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 any of the other former Soviet republics. In 1999, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union, envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place and negotiations on further integration have been contentious. Since taking office in 1994 as the country's first and only directly elected president, Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on political and civil freedoms, freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion have remained in place. Restrictions on political freedoms have tightened in the wake of the disputed presidential election in 2020. The election results sparked large-scale protests as members of the opposition and civil society criticized the election’s validity. LUKASHENKA has remained in power as the disputed winner of the presidential election after quelling protests in 2020. Since 2022, Belarus has facilitated Russia's war in Ukraine, which was launched in part from Belarusian territory.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 207,600 km²
Land: 202,900 km²
Water: 4,700 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Kentucky; slightly smaller than Kansas

Land boundaries
Total: 3,599 km
Border countries (5): (5) Latvia 161 km; Lithuania 640 km; Poland 375 km; Russia 1,312 km; Ukraine 1,111 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime

Terrain: generally flat with much marshland

Elevation
Highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
Mean elevation: 160 m

Natural resources

Land use
Agricultural land: 39.6% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 27.4% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.4% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 11.7% (2023 est.)
Forest: 44% (2023 est.)
Other: 16.5% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 260 km² (2022)

Major rivers: Dnyapro (Dnieper) (shared with Russia [s] and Ukraine [m]) - 2,287 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: large tracts of marshy land

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


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Population
Total: 9,501,451 (2024 est.)
Male: 4,433,839
Female: 5,067,612
Distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations
Growth rate: -0.42% (2024 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups

Languages: Russian (official) 71.4%, Belarusian (official) 26%, other 0.3% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities), unspecified 2.3% (2019 est.)
Major-language sample(s): ; Книга фактов о мире – незаменимый источник базовой информации. (Russian); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Orthodox 48.3%, Catholic 7.1%, other 3.5%, non-believers 41.1% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.1% (male 787,849/female 741,293)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 3,073,507/female 3,204,088)
65 years and over: 17.8% (2024 est.) (male 572,483/female 1,122,231)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 51.4 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 24.4 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 27 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3.7 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 42.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 39.5 years
Female: 45 years

Population growth rate: -0.42% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 8.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 13.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate

Population distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

Urbanization
Urban population: 80.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 2.057 million MINSK (capital) (2023)

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 1 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 1.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.7 years (2024 est.)
Male: 69.8 years
Female: 80 years

Total fertility rate: 1.45 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 0.5% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 1.9% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.8% of population (2022 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 1.7% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 3.4% (2024 est.); 3.5% (2023 est.); 3.6% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment


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Country name

Government type

Capital
Name: Minsk
Geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the origin of the name is disputed; it may be derived from the Menka River

Administrative divisions: 6 regions (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel' (Gomel'), Horad Minsk* (Minsk City), Hrodna (Grodno), Mahilyow (Mogilev), Minsk, Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk)
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; Russian spelling provided for reference when different from Belarusian

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system: civil law system
Note: nearly all major codes (civil, civil procedure, criminal, criminal procedure, family, and labor) were revised and came into force in 1999 and 2000

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

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA (since 20 July 1994)
Head of government: Prime Minister Alyaksandr TURCHYN (since 10 March 2025)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (no term limits); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly
Most recent election date: first election held on 23 June and 10 July 1994; the 1994 constitution set the next election for 1999, but Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA extended his term to 2001 via a referendum; subsequent election held in 2001; a 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed LUKASHENKA to run and win a third term (19 March 2006), fourth term (19 December 2010), fifth term (11 October 2015), sixth term (9 August 2020), and seventh term (26 January 2025)
2025: Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA reelected president; percent of vote - Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA (independent) 86.8%, Sergey Syrankov (Communist Party) 3.2%, 3.6% voting against all
2020: Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA reelected president; percent of vote - Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA (independent) 80.1%, Svyatlana TSIKHANOWSKAYA (independent) 10.1%, other 9.8%; note - widespread street protests erupted following announcement of the election results amid allegations of voter fraud
2015: Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA elected president; percent of vote - Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA (independent) 84.1%, Tatsyana KARATKEVIC (BSDPH) 4.4%, Sergey GAYDUKEVICH (LDP) 3.3%, other 8.2%.
Expected date of next election: 2,030

Legislative branch
Legislature name: National Assembly (Natsionalnoye Sobranie)
Legislative structure: bicameral

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: red horizontal band (top), with a green horizontal band below that is half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the left side has traditional Belarusian designs in red

National symbols

National anthem
Title: 'My, Bielarusy' (We Belarusians)
Lyrics/music: Mikhas KLIMKOVICH and Uladzimir KARYZNA/Nester SAKALOUSKI
History: music adopted 1955, lyrics adopted 2002; after the fall of the Soviet Union, Belarus kept the music of its Soviet-era anthem but adopted new lyrics; also known as 'Dziarzauny himn Respubliki Bielarus' (State Anthem of the Republic of Belarus)

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 4 (3 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 4% (2024 est.); 4.1% (2023 est.); -4.7% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 4% (2024 est.); 4.1% (2023 est.); -4.7% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 56.8% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 19% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23.8% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: 2% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 65.1% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -66.9% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6.9% (2024 est.)
Industry: 30.7% (2024 est.)
Services: 49.7% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products

Industries: metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, refrigerators, washing machines and other household appliances

Industrial production growth rate: 6% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 4.817 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 3.4% (2024 est.); 3.5% (2023 est.); 3.6% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 3.4% (2024 est.); 3.5% (2023 est.); 3.6% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $22.876 billion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $21.912 billion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 12.7% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $49.386 billion (2024 est.); $47.714 billion (2023 est.); $47.124 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: fertilizers, rapeseed oil, wood, poultry, beef (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $50.679 billion (2024 est.); $47.459 billion (2023 est.); $42.438 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, broadcasting equipment, fabric, plastic products, video displays (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 12.653 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 39.883 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 4.553 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 4 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.149 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 70% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 26.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Consumption: 710,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 966,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 1.635 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 30,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 125,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 198 million barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 68.494 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 15.094 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 15.433 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 2.832 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 46.709 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 1.497 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 15.884 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 29.328 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 104.821 million Btu/person (2023 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4.173 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 46 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 11.8 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 123 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Users percent of population: 92% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 3.2 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 35 (2023 est.)


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Military expenditures: 2% of GDP (2024 est.); 1.8% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.7% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.4% of GDP (2021 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 46 (2025)

Heliports: 4 (2025)

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 5,528 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 25 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge
Broad gauge: 5,503 km (2014) 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 4 (2023)
By type: other 4

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs