Map of Belarus | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than have any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first directly elected president Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press peaceful assembly and religion remain in place.


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Location: Eastern Europe east of Poland

Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N 28 00 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 86
Land: 202,900 km²
Water: 4,700 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas

Land boundaries
Border countries: (5) Latvia 161 km; Lithuania 640 km; Poland 375 km; Russia 1312 km; Ukraine 1111 km

Coastline: 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

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m

Natural resources: timber peat deposits small quantities of oil and natural gas granite dolomitic limestone marl chalk sand gravel clay

Land use
Permanent crops: 0.59%
Other: 72.78% (2011)

Irrigated land: 1150 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 58 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes


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Population: 9,608,058 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 93
Growth rate: -0.19% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 213
Below poverty line: 27.1% (2003 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: Belarusian

Ethnic groups: Belarusian 83.7% Russian 8.3% Polish 3.1% Ukrainian 1.7% other 2.4% unspecified 0.9% (2009 est.)

Languages: Belarusian (official) 23.4% Russian (official) 70.2% other 3.1% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities) unspecified 3.3% (2009 est.)

Religions: Eastern Orthodox 80% other (including Roman Catholic Protestant Jewish and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 11.7% (male 575,907/female 544,170)
25-54 years: 45.5% (male 2,141,419/female 2,227,433)
55-64 years: 13.3% (male 562,639/female 716,216)
65 years and over: 14.2% (male 430,225/female 933,646) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 22 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 19.6 %
Potential support ratio: 5.1 (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 36.3 years
Female: 42.4 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.19% (2014 est.)
Rank: 213

Birth rate: 10.86 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 179

Death rate: 13.51 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 16

Net migration rate: 0.78 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 65

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 0.21% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: MINSK (capital) 1.861 million (2011)

Environment
Current 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 signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 25.1 (2011 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 206
Male: 4.07 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.19 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 138
Male: 66.53 years
Female: 78.1 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 195

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 72.6% (2005)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.76 physicians/1000 population (2011)

Hospital bed density: 11.1 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2012 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 76
People living with hivaids: 23,200 (2012 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 78
Deaths: 1200 (2012 est.)
Deaths rank: 69

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 24.3% (2008)
Rank: 65

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1.3% (2005)
Rank: 130

Education expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 71

Literacy
Total population: 99.6%
Male: 99.8%
Female: 99.5% (2009 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 15 years
Female: 16 years (2012)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Belarus
Local long form: Respublika Byelarus'/Respublika Belarus'
Local short form: Byelarus'/Belarus'
Former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type: republic in name although in fact a dictatorship

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 53 54 N 27 34 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (voblastsi singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest Homyel' (Gomel) Horad Minsk* (Minsk City) Hrodna (Grodno) Mahilyow (Mogilev) Minsk Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk)

Dependent areas

Independence: 25 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops 25 August 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution: several previous; latest drafted between late 1991 and early 1994 signed 15 March 1994; amended 1996 2004 (2013)

Legal system: civil law system; note - nearly all major codes (civil civil procedure criminal criminal procedure family and labor) have been revised and came into force in 1999 or 2000

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: prime minister Mikhail MYASNIKOVICH (since 28 December 2010); first deputy prime minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place on 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution the next election should have been held in 1999 however Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held on 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed the president to run in a third (19 March 2006) and fourth election (19 December 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
Election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 79.7% Andrey SANNIKOV 2.6% other candidates 17.7%; note - election marred by electoral fraud

Legislative branch: bicameral national assembly or natsionalnoye sobraniye consists of the Council of the Republic or Sovet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional and Minsk city councils and 8 members appointed by the president to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - the US does not recognize the legitimacy of the national assembly
Elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held on 23 September 2012 (next to be held September 2016); OSCE observers determined that the election was neither free nor impartial and that vote counting was problematic in a number of polling stations; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won every seat with no opposition representation in the chamber; international observers determined that the previous election on 28 September 2008 despite minor improvements also fell short of democratic standards with pro-LUKASHENKO candidates winning every seat
Election results: Sovet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KPB 3 AP 1 Republican Party of Labor and Justice 1 no affiliation 105

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the consent of the Council of the Republic; judges initially appointed for 5 years and evaluated for life appointment; Constitutional Court judges - 6 appointed by the president and 6 elected by the Chamber of Representatives; term of judges is 11 years with an age limit of 70
Subordinate courts: regional district city town and military courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: BSEC (observer) CBSS (observer) CEI CIS CSTO EAEC EAPC EBRD FAO GCTU IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICRM IDA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM NSG OPCW OSCE PCA PFP SCO (dialogue member) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIFIL UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO (observer) ZC

Diplomatic representation
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 consulate general: New York
From the us embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street Minsk 220,002
From the us mailing address: PSC 78 Box B Minsk APO 9,723
From the us telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83
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 on the hoist side bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red; the red band color recalls past struggles from oppression the green band represents hope and the many forests of the country

National symbols: mounted knight known as Pahonia (the Chaser)

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Mikhas KLIMKOVICH and Uladzimir KARYZNA/Nester SAKALOUSKI

National heritage


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Economy overview: As part of the former Soviet Union Belarus had a relatively well-developed industrial base; it retained this industrial base - which is now outdated energy inefficient and dependent on subsidized Russian energy and preferential access to Russian markets - following the breakup of the USSR. The country also has a broad agricultural base which is inefficient and dependent on government subsidies. After an initial burst of capitalist reform from 1991-94 including privatization of state enterprises creation of institutions of private property and development of entrepreneurship Belarus' economic development greatly slowed. About 80% of all industry remains in state hands and foreign investment has been hindered by a climate hostile to business. A few banks which had been privatized after independence were renationalized. State banks account for 75% of the banking sector. Economic output which had declined for several years following the collapse of the Soviet Union revived in the mid-2000s thanks to the boom in oil prices. Belarus has only small reserves of crude oil though it imports most of its crude oil and natural gas from Russia at prices substantially below the world market. Belarus exported refined oil products at market prices produced from Russian crude oil purchased at a steep discount. In late 2006 Russia began a process of rolling back its subsidies on oil and gas to Belarus. Tensions over Russian energy reached a peak in 2010 when Russia stopped the export of all subsidized oil to Belarus save for domestic needs. In December 2010 Russia and Belarus reached a deal to restart the export of discounted oil to Belarus. Little new foreign investment has occurred in recent years. In 2011 a financial crisis began triggered by government directed salary hikes unsupported by commensurate productivity increases. The crisis was compounded by an increased cost in Russian energy inputs and an overvalued Belarusian ruble and eventually led to a near three-fold devaluation of the Belarusian ruble in 2011. In November 2011 Belarus agreed to sell to Russia its remaining shares in Beltransgaz the Belarusian natural gas pipeline operator in exchange for reduced prices for Russian natural gas. Receiving more than half of a $3 billion loan from the Russian-dominated Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) Bail-out Fund a $1 billion loan from the Russian state-owned bank Sberbank and the $2.5 billion sale of Beltranzgas to Russian state-owned Gazprom helped stabilize the situation in 2012; nevertheless the Belarusian currency lost more than 60% of its value as the rate of inflation reached new highs in 2011 and 2012 before calming in 2013. As of January 2014 the final tranche of the EurAsEC loan has been delayed but in December 2013 Russia announced a new loan for Belarus of up to $2 billion for 2014. Notwithstanding foreign assistance the Belarusian economy continues to struggle under the weight of high external debt servicing payments a growing trade deficit stagnant economic growth and low foreign reserves.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 63

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 139

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 85

Gross national saving:
Rank: 49

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 15.3%
Investment in fixed capital: 30%
Investment in inventories: 0.7%
Exports of goods and services: 80.2%
Imports of goods and services: -72.5%: (2013 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 46.2%
Services: 44.7% (2013 est.)

Agriculture products: grain potatoes vegetables sugar beets flax; beef milk

Industries: metal-cutting machine tools tractors trucks earthmovers motorcycles televisions synthetic fibers fertilizer textiles radios refrigerators

Industrial production growth rate: 1% (2013 est.)
Rank: 148

Labor force: 5 million (2009)
Rank: 76
By occupation industry: 45.9%
By occupation services: 44.7% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: 1.6% (2005)
Rank: 5

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 27.1% (2003 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 21.9% (2008)

Distribution of family income gini index: 21.7 (1998)
Rank: 128

Budget
Expenditures: $26.79 billion (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -0.2% of GDP (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 48

Taxes and other revenues: 38.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
Rank: 50

Public debt: 31.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 115

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 59.1% (2012 est.)
Rank: 217

Central bank discount rate: 13.5% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 14

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 19.49% (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 17

Stock of narrow money:

Stock of broad money: $7.655 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 107

Stock of domestic credit: $19.82 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 77

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$1.688 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 163

Exports: $45.57 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 59
Commodities: machinery and equipment mineral products chemicals metals textiles foodstuffs
Partners: Russia 35.4% Netherlands 16.4% Ukraine 12.1% Latvia 7.1% (2012)

Imports: $45.01 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 58
Commodities: mineral products machinery and equipment chemicals foodstuffs metals
Partners: Russia 59.4% Germany 5.9% China 5.1% Ukraine 5% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.809 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 97

Debt external: $1.225 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 157

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 32.82 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 64
Consumption: 31.74 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 61
Exports: 5.067 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 28
Imports: 7.767 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 29
Installed generating capacity: 8.032 million kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 65
Generation sources fossil fuels: 99.7% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 49
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 54
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 147
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 104

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 32,070 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 65
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 89
Crude oil imports: 294,800 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 26
Crude oil proven reserves: 198 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 60

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 346,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 39
Products consumption: 188,800 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 61
Products exports: 224,200 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 28
Products imports: 43,240 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 76

Natural gas
Production: 220 million m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 78
Consumption: 21.82 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 34
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 69
Imports: 21.02 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 20
Proven reserves: 2.832 billion m³ (1 January 2013 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 97

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 67.16 million Mt (2011 est.)

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 4.407 million (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 37
Mobile cellular: 10.675 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 75

Telephone system
Domestic: state-owned Beltelcom is the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance service; fixed-line teledensity is improving although rural areas continue to be underserved; multiple GSM mobile-cellular networks are experiencing rapid growth; mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds 100 telephones per 100 persons
International: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL) Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); 3 fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia Poland Russia and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat Eutelsat and Intersputnik earth stations (2008)

Broadcast media: 4 state-controlled national TV channels; Polish and Russian TV broadcasts are available in some areas; state-run Belarusian Radio operates 3 national networks and an external service; Russian and Polish radio broadcasts are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .by
Hosts: 295,217 (2012)
Hosts rank: 64
Users: 2.643 million (2009)
Users rank: 69

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 85

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 12-18 months depending on academic qualifications; 17 year olds are eligible to become cadets at military higher education institutes where they are classified as military personnel (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 65 (2013)
Rank: 75
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 20
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 7 (2013)
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways: 28 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 5,386 km; oil 1589 km; refined products 1730 km (2013)

Railways
Rank: 32
Broad gauge: 5,512 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)
Standard gauge: 25 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Rank: 54
Paved: 74,651 km
Unpaved: 11,741 km (2010)

Waterways: 2,500 km (major rivers are the west-flowing Western Dvina and Neman rivers and the south-flowing Dnepr River and its tributaries the Berezina Sozh and Pripyat rivers) (2011)
Rank: 36

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border Poland has implemented strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its border with Belarus

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via Russia and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly regulated financial center; anti-money-laundering legislation does not meet international standards and was weakened further when know-your-customer requirements were curtailed in 2008; few investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities (2008)