Statistical indicator says Belarusians are already richer than Poles and even Italians. How is this possible?
Belarusians can supposedly buy more with their average salary than half of Europe. But there are several nuances in the calculations.
Next After Belgium
It's difficult to find a single universal indicator to determine which country's residents are richer and which are poorer. Each methodology has its pros and cons.
One popular (but also not ideal) solution is to compare net salaries, but converted to "international dollar" (PPP) by purchasing power parity. In this case, it is taken into account that for one dollar in Belarus, you can buy more than in a hypothetical Switzerland.
In the English version of the article "List of European countries by average wage" according to this indicator, Belarus is ranked 19th among 48 European countries – in the first half.
Following Belarus are Italy, whose data has not been updated since 2023, Poland, where calculations are made as of July 2026, as in our country. Further still are Russia, Croatia, and Slovenia.
Looking at these figures, one might conclude that the average Belarusian lives slightly better than the average Pole and Russian, because they can supposedly afford more with their salary.
Is this really so?
BEROC expert Nastassia Luzgina calls this approach to assessing the well-being of the population not entirely accurate.
To assess the level of economic development and material well-being, it is better to use the country's GDP by purchasing power parity per capita, rather than average wages.
At a minimum, because in real life, people spend money not only on locally produced goods, transport, or utilities, which in Belarus, for example, are subsidized by the state, the economist notes.
However, for everything cross-border (any import, travel, currency acquisition), the international dollar (PPP) is irrelevant — there, the nominal value applies: Belarus €758 net versus €1539 in Poland and €2017 in Italy.
But if we simply compare the figures of average wages converted into dollars or euros, the picture will also be distorted, just as in the case of converting wages into an international dollar.
That is, the fact that the average wage in Finland is four times higher than in Belarus does not mean that Finns, on average, live four times richer than Belarusians.
No Ideal Method Exists
«Therefore, GDP data by purchasing power parity per capita will describe the picture more objectively. And if we compare Poland and Belarus using this indicator, the advantage will no longer be in our country's favor,» explains Luzgina.
Thus, according to the IMF methodology, in 2026 (projected), GDP by purchasing power parity per capita in Poland is almost 59,792 international dollars. In Belarus, the IMF estimates this indicator at 35,616 international dollars.
«This means that Poles, according to this calculation, on average have a 1.68 times higher level of material well-being compared to Belarusians. This method is also not 100% accurate, but it is the most relevant.
For a more complete assessment, one should also compare, for example, actual individual consumption. Moreover, GDP by purchasing power parity per capita also shows a dynamic trend that the gap in economic development between countries is increasing: ten years ago, in 2016, GDP by purchasing power parity per capita in Poland was 1.56 times higher than in Belarus.»
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