Page last modified 19 August 2023
Belarus
Community
Area
1939, 127,070 square kilometres.
Post 1945 border adjustment with Poland 207,600 square kilometres (land area 202,900 square kilometres)
Population,
5,567,976 (1939)
7,720,000 (1950)
8,185,000 (1960) +6.0%
8,978,000 (1970) +9.7%
9,634,000 (1980) +7.3%
10,217,000 (1990) +6.1%
9,934,000 (2000) -2.8%
9,473,000 (2010) -4.6%
9,399,000 (2020) -0.8%
Ethnicity, %
|
Country of origin |
Belarus |
Poland |
Russia |
Ukraine |
|
1939 |
67.2 |
16.0 |
5.1 |
|
|
1960 |
81.0 |
7.0 |
8.0 |
2.0 |
|
1989 |
77.9 |
4.1 |
13.2 |
2.9 |
|
1995 |
78.0 |
4.0 |
13.0 |
3.0 |
|
2003 |
81.2 |
3.9 |
11.4 |
2.4 |
|
2009 |
83.7 |
3.1 |
8.3 |
1.7 |
Religion, %
|
|
Christian Belarus Orthodox |
Christian R C |
Jewish |
No religion |
|
1939 |
71.0 |
20.0 |
8.4 |
|
|
1990 |
|
5.0 |
|
|
|
2001 |
32.0 |
18.0 |
|
|
|
2011 |
48.3 |
7.1 |
|
41.1 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1960 |
2.7 |
23.5 (+13.6) |
|
9.9 |
28.8 |
8.4 |
32.4 |
|
1970 |
2.3 |
16.0 (7.0) |
22.0 |
9.0 |
28.5 |
9.0 |
44.0 |
|
1980 |
2.0 |
16.0 (+6.0) |
17.3 |
10.0 |
22.8 |
10.8 |
56.5 |
|
1990 |
1.9 |
14.0 (+3.0) |
12.1 |
11.0 |
22.9 |
10.7 |
66.0 |
|
2000 |
1.3 |
9.3 (-4.2) |
10.0 |
13.5 |
18.5 |
13.5 |
70.0 |
|
2010 |
1.4 |
11.0 (-3.4) |
4.0 |
14.4 |
14.8 |
14.0 |
74.6 |
|
2015 |
1.7 |
12.5 (-0.1) |
3.0 |
12.6 |
16.1 |
14.3 |
76.7 |
|
2017 |
1.5 |
10.8 (-1.8) |
2.7 |
12.6 |
16.7 |
|
78.1 |
|
2018 |
|
|
2.6 |
|
16.9 |
14.8 |
78.6 |
Life expectancy, Life expectancy fell after 1970 due to widespread alcoholism.
67.7 (1960); 65.0 (M), 70.5 (F)
70.7 (1970);71.5 (M), �66.7 (F)
69.8 (1980); 65.5 (M), 74.2 (F)
70.8 (1990); 66.3 (M), 75.6 (F)
68.9 (2000); 63.4 (M), 74.7 (F)
70.4 (2010); 64.6 (M), 76.5 (F)
73.6 (2015); 68.6 (M), 78.9 (F)
74.8 (2020); 69.6 (M); 79.6 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Brest1 |
Gomel |
Grodno |
MINSK2 |
Vitebsk |
|
1450 |
|
|
|
5 |
|
|
1654 |
|
|
|
10 |
|
|
1667 |
|
|
|
23 |
|
|
1790 |
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
1811 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
1813 |
|
|
|
3.54 |
|
|
1860 |
|
|
|
27 |
|
|
1897 |
|
|
|
91 |
|
|
1939 |
51 |
|
50 |
239 |
167 |
|
1991 |
227 |
503 |
285 |
1,644 |
369 |
|
2004 |
298 |
481 |
314 |
1,741 |
342 |
|
2009 |
|
|
|
1,805 |
|
|
2015 |
|
527 |
|
|
366 |
|
2016 |
340 |
|
366 |
1,960 |
|
1Brest (formerly Brest-Litovsk) was under Polish rule until 1795; and again between 1921 and 1939.� The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ended hostilities between Germany and Russia towards the end of the First World War, was signed here.
2Minsk was founded in the 11th century AD.� In 1812 it was razed by Napoleon during his campaigns against Russia; it was again destroyed by German forces during World War Two.
3Reduction in population during Polish-Russian War.
4Reduction in population during Napoleonic Wars.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1990 |
21,650 |
0.37 |
2,125 |
8.87 |
|
1995 |
13,972 |
0.19 |
1,370 |
4.56 |
|
2000 |
12,736 |
0.13 |
1,309 |
3.59 |
|
2005 |
29,600 |
0.23 |
3,000 |
6.77 |
|
2010 |
57,231 |
0.38 |
6,030 |
12.47 |
|
2015 |
56,454 |
0.31 |
5,950 |
10.59 |
|
2016 |
47,390 |
0.26 |
4,990 |
8.68 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1990 |
|
19.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1993 |
14.8 |
|
36.9 |
29.3 |
|
|
|
1995 |
13.0 |
18.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
2000 |
|
|
|
|
45.0 |
|
|
2010 |
9.0 |
14.0 |
42.9 |
34.7 |
48.1 |
51.3 |
|
2015 |
|
9.7 |
|
23.4 |
|
66.8 |
|
2016 |
8.1 |
|
39.6 |
|
52.3 |
|
Communications
Language, % Official; Belarusian and Russian.
|
|
Belarusian |
Polish |
Russian |
|
1990 |
80.0 |
4.0 |
13.0 |
|
2000 |
36.7 |
|
62.8 |
|
2010 |
11.9 (53.2 MT) |
|
72.0 (41.5 MT) |
Literacy
98.0% (1990); 99.0% (M), 97.0% (F)
99.7% (2000); 99.8% (M), 99.6% (F)
99.7% (2009); 99.8% (M), 99.7% (F)
99.7% (2015); 99.8% (M), 99.7% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1970 |
65,100 |
23,100 |
|
|
|
|
1978 |
71,700 |
39,000 |
|
|
|
|
1996 |
|
|
|
1,036,000 |
|
|
2000 |
74,385 |
69,350 |
|
1,448,491 |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
2,329,200 |
|
|
2010 |
86,392 |
74,651 |
2,708,000 |
|
|
|
2013 |
|
|
3,269,000 |
3,100,000 |
|
Railways;
|
|
Length km |
% electrified |
|
1970 |
5,360 |
|
|
1978 |
5,520 |
|
|
1995 |
5,523 |
16.1 |
|
2000 |
5,512 |
|
|
2010 |
5,500 |
|
|
2014 |
5,528 |
15.8 |
Minsk Metro (opened 1984),
30.3 km (2005)
37.3 km (2015)
Electronic communications
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1975 |
490,200 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
722,900 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1990 |
1,574,158 |
|
2,595,000 |
2,260,000 |
|
|
|
1993 |
|
324 |
|
|
|
|
|
1995 |
|
5,900 |
2,950,000 |
2,350,000 |
|
|
|
2000 |
2,751,995 |
49,350 |
3,000,000 |
3,400,000 |
|
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
808,700 |
|
2005 |
|
4,098,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
2010 |
4,139,000 |
9,689,000 |
|
|
|
3,500,000 |
|
2016 |
4,515,382 |
11,440,000 |
|
|
|
6,806,000 |
Tourism; Visitors to Belarus,
160,600 (1995)
60,000 (2000)
91,000 (2005)
119,300 (2010)
102,000 (2015)