EASTERN EUROPE

Belarus

Minsk · pop. 9M · Belarusian, Russian · Belarusian ruble · landlocked

Trajectories

economic complexity

#37

Roughly steady in the rankings since 1995.

2024 · 0.75

Harvard Growth Lab · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers30

when	value	change
1995low	0.68
1996	0.87	+0.19 pts
1997	0.80	−0.07 pts
1998	0.94	+0.14 pts
1999	0.85	−0.09 pts
2000	0.80	−0.05 pts
2001	0.94	+0.13 pts
2002	0.98	+0.05 pts
2003	0.96	−0.02 pts
2004	0.94	−0.03 pts
2005	0.94	0 pts
2006	0.96	+0.02 pts
2007	0.98	+0.01 pts
2008high	1.05	+0.08 pts
2009	0.95	−0.10 pts
2010	0.98	+0.04 pts
2011	0.95	−0.03 pts
2012	0.98	+0.03 pts
2013	0.95	−0.03 pts
2014	0.91	−0.04 pts
2015	0.85	−0.05 pts
2016	0.86	+0.01 pts
2017	0.90	+0.04 pts
2018	0.88	−0.02 pts
2019	0.89	+0.01 pts
2020	0.91	+0.02 pts
2021	0.88	−0.03 pts
2022	0.80	−0.08 pts
2023	0.84	+0.04 pts
2024latest	0.75	−0.09 pts

economic momentum

$8,318

Quadrupled since 2000. GDP per head in 2024, in current US dollars.

2024 · $8,318

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990	$1,707
1991	$1,805	+5.8%
1992	$1,658	−8.2%
1993	$1,590	−4.1%
1994	$1,460	−8.1%
1995	$1,371	−6.1%
1996	$1,427	+4.1%
1997	$1,396	−2.2%
1998	$1,511	+8.2%
1999low	$1,211	−19.9%
2000	$1,276	+5.4%
2001	$1,244	−2.5%
2002	$1,479	+18.9%
2003	$1,820	+23.0%
2004	$2,378	+30.7%
2005	$3,126	+31.4%
2006	$3,848	+23.1%
2007	$4,735	+23.1%
2008	$6,376	+34.6%
2009	$5,352	−16.1%
2010	$6,035	+12.7%
2011	$6,528	+8.2%
2012	$6,953	+6.5%
2013	$7,998	+15.0%
2014high	$8,341	+4.3%
2015	$5,967	−28.5%
2016	$5,040	−15.5%
2017	$5,786	+14.8%
2018	$6,360	+9.9%
2019	$6,838	+7.5%
2020	$6,543	−4.3%
2021	$7,490	+14.5%
2022	$7,995	+6.7%
2023	$7,897	−1.2%
2024latest	$8,318	+5.3%

prices

5.8%

A year’s rise in consumer prices, in 2024. The world’s median was 3.1%.

2024 · 5.8%

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers32

when	value	change
1993	1,190%
1994high	2,221%	+1031 pts
1995	709%	−1512 pts
1996	52.7%	−657 pts
1997	63.9%	+11.2 pts
1998	72.9%	+8.93 pts
1999	294%	+221 pts
2000	169%	−125 pts
2001	61.1%	−107 pts
2002	42.5%	−18.6 pts
2003	28.4%	−14.1 pts
2004	18.1%	−10.3 pts
2005	10.3%	−7.77 pts
2006	7.0%	−3.34 pts
2007	8.4%	+1.43 pts
2008	14.8%	+6.41 pts
2009	12.9%	−1.89 pts
2010	7.7%	−5.21 pts
2011	53.2%	+45.5 pts
2012	59.2%	+5.99 pts
2013	18.3%	−40.9 pts
2014	18.1%	−0.19 pts
2015	13.5%	−4.59 pts
2016	11.8%	−1.70 pts
2017	6.0%	−5.80 pts
2018low	4.9%	−1.16 pts
2019	5.6%	+0.73 pts
2020	5.5%	−0.05 pts
2021	9.5%	+3.91 pts
2022	15.2%	+5.75 pts
2023	5.0%	−10.2 pts
2024latest	5.8%	+0.78 pts

demographic curve

1.2 children per woman

Far below replacement: rapid ageing ahead.

2024 · 1.2

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median · rule marks replacement (2.1)

the numbers65

when	value	change
1960high	2.7
1961	2.6	−3.0%
1962	2.5	−3.5%
1963	2.4	−4.0%
1964	2.3	−3.7%
1965	2.3	−1.7%
1966	2.3	+0.9%
1967	2.3	−1.3%
1968	2.2	−1.8%
1969	2.3	+1.8%
1970	2.3	+2.2%
1971	2.3	0.0%
1972	2.3	−1.3%
1973	2.3	−1.3%
1974	2.2	−1.8%
1975	2.2	−1.8%
1976	2.1	−2.3%
1977	2.1	−1.9%
1978	2.1	−1.0%
1979	2.0	−0.5%
1980	2.0	−1.0%
1981	2.0	−0.5%
1982	2.0	+1.5%
1983	2.1	+2.9%
1984	2.1	0.0%
1985	2.1	−0.9%
1986	2.1	0.0%
1987	2.0	−2.9%
1988	2.0	0.0%
1989	2.0	−0.2%
1990	1.9	−5.6%
1991	1.8	−5.6%
1992	1.8	−2.3%
1993	1.6	−8.0%
1994	1.5	−5.5%
1995	1.4	−8.3%
1996	1.3	−5.0%
1997	1.3	−6.4%
1998	1.3	+4.0%
1999	1.3	+0.8%
2000	1.3	+0.5%
2001	1.3	−2.4%
2002	1.2	−3.6%
2003	1.2	−0.6%
2004	1.2	+0.1%
2005	1.3	+1.5%
2006	1.3	+6.6%
2007	1.4	+7.0%
2008	1.5	+4.1%
2009	1.5	+1.4%
2010	1.5	−1.0%
2011	1.5	+1.4%
2012	1.6	+6.9%
2013	1.7	+3.0%
2014	1.7	+1.7%
2015	1.7	+1.7%
2016	1.7	+0.5%
2017	1.5	−11.1%
2018	1.4	−6.0%
2019	1.4	−4.6%
2020	1.4	−0.9%
2021	1.4	+0.1%
2022	1.3	−3.3%
2023low	1.2	−8.9%
2024latest	1.2	+0.7%

Metrics

population

9M

99 of 176

REST Countries · UN data
gdp

$72B

84 of 170

World Bank · latest available
gdp per capita

$7,897

74 of 170

World Bank · latest available
military spending

$2B

58 of 151

SIPRI via World Bank
military % of gdp

2.0%

48 of 148

SIPRI via World Bank
area

208K km²

87 of 176

REST Countries
population density

43.3 /km²

118 of 176

zuhd — derived from population and area
life expectancy

74.2 yr

84 of 175

World Bank · latest available
internet access

92%

33 of 166

ITU via World Bank
co₂ per capita

5.9 t

37 of 163

World Bank · Climate Watch
urbanisation

79%

40 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
fertility rate

1.2

153 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
foreign-born share

12%

40 of 167

World Bank · UN DESA
remittances % of gdp

2.4%

76 of 155

World Bank · IMF BOP
r&d % of gdp

0.6%

54 of 123

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
researchers per million

1,568

47 of 118

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
scientific articles / yr

1.5K

77 of 168

NSF / World Bank
high-tech exports %

6%

73 of 153

World Bank · UN Comtrade
gini inequality

24.4

2 of 139

World Bank · PovcalNet
youth unemployment

9%

49 of 166

ILO via World Bank
adult literacy

100%

3 of 109

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
democracy (v-dem)

0.04

152 of 163

V-Dem via Our World in Data
clean government

33

99 of 164

Transparency International via Our World in Data
press freedom

50.8

143 of 163

RSF via Our World in Data
human development

0.824

55 of 164

UNDP via Our World in Data
refugees hosted

43K

67 of 150

UNHCR via Our World in Data
refugees produced

18K

43 of 152

UNHCR via Our World in Data