Russia and Belarus
Economic integration, labour mobility and security commitments create an especially close institutional relationship. The Union State and the Eurasian Economic Union are different, overlapping frameworks. The 2024–2025 security guarantees expand the military dimension without turning the countries into a single economy or administration.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07Two different integration frameworks
The Union State organises specifically Russian–Belarusian cooperation.
Security guarantees of 2024–2025
In March 2025, instruments of ratification were exchanged for the treaty on security guarantees within the Union State, signed in December 2024.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | ||
| Goods: Russia to Belarus | ||
| Goods: Belarus to Russia | ||
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Russia to Belarus | ||
| Export share: Belarus to Russia | ||
| Investment stock: Russia in Belarus | ||
| Investment stock: Belarus in Russia |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
| Indicator | Russia | Belarus |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 2.59 trillion USDIMF est.2025 · IMF | 93.4 billion USD2025 · World Bank |
| GDP per capita | 17,972.12 USDIMF est.2025 · IMF | 10,279.25 USD2025 · World Bank |
| GDP growth | 1 %2025 · WB | 1.3 %2025 · World Bank |
| Policy interest rate | 14 %2026-09-11 · CBR | |
| Inflation · annual average | 8.72 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 6.6 %Annual average · 2025 · World Bank |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 6.33 %Year-on-year · Aug. 2026 · CBR | |
| Unemployment | 2.13 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 3.38 %ILO est.2025 · World Bank |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -3.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 0.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 17.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 33.1 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 1.68 %2025 · WB | -1.94 %2025 · World Bank |
| Population | 143,997,000IMF est.2025 · IMF | 9,085,9912025 · World Bank |
| Area | 17,125,190 km²2023 · BM / FAO | 207,629 km²2023 · World Bank |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
For Russia, GDP, population and GDP per capita are estimates from the same IMF (WEO) dataset for 2025. The per-capita figure published by the IMF is used, rather than a calculation of our own. The earlier World Bank series could not be reconciled and are not mixed with this dataset. Review: 2026-10-07. IMF data terms of use0
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDRussia: 2025 · Nominal GDP in current USD · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est. · IMF estimate (WEO). GDP, GDP per capita and population for this country come from the same WEO query for 2025; no separate GDP-per-capita figure has been calculated.Belarus: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personRussia: 2025 · Nominal GDP per capita in current USD · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est. · IMF estimate (WEO). GDP, GDP per capita and population for this country come from the same WEO query for 2025; no separate GDP-per-capita figure has been calculated.Belarus: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Russia: 2025 · World BankBelarus: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)Russia: 2026-09-11 · Bank of Russia policy rate · Bank of Russia
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Russia: 2025 · Annual average change in CPI (%) · World BankBelarus: 2025 · Annual average change in CPI (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedRussia: 2026-08 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Bank of Russia · Published: 2026-09-16 · Year-on-year CPI. The commentary's 6.9% is annualised seasonally adjusted monthly growth and is not used here.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionRussia: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.Belarus: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Russia: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Belarus: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO general-government estimate. Retains the source’s fiscal year when it differs from the calendar year.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Russia: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Belarus: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO general-government estimate. Retains the source’s fiscal year when it differs from the calendar year.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPRussia: 2025 · World BankBelarus: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Population
- PeopleRussia: 2025 · Population from the WEO series; do not mix with a denominator from another source · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est. · IMF estimate (WEO). GDP, GDP per capita and population for this country come from the same WEO query for 2025; no separate GDP-per-capita figure has been calculated.Belarus: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date. Extrapolated assuming the same growth rate as the one between 2024 average population and 2025 January 1st population of National Statistical Committee website.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceRussia: 2023 · Total area, including inland waters; territorial coverage as defined by the source · World Bank · FAOBelarus: 2023 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Russia to Belarus
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Belarus to Russia
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
Eurasian labour rights create mobility opportunities, with stay and registration requirements that do not automatically disappear. [1] [2]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Russia living in Belarus | ||
| Residents from Belarus living in Russia | ||
| Study and training: Russia in Belarus | ||
| Study and training: Belarus in Russia | ||
| Academic stays: Russia in Belarus | ||
| Academic stays: Belarus in Russia | ||
| Travel: Russia to Belarus | ||
| Travel: Belarus to Russia |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
Two different integration frameworks
The Union State organises specifically Russian–Belarusian cooperation. The Eurasian Economic Union also includes Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and has its own treaty and institutions. Both frameworks can affect companies and people, but do not have the same parties or powers. Economic integration does not justify treating every Eurasian Union figure as exclusively bilateral trade or remove the need to identify the country and measure. [1] [2]
Security guarantees of 2024–2025
In March 2025, instruments of ratification were exchanged for the treaty on security guarantees within the Union State, signed in December 2024. The Russian release describes allied defence and security obligations. That description is attributed to its issuer and the instrument. A security commitment must be separated from statements about specific deployments, arms quantities or operational decisions that require their own evidence. [1]
A labour market with specific rights
The Eurasian Commission explains that member-country citizens can work in other Union countries without the work permits required of other foreign nationals, subject to specific stay and registration rules. For Russia and Belarus, this adds a practical dimension to integration. Easier labour access does not mean an absence of every formality or by itself provide a count of workers or residents. [3]
Integration and statistical measures
The Union provides for movement of goods, services, capital and labour in the areas established by its instruments. That institutional objective does not demonstrate elimination of every actual administrative difficulty. The March presidential release mentions trade figures from both parties that do not match exactly. The common table requires a single coverage and report, without adding or averaging different versions as though they formed a more precise bilateral figure. [1] [2]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
Documents signed in March 2025
Alongside the exchange of ratifications, the March meeting included documents on citizens' rights and protection from proceedings by third States. The profile distinguishes those instruments from Eurasian Union labour rules. Political decisions can alter the framework, while their effects on mobility or investment require subsequent statistics and an explicit definition of citizenship, residence and period. [1] [3]
Milestones and consequences
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Each figure retains its period, currency, definition and source. Blank cells are not zero. Policy documents are distinguished from statistical results, and projects under way from announcements.
- Meeting and bilateral documents of March 2025
Russian Presidency · Institutional source · Document: 2025-03-13 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Institutions and member States of the Eurasian Union
Eurasian Economic Union · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Labour market and work without permits
Eurasian Economic Commission · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07