2021 Edition

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 and current negotiations on further integration have been contentious. Since his election in July 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 grown increasingly strained following the disputed presidential election in August 2020. The election results sparked largescale protests as members of the opposition and civil society criticized the election’s validity. Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA has remained in power as the disputed winner of the presidential election after quelling protests in late 2020.        

Area

land

202,900 sq km

total

207,600 sq km

water

4,700 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Kentucky; slightly smaller than Kansas

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation

highest point

Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m

lowest point

Nyoman River 90 m

mean elevation

160 m

Geographic coordinates

53 00 N, 28 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

1,140 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

border countries

Latvia 161 km, Lithuania 640 km, Poland 375 km, Russia 1312 km, Ukraine 1111 km

total

3,599 km

Land use

agricultural land

43.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 27.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 15.9% (2018 est.)

forest

42.7% (2018 est.)

other

13.6% (2018 est.)

Location

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Major rivers (by length in km)

Dnieper (shared with Russia [s] and Ukraine [m]) - 2,287 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Dnieper (533,966 sq km)

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

large tracts of marshy land

Natural resources

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

Population distribution

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

Terrain

generally flat with much marshland

Age structure

0-14 years

16.09% (male 784,231/female 740,373)

15-24 years

9.59% (male 467,393/female 441,795)

25-54 years

43.94% (male 2,058,648/female 2,105,910)

55-64 years

14.45% (male 605,330/female 763,972)

65 years and over

15.93% (male 493,055/female 1,017,211) (2020 est.)

Birth rate

9.32 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

71.2% (2017)

note

note:  percent of women aged 18-49

Current Health Expenditure

5.6% (2018)

Death rate

12.96 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

23.2

potential support ratio

4.3 (2020 est.)

total dependency ratio

48.9

youth dependency ratio

25.7

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 98.3% of population

improved: total

total: 99.8% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 1.7% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.2% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Education expenditures

5% of GDP (2020)

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.5% (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

<200 (2020 est.)

note

note: estimate does not include children

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

28,000 (2020 est.)

note

note: estimate does not include children

Hospital bed density

10.8 beds/1,000 population (2014)

Infant mortality rate

female

2.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

male

3.76 deaths/1,000 live births

total

3.31 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Languages

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

major-language sample(s)

Книга фактов о мире – незаменимый источник базовой информации. (Russian)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

79.74 years (2021 est.)

male

68.6 years

total population

74.01 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

99.9% (2019)

male

99.9%

total population

99.9%

Major urban areas - population

2.039 million MINSK (capital) (2021)

Maternal mortality ratio

2 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median age

female

43.9 years (2020 est.)

male

38 years

total

40.9 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

26.8 years (2019 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Belarusian

noun

Belarusian(s)

Net migration rate

0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

24.5% (2016)

Physicians density

5.19 physicians/1,000 population (2015)

Population

9,441,842 (July 2021 est.)

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

-0.29% (2021 est.)

Religions

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

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 97.9% of population

improved: total

total: 99.4% of population

improved: urban

urban: 99.8% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 2.1% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.6% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0.2% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

16 years (2018)

male

15 years

total

15 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.98 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.79 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.48 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.87 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.51 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

10.2% (2020 est.)

male

14.3%

total

12.4%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

79.9% of total population (2021)

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

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; Russian spelling provided for reference when different from Belarusian

Capital

etymology

the origin of the name is disputed; Minsk may originally have been located 16 km to the southwest, on the banks of Menka River; remnants of a 10th-century settlement on the banks of the Menka have been found

geographic coordinates

53 54 N, 27 34 E

name

Minsk

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

Constitution

amendments

proposed by the president of the republic through petition to the National Assembly or by petition of least 150,000 eligible voters; approval required by at least two-thirds majority vote in both chambers or by simple majority of votes cast in a referendum; amended 1996, 2004

history

several previous; latest drafted between late 1991 and early 1994, signed 15 March 1994

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Belarus

conventional short form

Belarus

etymology

the name is a compound of the Belarusian words "bel" (white) and "Rus" (the Old East Slavic ethnic designation) to form the meaning White Rusian or White Ruthenian

former

Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

local long form

Respublika Byelarus'/Respublika Belarus'

local short form

Byelarus'/Belarus'

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Julie Fisher (since 23 December 2020); Charge d'Affaires Ruben HARUTUNIAN (since May 2021)

email address and website

ConsularMinsk@state.govhttps://by.usembassy.gov/

embassy

46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002

FAX

[375] (17) 334-78-53

mailing address

7010 Minsk Place, Washington DC  20521-7010

telephone

[375] (17) 210-12-83/217-73-47/217-73-48

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant; recalled by Belarus in 2008); Charge d'Affaires Dmitry BASIK (since 9 July 2019)

email address and website

usa@mfa.gov.by

FAX

[1] (202) 986-1805

telephone

[1] (202) 986-1606

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

President Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA (since 20 July 1994)

election results

Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA reelected president; percent of vote - Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA (independent) 80.2%, Svyatlana TSIKHANOWSKAYA (independent) 9.9%, other 9.9%; note - widespread street protests erupted following announcement of the election results amid allegations of voter fraud

elections/appointments

president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); 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, Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA 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 and win in a third (19 March 2006), fourth (19 December 2010), fifth (11 October 2015), and sixth (9 August 2020); next election in 2025; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly

head of government

Prime Minister Raman HALOWCHENKA (since 4 June 2020); First Deputy Prime Minister Mikalay SNAPKOW (since 4 June 2020); Deputy Prime Ministers Uladzimir KUKHARAW, Ihar PETRYSHENKA (since 18 August 2018), Yuryy NAZARAW (since 3 March 2020), Alyaksandr SUBOTSIN (since 4 June 2020)

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

Government type

presidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship

Independence

25 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

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

Judicial branch

highest courts

Supreme Court (consists of the chairman and deputy chairman and organized into several specialized panels, including economic and military; number of judges set by the president of the republic and the court chairman); 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 appointed by the president and 6 elected by the Council of the Republic; the presiding judge directly elected by the president and approved by the Council of the Republic; judges can serve for 11 years with an age limit of 70

subordinate courts

oblast courts; Minsk City Court; town courts; Minsk city and oblast economic courts

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

Legislative branch

description

bicameral National Assembly or Natsyyalny Skhod consists of:Council of the Republic or Savet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members indirectly elected by regional and Minsk city councils and 8 members appointed by the president; members serve 4-year terms)House of Representatives or Palata Pradstawnikow (110 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 4-year terms)

election results

Council of the Republic - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition -NAHouse of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KPB 11, Republican Party of Labor and Justice 6, Belarusian Patriotic Party 2, LDP 1, AP 1, independent 89; composition - men 66, women 44, percent of women 40%

elections

Council of the Republic - indirect election last held on 7 November 2019House of Representatives - last held on 17 November 2019 (next to be held in 2023); OSCE observers determined that the election was neither free nor impartial and that vote counting was problematic in a number of polling stations; pro-LUKASHENKA candidates won every seat; international observers determined that the previous elections, on 28 September 2008, 23 September 2012, and 11 September 2016 also fell short of democratic standards, with pro-LUKASHENKA candidates winning every, or virtually every, seat

note

note: the US does not recognize the legitimacy of the National Assembly

National anthem

lyrics/music

Mikhas KLIMKOVICH and Uladzimir KARYZNA/Nester SAKALOUSKI

name

"My, Bielarusy" (We Belarusians)

note

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" (State Anthem of the Republic of Belarus)

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

National symbol(s)

no clearly defined current national symbol, the mounted knight known as Pahonia (the Chaser) is the traditional Belarusian symbol; national colors: green, red, white

Political parties and leaders

pro-government parties: Belarusian Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail RUSY]Belarusian Patriotic Party [Mikalay ULAKHOVICH]Belarusian Social Sport Party [Uladzimir ALEKSANDROVICH]Communist Party of Belarus or KPB [Alyaksey SOKOL]Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Aleh GAYDUKEVICH]Republican Party [Uladzimir BELAZOR]Republican Party of Labor and Justice [Alyaksandr STSYAPANAW]Social Democratic Party of Popular Accord [Syarhey YERMAK]opposition parties: Belarusian Christian Democracy Party [Paval SEVYARYNETS, Volha KAVALKOVA, Vital RYMASHEWSKI] (unregistered)Belarusian Party of the Green [Anastasiya DOROFEYEVA]Belarusian Party of the Left "Just World" [Syarhey KALYAKIN]Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Ryhor KASTUSYOW]Belarusian Social-Democratic Assembly [Syarhey CHERACHEN]Belarusian Social Democratic Party ("Assembly") or BSDPH [Ihar BARYSAW]Belarusian Social Democratic Party (People's Assembly) [Mikalay STATKEVICH] (unregistered)Christian Conservative Party or BPF [Zyanon PAZNYAK]United Civic Party or UCP [Mikalay KAZLOW]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

milk, potatoes, sugar beet, wheat, triticale, barley, maize, rye, rapeseed, poultry

Budget

expenditures

20.57 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

22.15 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

2.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating

B (2018)

Moody's rating

B3 (2018)

Standard & Poors rating

B (2017)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2016

-$1.669 billion (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

-$931 million (2017 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2018

$39.297 billion (2018 est.)

Debt - external 2019

$39.847 billion (2019 est.)

Economic overview

As part of the former Soviet Union, Belarus had a relatively well-developed industrial base, but it is now outdated, inefficient, and dependent on subsidized Russian energy and preferential access to Russian markets. The country’s agricultural base is largely dependent on government subsidies. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, an initial burst of economic reforms included privatization of state enterprises, creation of private property rights, and the acceptance of private entrepreneurship, but by 1994 the reform effort dissipated. About 80% of industry remains in state hands, and foreign investment has virtually disappeared. Several businesses have been renationalized. State-owned entities account for 70-75% of GDP, and state banks make up 75% of the banking sector.Economic output declined for several years following the break-up of the Soviet Union, but revived in the mid-2000s. Belarus has only small reserves of crude oil and imports crude oil and natural gas from Russia at subsidized, below market, prices. Belarus derives export revenue by refining Russian crude and selling it at market prices. Russia and Belarus have had serious disagreements over prices and quantities for Russian energy. Beginning in early 2016, Russia claimed Belarus began accumulating debt – reaching $740 million by April 2017 – for paying below the agreed price for Russian natural gas and Russia cut back its export of crude oil as a result of the debt. In April 2017, Belarus agreed to pay its gas debt and Russia restored the flow of crude.New non-Russian foreign investment has been limited in recent years, largely because of an unfavorable financial climate. In 2011, a financial crisis lead to a nearly three-fold devaluation of the Belarusian ruble. The Belarusian economy has continued to struggle under the weight of high external debt servicing payments and a trade deficit. In mid-December 2014, the devaluation of the Russian ruble triggered a near 40% devaluation of the Belarusian ruble.Belarus’s economy stagnated between 2012 and 2016, widening productivity and income gaps between Belarus and neighboring countries. Budget revenues dropped because of falling global prices on key Belarusian export commodities. Since 2015, the Belarusian government has tightened its macro-economic policies, allowed more flexibility to its exchange rate, taken some steps towards price liberalization, and reduced subsidized government lending to state-owned enterprises. Belarus returned to modest growth in 2017, largely driven by improvement of external conditions and Belarus issued sovereign debt for the first time since 2011, which provided the country with badly-needed liquidity, and issued $600 million worth of Eurobonds in February 2018, predominantly to US and British investors.

Exchange rates

currency

Belarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

10,224.1 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

15,926 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2015

2 (2015 est.)

Exchange rates 2016

2 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

1.9 (2017 est.)

Exports

Exports 2018

$42.27 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Exports 2019

$41.97 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$37.04 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

Exports - commodities

refined petroleum, fertilizers, cheese, delivery trucks, crude petroleum (2019)

Exports - partners

Russia 42%, Ukraine 13%, United Kingdom 7% (2019)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

67% (2017 est.)

government consumption

14.6% (2017 est.)

household consumption

54.8% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-67% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

24.9% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

5.7% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

8.1% (2017 est.)

industry

40.8% (2017 est.)

services

51.1% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$63.168 billion (2019 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 1998

21.7 (1998)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2018

25.2 (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

21.9% (2008)

lowest 10%

3.8%

Imports

Imports 2018

$41.34 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Imports 2019

$42.38 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$35.16 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

Imports - commodities

crude petroleum, natural gas, cars and vehicle parts, packaged medicines, broadcasting equipment (2019)

Imports - partners

Russia 57%, China 7%, Poland 5%, Germany 5%, Ukraine 5% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

5.6% (2017 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

6% (2017 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018

4.8% (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

5.6% (2019 est.)

Labor force

4.381 million (2016 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

9.7%

industry

23.4%

services

66.8% (2015 est.)

Population below poverty line

5% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

53.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

53.4% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$179.1 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$181.61 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$179.97 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2017

2.53% (2017 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2018

3.17% (2018 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2019

1.22% (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2018

$18,900 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$19,300 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$19,100 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016

$4.927 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$7.315 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

40.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

note

note: official registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers

Unemployment rate 2016

1% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate 2017

0.8% (2017 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

10.2% (2020 est.)

male

14.3%

total

12.4%

Crude oil - exports

31,730 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - imports

468,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - production

31,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

198 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity - consumption

31.72 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - exports

3.482 billion kWh (2015 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

96% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

3% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - imports

6.319 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

10.04 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity - production

31.58 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

Natural gas - consumption

17.7 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - imports

17.53 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - production

59.46 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

141,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

351,200 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

14,630 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

477,200 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

34.45 (2020 est.)

total

3,255,552 (2020)

Broadcast media

7 state-controlled national TV channels; Polish and Russian TV broadcasts are available in some areas; state-run Belarusian Radio operates 5 national networks and an external service; Russian and Polish radio broadcasts are available (2019)

Internet country code

.by

Internet users

percent of population

85.09% (2020 est.)

total

7.82 million (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line teledensity is improving although rural areas continue to be underserved, 48 per 100 fixed-line; mobile-cellular teledensity now approaches 123 telephones per 100 persons (2019)

general assessment

government owns and administers backbone network and much of telecom market with no independent regulator; government and telecom regulator are concluding three major programs aimed at developing the telecom sector and digital economy to enable 5G services and extension of fiber infrastructure; growing applications for smart cities; developing mobile broadband and data services to rural areas; commercial LTE services extended to 80% of the population; operators provide standalone 5G service and NB-IoT services; international connection through fiber optic and terrestrial link, nascent satellite system; importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2020)

international

country code - 375; Belarus is landlocked and therefore 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; almost 31,000 base stations in service in 2019 (2020)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

46.63 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

4,406,585 (2020)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

123.9 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

11,704,084 (2020)

Airports

total

65 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

4

2,438 to 3,047 m

20

914 to 1,523 m

1

over 3,047 m

1

total

33

under 914 m

7 (2017)

Airports - with unpaved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1

914 to 1,523 m

2

over 3,047 m

1

total

32

under 914 m

28 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

EW

Heliports

1 (2013)

Merchant marine

by type

other 4 (2021)

total

4

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

1.9 million mt-km (2018)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

2,760,168 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

30

number of registered air carriers

2 (2020)

Pipelines

5386 km gas, 1589 km oil, 1730 km refined products (2013)

Ports and terminals

river port(s)

Mazyr (Prypyats')

Railways

broad gauge

5,503 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified) (2014)

standard gauge

25 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)

total

5,528 km (2014)

Roadways

total

86,600 km (2017)

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)

Military - note

Belarus has close security ties with Russia, including an integrated air and missile defense system, joint training exercises, and the establishment of three joint training centers since 2020 (1 in Belarus, 2 in Russia); Russia is the principal supplier of arms to Belarus, and Belarusian troops reportedly train on Russian equipment; Russia leases from Belarus a strategic ballistic missile defense site operated by Russian Aerospace Forces and a global communications facility for the Russian Navy; in 2020, the countries signed an agreement allowing for close security cooperation between the Belarusian Ministry of Interior and the Russian National Guard, including protecting public order and key government facilities, and combating extremism and terrorismBelarus has been a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and contributes troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force

Military and security forces

Belarus Armed Forces: Army, Air and Air Defense Force, Special Operations Force, Special Troops (electronic warfare, signals, engineers, biological/chemical/nuclear protection troops, etc); Ministry of Interior: State Border Troops, Militia, Internal Troops (2021)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 45,000 active duty troops; information on the individual services varies, but probably includes about 25,000 Army, 15,000 Air/Air Defense, and 5,000 Special Operations forces (2021)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the inventory of the Belarus Armed Forces is comprised of Russian-origin equipment; Belarus's defense industry manufactures some equipment, including vehicles, guided weapons, and electronic warfare systems (2021)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2016

1.3% of GDP (2016)

Military Expenditures 2017

1.2% of GDP (2017)

Military Expenditures 2018

1.2% of GDP (2018)

Military Expenditures 2019

1.2% of GDP (2019)

Military Expenditures 2020

1.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-27 years of age for compulsory military or alternative service; conscript service obligation is 12-18 months, depending on academic qualifications, and 24-36 months for alternative service, depending on academic qualifications; 17 year olds are eligible to become cadets at military higher education institutes, where they are classified as military personnel (2021)

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

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

stateless persons

6,296 (2020)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims and exploit Belarusians abroad; the majority of trafficking victims are men subjected to forced labor; most Belarusian victims are trafficked in Belarus and Russia, but also in Poland, Turkey, and other Eurasian and Middle Eastern countries; the government continued to subject factory workers, civil servants, and students to state-sponsored forced labor harvesting crops on state-owned farms or cleaning streets

tier rating

Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking because of a government policy or pattern of government-sponsored forced labor in public works projects and the agricultural sector; however, authorities convicted traffickers under its trafficking statute for the first time in eight years, increased training for law enforcement officers, and confirmed significantly more victims; the government adopted a national action plan to protect minors from sexual violence and exploitation (2020)

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

58.28 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

17.19 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

18.06 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

Climate

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

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

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Land use

agricultural land

43.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 27.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 15.9% (2018 est.)

forest

42.7% (2018 est.)

other

13.6% (2018 est.)

Major rivers (by length in km)

Dnieper (shared with Russia [s] and Ukraine [m]) - 2,287 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Dnieper (533,966 sq km)

Revenue from coal

coal revenues

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues

1.02% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

57.9 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

431 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

443 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

523 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

79.9% of total population (2021)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

4.28 million tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

684,800 tons (2016 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

16% (2016 est.)