Belarus vs Russia
Russia is 82.3 times larger than Belarus. Belarus would fit into Russia about 82 times.
BelarusRussiaBelarus moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.01×
Belarus is 0.01× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 82.3× the size of Belarus.
 Belarus |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 82.3× the area | 207,597 km²#84 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 15.8× the population | 9,085,991#100 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBelarus: 5.21× the density | 44 / km²#141 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelarus: 1.06× the urban share | 80%#44 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateRussia: 1.16× the births per woman | 1.22 per woman#176 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthRussia: 0.40 points higher | −0.51%#181 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateRussia: 1.2× the birth rate | 7.0 per 1,000#180 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBelarus: 1.06× the death rate | 13.1 per 1,000#11 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Russia: 1.1 points higher | 15.9%#151 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Belarus: 0.5 points higher | 18.3%#39 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelarus: 1.5 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBelarus: 3.1× the refugees for its size | 2.14 per 1,000#40 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelarus: 1.0 years longer | 74.4 years#93 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityRussia: 2.28× the infant mortality | 1.8 per 1,000 births#187 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 1.08× the doctors per person | 4.72 per 1,000#12 of 178 · 2023 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBelarus: 1.16× the university enrolment | 70.1%#45 of 145 · 2024 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.008 higher | 0.824#64 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 1.74× the income per person | $9,160#83 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 27.4× the economy | $93.4B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 1.43× the output per person | $34,716#63 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBelarus: 0.3 points higher | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 2.1 points higher | +6.6%#34 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBelarus: 1.62× the unemployment | 3.4%#126 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2020 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Russia: 8.6 higher | 24.4#147 of 149 · 2020 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBelarus: 4.4 points higher | 9.5% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBelarus: 5.3 points higher | 31.1% of jobs#15 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 9.6 points higher | 59.5% of jobs#85 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBelarus: 1.4 points higher | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelarus: 36.9 points higher | 55.1% of GDP#38 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 3.13× the military spending | 2.4% of GDP#44 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 94%#32 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.42× the mobile subscriptions | 131 per 100#50 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 1.15× the forest share | 44% of land#58 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 2.35× the CO₂ per person | 5.94 t a year#40 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBelarus: 4.7 points higher | 8.2%#152 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Belarus: 1.03× the air pollution | 12.0 µg/m³#139 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landRussia: 2.3 points higher | 9.2% of land#145 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBelarus: 19.8 points higher | 27.2% of land#35 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBelarus: 1.15× the water stress | 4.7%#123 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBelarus: 1.34× the rain and snow | 618 mm#129 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBelarus: 0.77 higher | −0.17#117 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelarus: 0.41 higher | −0.57#126 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateRussia: 2.83× the homicide rate | 2.4 per 100,000#71 of 146 · 2019 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republicpresidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | — | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Minsk | Moscow |
| Currency | Belarusian ruble (BYN) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Russian, Belarusian | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +375 | +7 |
| 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; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia 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 Russia?
- No. Belarus is 82.3 times smaller than Russia. Belarus covers 207,597 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Belarus fit into Russia?
- About 82 times: Russia has 82.3× the area of Belarus.
- Why do Belarus and Russia 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 Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia 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 Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 9,085,991. Density: Belarus 44 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Belarus or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $9,160 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.74× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belarus or Russia?
- In Belarus: life expectancy at birth is 74.4 years, against 73.4 — 1.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belarus and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belarus: presidential republic; Russia: semi-presidential republic.