Russia in 2020 fell slightly short of Belarus in terms of food security. In the Global Index from The Ecomomist Intellegence Unit, Russia ranked 24th with 73.7 points, Belarus – 23rd with 73.8 points.
As part of the ranking, researchers assess countries according to four criteria: food availability, availability, quality and safety, as well as the diversity of natural resources and their sustainability. Belarus in 2020 bypassed Russia on all counts, except for the availability of food for the population.
Despite the continuing lag behind Belarus, Russia has almost doubled its position over the year, since in 2019 it was significantly lower than Belarus in the ranking. The country was in 42nd place with 69.7 points out of 100 possible. For comparison, Belarus was in 36th place with 73.8 points.
According to the compilers of the rating, the countries that scored more than 60 points have a high level of food security, while those with more than 80 points have a very high level. However, the latter category includes only two countries – Finland, which ranks first with 85.3 points, and Ireland, which ranks second with 83.8 points.