In high positions

The Republic of Belarus has consistently confirmed its status of a strong, peaceful and friendly state. The country is successfully developing and can rightfully serve as an example to many other nations of the world — as is evidenced by our country’s high positions in international rankings: Belarus ranks 34th among 166 countries in the Sustainable Development Goals Index, 61st among 169 countries in the Social Progress Index, and 69th among 193 countries in the Global Human Development Index. Moreover, Belarus is placed 35th among 175 states in the ranking of happy childhood countries, is ranked 25th in the ranking of the most comfortable countries for motherhood and is in the top 50 in the world for pregnancy and childbirth management.

Belarus is in the top 50 in the world for pregnancy and childbirth management        belta

Belarus among top 50 countries to be a mother

Thanks to a successfully functioning multi-level system of maternal and child health protection, Belarus is ahead of all CIS states and many developed countries

“Belarus is placed 25th in the ranking of the most comfortable countries for motherhood and is among the 50 best countries in the world for the management of pregnancy and childbirth by qualified medical personnel,” Deputy Director for Research at the Mother and Child Scientific-Practical Centre Ivan Kurlovich noted. “100 percent of births in Belarus are attended by experienced medical personnel, while the world average level is 71 percent.”
Due to state guarantees and support, all women in Belarus have access to prenatal and postnatal medical care. At the same time, 97 percent of expectant mothers register their pregnancy before 12 weeks and undergo ultrasound screening for congenital malformations of the foetus. In addition, all pregnant women receive HIV/AIDS screening and counselling. Belarus has become the first and only country in Europe and the third in the world, along with Cuba and Thailand, where it has been possible to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and syphilis to a level that does not pose a threat to public health.
“In recent years, healthcare in Belarus has strengthened its positions, including in the field of maternal and child health,” Ivan Kurlovich added. “We rank 40th in the rating of the best countries for having a baby, whereas, for example, Russia is 78th and China is 96th. The merits of doctors in this are undeniable.”
The specialist also emphasised that Belarus has created all conditions for the birth and upbringing of children. At the same time, in recent years, there has been a trend of so-called delayed motherhood in the country, when women of reproductive age do not hurry to have children, which negatively affects demographic security.
In Belarus, the state pays great attention to supporting couples suffering from infertility. They can use assisted reproductive technologies to solve the problem. Thanks to government support, one in vitro fertilisation (IVF) attempt is provided free of charge to spouses.
“More than 10,000 children have been born using IVF in Belarus in the last two decades. The use of assisted reproductive technologies, including IVF, is a small but real reserve for increasing fertility. The state provides financial support to couples suffering from infertility to make IVF procedures more accessible. The Mother and Child Centre has also organised a donor cell bank, which can be used if necessary,” concluded the specialist.

On top of this, Belarus is placed 35th out of 175 countries in the list of countries where children are happy to grow up.

Town of Turov, Zhitkovichi District, Gomel Region. Floating hotel Polesie at the Strumen River (a tributary of the Pripyat)  Aleksandr Kulevsky

Belarus increasingly popular with foreign tourists

According to the Belarusian Economy Ministry, the number of foreign citizens who visited Belarus as part of organised tourist groups in 2023 was 3.8 times higher than the volume of tourist flow in 2000. At the same time, the total number of foreign tourists amounted to 5.7 million people last year.

Exports of tourism services in the Republic of Belarus in 2023 increased almost 10-fold compared to 2005.
Agro-ecotourism has become a real brand of Belarus, with the number of agro-estates growing 1.4 times over the last decade, and the number of tourists served by them rising up to 450.4 thousand people.
Belarus’ achievements in tourism development are confirmed by its leading positions in a number of world rankings. According to the famous travel guide Lonely Planet, Belarus ranks 8th in the list of the best countries to visit.
In 2024, Minsk was included in the annual ranking of the world’s best cities for tourism, life and business of the Resonance Consultancy international company and in the top 50 most affordable cities to live in the world in the rating compiled by Mercer.
The Passport Index portal included Belarus in the ranking of the most hospitable countries, placing it 52nd in 2023. Belarus regularly leads the thematic ratings of the Russian tourism portal TourStat.
The rise in popularity of leisure activities in Belarus is due to the country’s visa-free regime for foreigners: for citizens of 74 countries — through the Minsk National Airport, from April 15th, 2022 — for citizens of Lithuania, Latvia, and from July 1st, 2022 — additionally for citizens of Poland through all border checkpoints. The number of citizens who have taken advantage of this opportunity since the permit began to operate has exceeded 1 million people.

Belarus among 50 best global English-speaking nations

EF Education First (EF), a global provider of culturally immersive education, released the 2024 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index — the largest international survey of English skills by countries, capital cities and regions, published annually since 2011 — with Belarus placed 35th among 116 countries, ahead of a number of European countries and its CIS neighbours

For the sixth consecutive year, the Netherlands retained the top spot, Norway came in second, followed by Singapore. Belarus is ahead of such countries as France, Italy, Russia and Spain in terms of English language proficiency.
The EF English Proficiency Index 2024 is based on the results of 2.1 million EF Standard English Tests taken in 2023 across 116 countries.
Belarus took part in the study for the first time in 2018, moving between 33rd and 39th position during that time. It is important to note that the level of English proficiency in Belarus has been steadily increasing since 2019, which indicates significant progress in education and language training.
According to EF Education First, the major cities of Minsk, Grodno and Mogilev remain the leaders in English language skills in Belarus. The researchers note a noticeable growth in language skills among young people aged 18-20, although the European trend is the opposite. In addition, young people in the age category of 26-30 are also actively interested in learning the language. Women’s English proficiency in Belarus is higher than that of men, which goes against the global trend.

Materials prepared with aid of information agencies