the infant mortality | 1.8 per 1,000 births#187 of 191 · 2024 | 3.6 per 1,000 births#157 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBelarus: 1.17× the doctors per person | 4.72 per 1,000#12 of 178 · 2023 | 4.03 per 1,000#30 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentPoland: 1.15× the university enrolment | 70.1%#45 of 145 · 2024 | 80.9%#22 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexPoland: 0.082 higher | 0.824#64 of 190 · 2023 | 0.906#34 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaPoland: 2.79× the income per person | $9,160#83 of 185 · 2025 | $25,520#44 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPPoland: 11.1× the economy | $93.4B2025 | $1.04T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Poland: 1.56× the output per person | $34,716#63 of 184 · 2025 | $54,262#39 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthPoland: 2.3 points higher | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 | +3.6%#83 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBelarus: 2.8 points higher | +6.6%#34 of 176 · 2025 | +3.8%#65 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBelarus: 1.13× the unemployment | 3.4%#126 of 178 · 2025 | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2020 | 0.2%#121 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Poland: 4.1 higher | 24.4#147 of 149 · 2020 | 28.5#129 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBelarus: 3.3 points higher | 9.5% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 6.2% of jobs#125 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBelarus: 1.1 points higher | 31.1% of jobs#15 of 178 · 2025 | 30.0% of jobs#21 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesPoland: 4.3 points higher | 59.5% of jobs#85 of 178 · 2025 | 63.8% of jobs#76 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentPoland: 0.2 points higher | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#92 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelarus: 5.1 points higher | 55.1% of GDP#38 of 168 · 2025 | 50.0% of GDP#46 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingPoland: 1.88× the military spending | 2.4% of GDP#44 of 155 · 2025 | 4.5% of GDP#13 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBelarus: 1.06× the share online | 94%#32 of 184 · 2024 | 89%#65 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsPoland: 1.05× the mobile subscriptions | 131 per 100#50 of 191 · 2024 | 138 per 100#41 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBelarus: 1.42× the forest share | 44% of land#58 of 192 · 2024 | 31% of land#100 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personPoland: 1.27× the CO₂ per person | 5.94 t a year#40 of 185 · 2024 | 7.55 t a year#27 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyPoland: 7.0 points higher | 8.2%#152 of 190 · 2021 | 15.2%#121 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Poland: 1.38× the air pollution | 12.0 µg/m³#139 of 191 · 2023 | 16.5 µg/m³#105 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landPoland: 30.4 points higher | 9.2% of land#145 of 191 · 2025 | 39.6% of land#13 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landPoland: 9.4 points higher | 27.2% of land#35 of 190 · 2024 | 36.6% of land#16 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressPoland: 6.91× the water stress | 4.7%#123 of 176 · 2022 | 32.5%#51 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBelarus: 1.03× the rain and snow | 618 mm#129 of 180 · 2022 | 600 mm#131 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityPoland: 0.86 higher | −0.17#117 of 193 · 2025 | +0.69#57 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionPoland: 1.42 higher | −0.57#126 of 193 · 2025 | +0.85#40 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBelarus: 3.0× the homicide rate | 2.4 per 100,000#71 of 146 · 2019 | 0.8 per 100,000#117 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, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Minsk | Warsaw |
| Currency | Belarusian ruble (BYN) | Polish złoty (PLN) |
| Official languages | Russian, Belarusian | Polish, Belarusian, Silesian, Kashubian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +375 | +48 |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe | Eastern 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; Poland at 52° N is stretched to 2.65×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. 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 Poland?
- No. Belarus is 34% smaller than Poland. Belarus covers 207,597 km² and Poland covers 312,683 km².
- How many times does Belarus fit into Poland?
- About 1.5 times: Poland has 1.51× the area of Belarus.
- Why do Belarus and Poland 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 Poland about 2.65×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belarus or Poland?
- Poland: 36,435,861 people against 9,085,991. Density: Belarus 44 per km², Poland 117 per km².
- Which is richer, Belarus or Poland?
- By gross national income per person, Poland: $25,520 against $9,160 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.79× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belarus or Poland?
- In Poland: life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years, against 74.4 — 4.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belarus and Poland have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belarus: presidential republic; Poland: parliamentary republic.