Belarus

Overview

Belarus lands at #43 of 72 on the Cooked Index — #43 Most Cooked. The clearest fault line runs through political institutions: political polarization (Polarization 60/100) is worse than 38% of countries tracked. Criminal justice policy isn't far behind — incarceration rate trails 90% of the field. And housing policy rounds out the picture: housing cost burden (28% cost-burdened by housing) sits worse than 42% of countries. Same scoreboard, different departments.

At 25/100, Belarus is 2 points below the median of 27 across all 72 countries (higher = more cooked). Where the system is holding up: billionaires hoarded (0 billionaires) — better than 88% of countries tracked. Strip away the country name and you're really looking at a political institutions problem.

Sources: V-Dem + Global Peace Index (2025) · World Prison Brief (2025) · OECD Affordable Housing Database (HC1.2) (2024)