Statistical information Belarus 1999

Belarus in the World
top of pageBackground: For centuries Byelorussia has been fought over, devastated, and partitioned among Russia, Poland, Lithuania, and, in World Wars I and II, Germany. After seven decades as a Soviet republic, the newly named Belarus declared its independence in August 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. On 25 December 1998, Russian President Boris YEL'TSIN and Belarusian President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO signed several agreements intended to provide greater political, economic, and social integration while preserving both states' sovereignty.
top of pageLocation: Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 28 00 E
Map reference:
Commonwealth of Independent StatesAreaTotal: 207,600 km²
Land: 207,600 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundariesTotal: 3,098 km
Border countries: (5) Latvia 141 km;
, Lithuania 502 km;
, Poland 605 km;
, Russia 959 km;
, Ukraine 891 kmCoastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Terrain: generally flat and contains much marshland
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
Extremes highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Natural resources: forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas
Land useArable land: 29%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 15%
Forests and woodland: 34%
Other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,000 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: NA
GeographyNote: landlocked
top of pagePopulation: 10,401,784 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: -0.09% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: 77% (1997 est.)
NationalityNoun: Belarusian(s)
Adjective: Belarusian
Ethnic groups: Byelorussian 77.9%, Russian 13.2%, Polish 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.9%, other 1.9%
Languages: Byelorussian, Russian, other
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 19% (male 1,027,974; female 985,342)
15-64 years: 67% (male 3,390,552; female 3,591,245)
65 years and over: 14% (male 463,369; female 943,302) (1999 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: -0.09% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 9.7 births/1000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 13.71 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.13 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 14.39 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 68.13 years
Male: 62.04 years
Female: 74.52 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.32 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98%
Male: 99%
Female: 97% (1989 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Republic of Belarus
Conventional short form: Belarus
Local long form: Respublika Byelarus'
Local short form: none
Former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: Minsk
Administrative divisions: 6 voblastsi (singular_voblasts') and one municipality* (harady, singular_horad); Brestskaya (Brest), Homyel'skaya (Homyel'), Horad Minsk*, Hrodzyenskaya (Hrodna), Mahilyowskaya (Mahilyow), Minskaya, Vitsyebskaya (Vitsyebsk)
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Dependent areasIndependence: 25 August 1991 (Belarusian Supreme Soviet declaration of independence from the Soviet Union) Independence Day, 3 July (1944; note_date set by referendum of 24 November 1996; represents Minsk liberation from German occupation
National holidayConstitution: 30 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996
Legal system: based on civil law system
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994)
Head of government: Prime Minister Sergey LING (acting since 18 November 1996, confirmed 19 February 1997); First Deputy Prime Ministers Petr PROKOPOVICH (since 23 December 1996) and Vasiliy DOLGOLEV (since 2 December 1998); Deputy Prime Ministers Valeriy KOKOREV (since 23 August 1994), Vladimir ZAMETALIN (since 15 July 1997), Ural LATYPOV (since 30 December 1997), Gennadiy NOVITSKIY (since 11 February 1997), Leonid KOZIK (since 4 February 1997), Aleksandr POPKOV (since 10 November 1998)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should be in 1999, however LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via the November 1996 referendum); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
Election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO elected president; percent of vote_Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 15%
Note: first presidential elections took place in June-July 1994
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; eight appointed by the president and 56 indirectly elected by deputies of local councils for four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Pretsaviteley (110 seats; note_present members came from the former Supreme Soviet which LUKASHENKO disbanded in November 1996)
Elections: last held May and November-December 1995 (two rounds, each with a run-off; disbanded after the November 1996 referendum; next to be held NA)
Election results: after the November 1996 referendum, seats for the Chamber of Representatives were filled by former Supreme Soviet members as follows:PKB 24, Agrarian 14, Party of Peoples Concord 5, LDPB 1, UPNAZ 1, Green World Party 1, Belarusian Social Sports Party 1, Ecological Party 1, Republican Party of Labor and Justice 1, independents 61; 58 of the 64 seats in the Council of the Republic have been appointed/elected
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president; Constitutional Court, half of the judges appointed by the president and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: CCC, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires CHEREPANSKY
In the us chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel V. SPECKHARD (recalled to Washington in June 1998; Charge d'Affaires Randall LE COCQ)
From the us embassy: Starovilenskaya #46-220,002, Minsk
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [375] (17) 231-5,000
From the us FAX: [375] (17) 234-7,853
Flag description
: red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe of white on the hoist side bears the Belarusian national ornament in red
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of "market socialism". In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO re-imposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprise. This produced a climate hostile to private business, inhibiting domestic and foreign investment. The Government of Belarus has artificially revived economic output since mid-1996 by pursuing a policy of rapid credit expansion. In a vain attempt to keep the rapidly rising inflation in check, the government placed strict price controls on food and consumer products, which resulted in food shortages. Long lines for dairy products, chicken, and pork became common in the closing months of 1998. With the goal of slowing down the devaluation of the Belarusian ruble, LUKASHENKO in 1997 introduced a new, complex system of legal buying/selling hard currencies. The new "command" system proved to be totally unworkable and resulted in galloping devaluation. In addition to the burdens imposed on businesses by high inflation and an artificial currency regime, businesses have also been subject to pressure on the part of central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, and retroactive application of new business regulations prohibiting practices that had been legal. A further economic problem is the sizable trade deficit.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 7% (1998 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $5,200 (1998 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 20%
Industry: 43%
Services: 37% (1997 est.)
Agriculture products: grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
Industries: tractors, metal-cutting machine tools, off-highway dump trucks up to 110-metric-ton load capacity, wheel-type earth movers for construction and mining, eight-wheel-drive, high-flotation trucks with cargo capacity of 25 metric tons for use in tundra and roadless areas, equipment for animal husbandry and livestock feeding, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, linen fabric, wool fabric, radios, refrigerators, other consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: 11% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 4.3 million (1998)
By occupation industry and construction: 40%
By occupation agriculture and forestry: 19%
By occupation services: 41% (1997est.)
Unemployment rate: 2.3% officially registered unemployed (December 1998; large number of underemployed workers
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty line: 77% (1997 est.)
Gini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $4 billion
Expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $180 million (1997 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: total value:$5.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodoties: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
Partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany
Imports: total value:$6.7 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
Commodoties: fuel, natural gas, industrial raw materials, textiles, sugar
Partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $970 million (December 1997 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Belarusian rubels per US$1_31,030 (19 January 1998 official Belarusian exchange rate), 28,800 (October 1997 end of period),15,500 (yearend 1996), 11,500 (yearend 1995), 10,600 (yearend 1994), 699 (yearend 1993)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 26.1 billion kWh (1998)
Production by source fossil fuel: 99.92%
Production by source hydro: 0.08%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1997)
Consumption: 33.7 billion kWh (1997)
Exports: 2.7 billion kWh (1997)
Imports: 10.3 billion kWh (1997)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 1.849 million (1991 est.)
Telephone system: telephone service inadequate for the purposes of either business or the population; about 70% of the telephones are in homes; over 750,000 applications from households for telephones remain unsatisfied (1992 est.); new investment centers on international connections and business needs
Domestic: the new NMT-450 analog cellular system is now operating in Minsk
International: international traffic is carried by the Moscow international gateway switch and also by satellite; satellite earth stations_1 Intelsat (through Canada) and 1 Eutelsat (through the UK)
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: 4.5 trillion rubles (1997 est.), note_conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Percent of gdp: 1.3% (1997 est.)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 118 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 36
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 18
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways under 914 m: 11 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 82
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 6
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 62 (1996 est.)
HeliportsPipelines: crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural gas 1,980 km (1992)
RailwaysTotal: 5,488 km
Broad gauge: 5,488 km 1.520-m gauge (873 km electrified) (1993)
RoadwaysWaterways: NA km; note_Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems
Merchant marine: note:claims 5% of former Soviet fleet (1995 est.)
Ports and terminalsBelarus - Transnational issues 1999
top of pageDisputes international: demarcation has begun on border with Lithuania
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to Russia and Western Europe