Statistics Belarus 
Belarus in the World
Belarus - Introduction 2016
top of pageBackground: 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 and only directly elected president Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 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. The situation was somewhat aggravated after security services cracked down on mass protests challenging election results in the capital Minsk following the 2010 presidential election but little protest occurred after the 2015 election.
Area
Total: 207,600 km²
Land: 202,900 km²
Water: 4,700 km²
Rank: 86
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Kentucky; slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries
Total: 3,642 km
Border countries: (5) Latvia 161 km; Lithuania 640 km; Poland 418 km; Russia 1312 km; Ukraine 1111 km
Elevation
Mean elevation: 160 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m: 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
Agricultural land: 43.7%
arable land: 27.2%
permanent crops: 0.6%
permanent pasture: 15.9%
permanent crops: 0.6%
permanent pasture: 15.9%
Forest: 42.7%
Other: 13.6%
Geography
Note: landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
Belarus - People 2016
top of pagePopulation
Distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations: 9,570,376 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 93
Growth rate: -0.21% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 215
Below poverty line: 6.3% (2012 est.)
Ethnic groups: Belarusian 83.7% Russian 8.3% Polish 3.1% Ukrainian 1.7% other 2.4% unspecified 0.9% (2009 est.)
Languages: Russian (official) 70.2% Belarusian (official) 23.4% other 3.1% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities) unspecified 3.3% (2009 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 15.65%
15-24 years: 10.68%
25-54 years: 45.04%
55-64 years: 13.95%
65 years and over: 14.69% (2016 est.)
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 43%
Youth dependency ratio: 23%
Elderly dependency ratio: 20%
Potential support ratio: 5%
Population distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations
Urbanization
Urban population: 76.7% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.05% annual rate of change
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 party to: Air Pollution Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides Air Pollution-Sulfur 85 Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male/female
25-54 years: 0.97 male/female
55-64 years: 0.79 male/female
65 years and over: 0.46 male/female
Total population: 0.87 male/female
Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.2 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 200
Drinking water source:
urban: 99.9% of population
rural: 99.1% of population
total: 99.7% of population
urban: 0.1% of population
rural: 0.9% of population
total: 0.3% of population (2015 est.)
rural: 99.1% of population
total: 99.7% of population
urban: 0.1% of population
rural: 0.9% of population
total: 0.3% of population (2015 est.)
Sanitation facility access:
urban: 94.1% of population
rural: 95.2% of population
total: 94.3% of population
urban: 5.9% of population
rural: 4.8% of population
total: 5.7% of population (2015 est.)
rural: 95.2% of population
total: 94.3% of population
urban: 5.9% of population
rural: 4.8% of population
total: 5.7% of population (2015 est.)
Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.64% (2015 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 67
People living with hivaids: 35,200 (2015 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 72
Deaths: 1000 (2015 est.)
Deaths rank: 67
Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.7%
Male: 99.8%
Female: 99.7%
Belarus - Government 2016
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: Republic of Belarus
Conventional short form: Belarus
Local long form: Respublika Byelarus'/Respublika Belarus'
Local short form: Byelarus'/Belarus'
Former: Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
Etymology: the name is a compound of the Belarusian words 'bel' and 'Rus' (the Old East Slavic ethnic designation) to form the meaning White Rusian or White Ruthenian
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)
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; Russian spelling provided for reference when different from Belarusian
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 (2016)
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
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Belarus
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years
Executive branch
Chief of state: president Aleksandr LUKASHENKO
Head of government: prime minister Andrey KABYAKOV ; first deputy prime minister Vasily MATYUSHEVSKIY (since 27 December 2014)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-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) fourth (19 December 2010) and fifth election (11 October 2015); next election in 2020; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly
Election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 83.5% Tatsiana KARATKEVICH (Tell the Truth) 4.4% Sergey GAYDUKEVICH (LDP) 3.3% other 8.8%; note - election marred by electoral fraud
Legislative branch
Description: bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Council of the Republic or Sovet Respubliki and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 4-year terms); note - the US does not recognize the legitimacy of the National Assembly
Elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held on 11 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 virtually every seat with only the UCP member and one independent forming opposition representation in the chamber; international observers determined that the previous elections on 28 September 2008 and 23 September 2012 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 8 Belarusian Patriotic Party 3 Republican Party of Labor and Justice 3 LDP 1 UCP 1 independents 104
Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court ; Constitutional Court (consists of 12 judges including a chairman and deputy chairman)
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 including the court chairman appointed by the president and 6 elected by the Chamber of Representatives; judges can serve for 11 years with an age limit of 70
Subordinate courts: provincial courts; first instance (district) courts; economic courts; military courts
International organization participation: BSEC (observer) CBSS (observer) CEI CIS CSTO EAEC EAEU 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 chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Pavel SHIDLOVSKIY (since 23 April 2014)
In the us chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW Washington DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] 986-1606
In the us FAX: [1] 986-1805
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Scott RAULAND (since 30 June 2014)
From the us embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street Minsk 220,002
From the us mailing address: Unit 7,010 Box 100 DPO AE 9,769
From the us telephone: [375] 210-12-83
From the us FAX: [375] 334-7,853
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: no clearly defined current national symbol the mounted knight known as Pahonia (the Chaser) is the traditional Belarusian symbol; national colors: green red white
National anthem
Name: 'My Bielarusy'
Lyrics and music: Mikhas KLIMKOVICH and Uladzimir KARYZNA/Nester SAKALOUSKI
Note: 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'
Belarus - Economy 2016
top of pageEconomy overview:
As part of the former Soviet Union Belarus had a relatively well-developed though aging 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 largely inefficient and dependent on government subsidies. After an initial burst of capitalist reform from 1991-94 including privatization of smaller state enterprises and some service sector businesses 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 due 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. In 2015 Belarus continued to import Russian crude oil at a discounted price. However the plunge in global oil prices heavily reduced revenues.
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 part 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 Beltransgaz 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. In December 2013 Russia announced a new loan for Belarus of up to $2 billion for 2014. Notwithstanding foreign assistance the Belarusian economy continued to struggle under the weight of high external debt servicing payments and trade deficit. In mid-December 2014 structural economic shortcomings were aggravated by the devaluation of the Russian ruble and triggered a near 40% devaluation of the Belarusian ruble. Belarus entered 2015 with stagnant economic growth and reduced hard currency reserves with under one month of import cover.
Economic output which had declined for several years following the collapse of the Soviet Union revived in the mid-2000s due 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. In 2015 Belarus continued to import Russian crude oil at a discounted price. However the plunge in global oil prices heavily reduced revenues.
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 part 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 Beltransgaz 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. In December 2013 Russia announced a new loan for Belarus of up to $2 billion for 2014. Notwithstanding foreign assistance the Belarusian economy continued to struggle under the weight of high external debt servicing payments and trade deficit. In mid-December 2014 structural economic shortcomings were aggravated by the devaluation of the Russian ruble and triggered a near 40% devaluation of the Belarusian ruble. Belarus entered 2015 with stagnant economic growth and reduced hard currency reserves with under one month of import cover.
Real gdp purchasing power parity:
$167.7 billion (2015 est.)
$174.5 billion (2014 est.)
$171.8 billion (2013 est.)
$174.5 billion (2014 est.)
$171.8 billion (2013 est.)
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 69
Real gdp per capita:
$17,700 (2015 est.)
$18,400 (2014 est.)
$18,100 (2013 est.)
$18,400 (2014 est.)
$18,100 (2013 est.)
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 94
Gross national saving:
26.2% of GDP (2015 est.)
28.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
28.9% of GDP (2013 est.)
28.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
28.9% of GDP (2013 est.)
Rank: 31
Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 50.3%
Government consumption: 14.9%
Investment in fixed capital: 28.6%
Investment in inventories: 6%
Exports of goods and services: 60%
Imports of goods and services: -59.8%
Industries: metal-cutting machine tools tractors trucks earthmovers motorcycles televisions synthetic fibers fertilizer textiles radios refrigerators
Labor force: 4.546 million (2013 est.)
Rank: 88
By occupation agriculture: 9.3%
By occupation industry: 32.7%
By occupation services: 58%
Unemployment rate:
0.7% (2014 est.)
0.5% (2013 est.)
0.5% (2013 est.)
Note: official registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers
Rank: 3
Budget
Revenues: $22.97 billion
Expenditures: $22.17 billion
Surplus or deficit: 1.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 17
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
18.08% (31 December 2015 est.)
18.74% (31 December 2014 est.)
18.74% (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 21
Stock of narrow money:
$2.301 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$3.524 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$3.524 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 123
Stock of broad money:
$5.651 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$7.608 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$7.608 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 126
Stock of domestic credit:
$22.23 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$27.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$27.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 83
Exports:
$26.19 billion (2015 est.)
$35.42 billion (2014 est.)
$35.42 billion (2014 est.)
Rank: 65
Commodities: machinery and equipment mineral products chemicals metals textiles foodstuffs
Partners: Russia 39% UK 11.2% Ukraine 9.5% Netherlands 4.3% Germany 4.1% (2015)
Imports:
$28.33 billion (2015 est.)
$38.06 billion (2014 est.)
$38.06 billion (2014 est.)
Rank: 64
Commodities: mineral products machinery and equipment chemicals foodstuffs metals
Partners: Russia 56.6% China 7.9% Germany 4.6% (2015)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.176 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$5.059 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$5.059 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 97
Exchange rates:
Belarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar -
15,926 (2015 est.)
10,224 (2014 est.)
10,224 (2013 est.)
8,337 (2012 est.)
4,975 (2011 est.)
15,926 (2015 est.)
10,224 (2014 est.)
10,224 (2013 est.)
8,337 (2012 est.)
4,975 (2011 est.)
Belarus - Energy 2016
top of pageElectricity
Access electrification total population: 100%
Production: 33 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 63
Consumption: 33 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 58
Exports: 4.5 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 39
Imports: 7.8 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 36
Installed generating capacity: 9.2 million kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 64
Generation sources fossil fuels: 99.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 42
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 57
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 150
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 117
Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 26,080 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 64
Crude oil exports: 31,810 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 50
Crude oil imports: 439,200 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 21
Crude oil proven reserves: 200 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 60
Refined petroleum
Products production: 444,400 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 38
Products consumption: 170,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products consumption rank: 62
Products exports: 284,200 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 23
Products imports: 1334 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 56
Natural gas
Production: 30 million m³ (2014 est.)
Production rank: 77
Consumption: 20.08 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 35
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 68
Imports: 20.05 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 16
Proven reserves: 2.832 billion m³ (1 January 2016 es)
Proven reserves rank: 97
Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 70 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 51
Belarus - Communication 2016
top of pageTelephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4,540,678
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47
Fixed lines rank: 35
Mobile cellular total: 11.448 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 119
Mobile cellular rank: 80
Telephone system
General assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading telecommunications infrastructure; modernization of the network progressing with roughly two-thirds of switching equipment now digital
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 approaching 120 telephones per 100 persons
International: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line 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 (2015)
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)
Belarus - Military 2016
top of pageMilitary expenditures:
1.3% of GDP (2014)
1.3% of GDP (2013)
1.2% of GDP (2012)
1.27% of GDP (2011)
1.3% of GDP (2013)
1.2% of GDP (2012)
1.27% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 82
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)
Belarus - Transportation 2016
top of pageNational air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 30
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,489,035
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1.807 million mt-km
Airports: 65 (2013)
Rank: 75
With paved runways total: 33
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
With unpaved runways total: 32
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 under 914 m: 28
Railways
Total: 5,528 km
Broad gauge: 5,503 km 1.520-m gauge
Standard gauge: 25 km 1.435-m gauge
Rank: 34
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: 35
Belarus - Transnational issues 2016
top of pageDisputes 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
Refugees: 126,407 applicants for forms of legal stay other than asylum (Ukraine) (2015)
Stateless persons: 5,635
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)
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