Back
Belarus in international ratings
What are ratings? This is nothing more than a change in quality according to certain criteria and its comparison with other countries. In addition to ratings within the country, there are also ratings that compare the performance of different countries. Moreover, the ratings compare different indicators of countries, such as economic, political, and social and many others.
Belarus in economic ratings
Rating of gross national income per capita
Gross National Income (GNI) is the total value of all goods and services produced during the year in the state (i.e. gross domestic product, GDP), plus income received by citizens and organizations of the country due to milestone, minus income exported from the country by foreign citizens and organizations. It is one of the key indicators of economic development.
Gross national income per capita is GNI divided by the average annual population of a country. This indicator gives an idea of the amount of goods and services produced per average resident of the state, or, in other words, how much each resident of the country would receive if all the annual national income were distributed equally among all citizens of the country. GNI per capita is also called "per capita income" or "per capita income."
The GNI per capita index is one of the basic in international statistics. This indicator is often understood as an index of living standards or welfare in a state or region, but it is only an approximate measure of the welfare of the population of a country, as it does not take into account a number of important factors, in particular:
It does not show how evenly or unevenly incomes are distributed among citizens of the country.
Does not taking into account damage caused by production to natural resources and the environment.
It does not take into account unpaid work performed in the household or on a voluntary basis, as well as all production in the shadow economy, which can reach very significant volumes.
It gives equal importance to both useful and harmful products for society (for example, some medicines, cigarettes, weapons, etc.), while ignoring the value that free time or freedom has for a person.
Rating on amounts of attracting direct foreign investments
In the modern world economic system, foreign direct investment is one of the main factors of sustainable economic development for most countries.
World experience proves that direct investment has several advantages over other forms of raising capital. Firstly, they provide an additional source of capital investment in the production of goods and services, facilitate the transfer of advanced technologies, know-how, the latest management methods, structural changes in the economy, and make it possible to update the domestic production base. Secondly, FDI is generally not a burden on the state budget and does not lead to an increase in the debt burden on the economy.
Belarus, as a country with a transition economy, is no exception and is largely interested in the active flow of FDI from abroad due to the limited domestic sources to support further economic growth. The task of more actively attracting FDI to the republic is currently largely determined by the plans set by the Government of Belarus to carry out large-scale modernization of production. In the framework of annual forecasts of the socio-economic development of Belarus, the Government approved plans to attract direct investment in the economy. However, the actual results of Belarus in this area remain at a low level.
The problem of increasing the competitiveness and effectiveness of attracting FDI to Belarus is becoming particularly relevant in the context of regional economic integration. Since the beginning of 2012, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan entered a new phase of integration construction, forming the Common Economic Space (CES), the main principle of which is to ensure freedom of movement not only of goods, services, labor, but also capital across the borders of the participating countries.
It is assumed that Belarus’s participation in this integration association will have a significant impact on attracting FDI to the country. On the one hand, this should help to increase the investment attractiveness of the national economy for foreign investors, who are facing a large and rapidly growing market of the SES countries. On the other hand, Belarus will be forced to compete with Kazakhstan and Russia for investments, since incoming FDI will be largely distributed in the region, taking into account the comparative competitive advantages of the target investment countries.
Business rating
In today's rating of the World Bank, our country was the 49th out of 190 countries in terms of ease of doing business. According to the same parameters, Belarus was 37th a year ago - 12 positions higher. The Ministry of Economy promptly responded to the loss of rating positions and told what the fall was related to. It turns out that it is not in our country at all.
When compiling the report, the World Bank used a number of criteria - from the ease of obtaining business loans to the tax system.
There were no positive reforms in understanding the Doing Business rating for Belarus this year. Nevertheless, the World Bank noted several positive changes for businessmen in our country. For example, the time spent on registering enterprises and paying taxes was reduced in a year, while border and customs went down in international trade — both for importing and exporting goods.
By the way, of the closest neighbors and partners of Belarus, Lithuania was the most successful – 11th place. Russia took 28th position, Kazakhstan – 25th. The second and third places are Singapore and Hong Kong.
Index of Economic Freedom
All countries in the ranking are divided into 5 groups: free, mostly free, relatively free, mostly not free and absolutely not free. Topping the list is Singapore, whose economy is called the freest in the world. Together with him, the group of free economies includes Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland and Ireland.
Belarus was in 88th place, between Moldova and Tanzania. The country received 3.8 points more than a year earlier, and rose in the ranking due to improved fiscal health and financial freedom. The assessment of property rights and government spending has improved significantly. But indicators of judicial efficiency, tax burden and labor freedoms have worsened.
Despite political problems, economic freedom in Belarus has increased dramatically over the past five years. This led the country out of the group of “mostly unfree”. Amid higher world oil prices and growing Russian demand for Belarusian manufactured goods, the government has the opportunity to take steps to implement reforms to increase the efficiency of the judicial system and the integrity of the government, thereby increasing economic freedom in Belarus, the report says.
The country received the best grades in terms of “freedom of trade”, “tax burden”, “fiscal health”, the worst - in terms of government integrity, investment and financial freedom.
Among the 45 countries of the European region, Belarus is 41st. The country’s 61.7 points were significantly lower than the regional average and slightly below the world average, the report said.
The experts of the Index of Economic Freedom study 12 freedoms, which reflect how far the governments of the 186 countries studied allow labor, capital and goods to move freely, refrain from forcing or restricting freedom in excess of the degree necessary to protect and maintain it. The more points a country receives, the better people have the conditions for work, production, consumption and investment, respectively, the higher it rises in the ranking.
Corruption Perception Index
Belarus is 70th in the Corruption Perception Index. She shared this position with Jamaica and the Solomon Islands.
Greece, Montenegro and Senegal are located slightly higher than Belarus, Morocco, South Africa, Suriname and Tunisia are slightly lower.
Belarus scored 44 points in the rating of perception of corruption.
The EU countries neighboring Belarus occupy mostly more attractive positions in the index. Non-EU members are less attractive. So Poland is in 36th place, Lithuania - in 38th, Latvia - in 41th. At the same time, Ukraine is on the 120th line, and Russia is on the 138th.
According to the rating explanation, the more points a country gains, the more negative its attitude towards corruption. The leaders of the index were Denmark (88 points), New Zealand (87 points), as well as Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Singapore (85 points).
The corruption perception index is compiled on the basis of analysis conducted by international organizations - the World Bank, Freedom House, the Bertelsmann Foundation and other structures. This takes into account such indicators as the standard of living of citizens, freedom of speech, the opportunity and complexity of doing business, investment conditions and other aspects.
Blockchain and cryptocurrency regulation rating
This rating includes countries that have created the most favorable conditions for the development of business projects based on blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
Of the 23 countries included in the ranking, Belarus took 13th place, ahead of the United States, Russia and China.
According to researchers, most countries of the world have a “rather positive attitude” to cryptocurrencies and blockchain, but the development of regulation will depend on how effectively the crypto industry can demonstrate “its reliability and transparency”.
Belarus in social ratings
Human Development Rating. Gender gap indicator
Belarus in the global ranking of human development has risen by three positions and now shares 50th place with Kazakhstan among 189 countries. Russia was located in front of it, behind some of the countries of the region.
The Human Development Index (HDI) is based on open statistics for three main indicators: life expectancy, population literacy rate and the number of years spent on education, as well as living standards.
There are also positive indicators on the gender issue. The women's human development index is higher than in Europe and Asia. Interestingly, unlike most states, it is even higher than the male development index. But gender inequality persists in the economy. Women's participation in the economy is more than 10% lower than men's. And this is an area where extra effort is required.
In general, the development of human potential in Belarus is characterized by steady growth. From 1995 to 2018, the value of the HDI grew by 24.5%. Life expectancy over this period increased by 3.9 years, the average duration of studies by 3.8 years, and the expected duration of studies by 2.5 years. Gross national income per capita has grown by 103.8%.
Prosperity index
Belarus is ahead of Russia and Ukraine in the prosperity ranking, taking 89th place. However, Belarus’s own position in the current rating has worsened compared to the previous ones.
In the world ranking of the Legatum Prosperity Index, which is annually prepared by the Legatum Institute, Belarus took 89th place.
In the ranking, its compilers traditionally compared countries according to 9 typical parameters: the level of economic development, the business environment, the effectiveness of public administration, the level of education, health, safety and personal freedom, as well as the criteria for the development of social capital and the environment.
The weakest side of Belarus, according to international experts, is the level of personal freedoms. By this parameter, Belarus took only 136th place out of 149. It is also unimportant that things in our country are with state administration (131st place) and social capital (125th place).
The highest position of Belarus, the 40th, is in terms of the quality of the economy. Belarus is pretty well rated in the ranking in terms of education – 45th place, and in terms of security – 51th place.
It should be noted that earlier the positions of Belarus in this rating were higher than now. So in 2011, Belarus occupied the 50th place in the ranking, and in 2015 – 63rd.
Rating of the best universities in the world
Two Belarusian universities at once were in the list of 1000 best universities in the world QS World University Rankings. So, the Belarusian State University divides 421-430 line, and the Belarusian National Technical University is located at position 701+.
Healthy Countries Rating
Belarus is on the 81st place in the list. The rating took into account life expectancy, smoking, and the risk of death from an overdose of drugs, obesity, as well as environmental factors - access to clean water, sanitary conditions and other indicators.
It is also noted that food habits have a major impact on the health of a nation. So, residents of countries where the “Mediterranean diet” predominates, are much less sick with heart disease than, for example, residents of countries that consume a small amount of fat.
Religious Country Rating
Belarus is on the list of the least religious countries on the planet. In the top 20 least religious states, the country ranked 14th with a religiosity rate of 34%. Note that Belarus is the least religious state of all neighboring countries. Belarus’s neighbors by religion were divided as follows: Latvia - 40%, Lithuania - 42%, Russia - 70%, Ukraine - 73%, Poland - 86%.
Country Pollution Rating
Greenpeace and AirVisual, a computer software company, have published a joint rating listing countries with the most polluted and cleanest air.
Topping the ranking are Bangladesh, Pakistan and India - the dirtiest air in these countries; the cleanest is in Australia, Finland and Iceland.
At the same time, eight out of the ten most polluted cities of our planet are in India, and its capital, Delhi, takes first place in the world in terms of pollution. And of the 20 cities in Europe with dirty air, ten are located in the Balkans.
The review includes 73 countries of the world, but Belarus is not represented in it.
Life expectancy rating of countries
According to data for 2016, Belarus occupied 98th place in the world out of 196 countries in terms of life expectancy.
These data are contained in a new study by the University of Washington Institute for Health Measurement and Evaluation (IHME). Institute experts studied what life expectancy will be in 196 countries of the world in the year 2040.
According to IHME, in 2016 Belarus ranked 98th in the world ranking with an average life expectancy of 73.6 years. According to experts, in 2040 this figure in Belarus will increase to 78.2 years. In this case, the country will be in 88th place in the ranking.
The study also presents the best and worst scenarios that take into account various positive and negative trends. In accordance with the best scenario, in 2040, people in Belarus will live 82.8 years, and the country will be in the 72nd position in the rating. In the worst case scenario, the average age of Belarusians will be 74.8 years, and the state will occupy 92nd line.
Belarus in political rankings
State Weakness Index
The Failed States Index is a comprehensive indicator that characterizes the ability (and inability) of the authorities of a country to control the integrity of its territory, as well as the demographic, political and economic situation in the country. The study and its accompanying rating are published annually by The Fund for Peace, an independent public organization (specializing in studying the causes and conditions that cause wars, and makes decisions to prevent them) together with the foreign policy journal Politics. The index of state weakness is positioned as a comparative tool for assessing risk and forecasting intra-state conflicts. The Republic of Belarus is in this ranking 99th out of 178 with an index of 68.2.
Rating of the most militarized countries
Belarus is one of the ten most militarized countries in the world, as evidenced by the Global Militarization Index, published by the Bonn International Conversion Center. The Global Militarization Index includes countries that allocate significantly more resources to the development of the armed forces than to other important social spheres. It covers 154 states and is based on the latest available data. In 2019, the authors of the study, Max Muchler and Marius Bales, focused on the countries of Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
According to the report, Belarus took ninth place in the top ten most paramilitary states.
Rating of the most influential countries
Belarus rose in the ranking of the most influential countries in the world and took 35th place among the 80 countries represented. In 2018, our country occupied the 36th line.
The rating was compiled taking into account such criteria as data on GDP, population, as well as the indicator of GDP per capita.
In the first place among the most powerful countries - the United States, in the second - Russia, in the third - China. Also in the top ten ranking included Germany, Britain, France, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, South Korea.
Rating of the safest countries
Belarus was recognized as one of the safest countries according to the results of the international study Global Index of Terrorism - 2019.
Our country was in 138th place out of 138 possible. Belarus shared this position with 26 states, including Slovenia, Togo, Costa Rica, Singapore, North Korea and others. From the CIS countries, Turkmenistan also occupied 138th place.
Afghanistan came in first place in the ranking - there is the highest terrorist threat. Then come Iraq, Nigeria and Syria. Fifth place among the most dangerous countries took Pakistan.
Belarus in unusual ratings
Happiness rating
Belarus occupies 81st place in the list - between Malaysia and Greece. Belarusians were 73rd in last year’s ranking.
The happiest countries are Scandinavian Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and the Netherlands. In addition to them, the top 10 ranking included Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada and Austria.
Among the countries neighboring Belarus, Poland came in at the 40th line of the list, and Lithuania at the 41st. Our country was also overtaken by Latvia and Russia, which took the 53rd and 68th positions, respectively. Belarusians overtook only Ukrainians in terms of happiness - they have 133rd place.
Rating of the best countries
The American magazine US News & World Report published a ranking of the best countries in the world. It included 73 countries, Belarus occupies 70th place, ahead of Libya, Serbia and Oman.
The first three places in the ranking are shared by Switzerland, Canada and Japan. Russia occupies 23rd place. Probably, the strange distribution of places can be explained by a specific system of assessing countries. The report said that the rating is based on the results of the survey. Researchers selected 65 country attributes and assigned an indicator for each of them, depending on how strongly the country associates respondents with these attributes. So, for example, Russia by the criterion of "political leader influence" received 100 points out of 100 possible. And the leader by the criterion of “sex” was Brazil. Belarus scored a modest 19 points in this category, but surpassed many in the categories of cultural influence and historical heritage (67), openness for business (70) and quality of life (68).
Rating of the most punctual countries
Belarus with its Belavia airline took first place in the punctuality rating. Since this company has the smallest number of cancellations and flight delays.
Rating of the most drinking countries
The rating is based on data for 2016, when information was collected. Belarus ranks 27th in terms of the amount of alcohol consumed per capita. According to the WHO, in Belarus one person over the age of 15 consumes on average 11.2 liters of pure alcohol per year.
Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Telegram!
Photo: admin.bugin.kz, prague.bc.events, avatars.mds.yandex.net.