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Belarus
Belarus
Population
9.1M
Rank #99Source: World Bank
Capital
Minsk
Source: REST Countries
Region
Europe
Europe & Central Asia
Source: REST Countries
GDP (Nominal)
$75.96B
Rank #83Source: World Bank
Land Area
207.6K km²
Rank #85Source: REST Countries
Life Expectancy
74.184 yrs
Source: World Bank
Historical Trends
Population Trend (5-Year)
Source: World Bank
GDP Trend (5-Year, Nominal USD)
Source: World Bank
Geography
Area: 207,600 km²
Landlocked: Yes
Independent: Yes
Climate: cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Terrain: generally flat with much marshland
Elevation: mean elevation: 160 m lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Natural Hazards: large tracts of marshy land
Environmental Issues: soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine
Land Use: agricultural land: 43.7% (2016 est.) forest: 42.7% (2016 est.) other: 13.6% (2016 est.)
Geography Note: landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
Natural Resources
timberpeat depositssmall quantities of oil and natural gasgranitedolomitic limestonemarlchalksandgravelclay
People & Society
Fertility Rate
1.21
Population
9.1M
Ethnic Groups
Belarusian (83.7%)Russian (8.3%)Polish (3.1%)Ukrainian (1.7%)other (2.4%)unspecified (0.9%)
Religions
Orthodox (48.3%)Catholic (7.1%)other (3.5%)non-believers (41.1%)
Economy
GDP per Capita
$8,317.634
GDP per Capita PPP
33,010.331
(2024)
(2024)
GNI per Capita
8,260
(2024)
(2024)
Gini Index
24.4
(2020)
(2020)
Unemployment
3.458%
(2024)
(2024)
Inflation
5.785%
(2024)
(2024)
Public Debt
33.244%
(2019)
(2019)
Energy
Electricity Access
100%
(2023)
(2023)
Renewable Energy
8.2%
(2021)
(2021)
CO₂ Emissions
54.216 Mt
(2024)
(2024)
Energy Intensity
6.18 MJ/$
(2021)
(2021)
Renewable Electricity
3.147%
(2021)
(2021)
Environment
Forest Coverage
43.408% of land
(2023)
(2023)
Protected Areas
7.7% of land
(2009)
(2009)
Communications
Internet Users
94.262%
(2024)
(2024)
Mobile Penetration
128.979%
(2023)
(2023)
Broadband Subscribers
35.093%
(2023)
(2023)
Transportation
Air Transport Freight
5.573 M ton-km
(2023)
(2023)
Container Port Traffic
Not Available
Airports
13,168
Rail Lines
5,474 km
Roads Total
102,534 km(©IRF)
Military
Military Forces
Belarus Armed Forces: Army, Air and Air Defense Force, Special Operations Force; Ministry of Interior: State Border Troops, Militia, Internal Troops
Personnel Strength
the Belarus Armed Forces have approximately 45,000 active troops (29,000 Army, including Special Operations Force; 16,000 Air and Air Defense)
Military Expenditure (USD)
$1.49B
Military Expenditure (% of GDP)
2.07%
Military Expenditure History
1.2% of GDP (2019) 1.2% of GDP (2018) 1.2% of GDP (2017) 1.3% of GDP (2016) 1.3% of GDP (2015)
Deployments
contributes about 2,000 personnel to CSTO's Rapid Reaction Force (2019 est.)
Equipment & Inventories
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...
Service Age & 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,...
Education
Pre-Primary Enrollment
96.766%
(2021)
(2021)
Primary Enrollment
96.822%
(2024)
(2024)
Secondary Enrollment
94.79%
(2024)
(2024)
Tertiary Enrollment
70.111%
(2024)
(2024)
Education Spending
4.951% of GDP
(2023)
(2023)
Adult Literacy Rate
99.87%
(2019)
(2019)
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
19.233:1
(2018)
(2018)
Health
Physicians per 1,000
4.717
(2023)
(2023)
Safe Water Access
99.892%
(2024)
(2024)
Safe Drinking Water
93.06%
(2024)
(2024)
Under-5 Mortality
2.4 per 1,000
(2023)
(2023)
Maternal Mortality (World Bank)
21.068 per 100,000
(2021)
(2021)
Hospital Beds per 1,000
73.123
(2021)
(2021)
UHC Coverage Index
80
(2023)
(2023)
Measles Immunization
98%
(2024)
(2024)
Social Indicators
Extreme Poverty Rate
Not Available
Food Insecurity
2.5%
(2023)
(2023)
Youth NEET Rate
10.116%
(2024)
(2024)
Governance
Women in Government
33.636%
(2024)
(2024)
Voice & Accountability
-1.67
(Weak)
(2023)
(Weak)
(2023)
Political Stability
-0.73
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Government Effectiveness
-0.99
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Regulatory Quality
-1.42
(Weak)
(2023)
(Weak)
(2023)
Rule of Law
-1.25
(Weak)
(2023)
(Weak)
(2023)
Control of Corruption
-0.67
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Government
Government Type
presidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
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
Executive Branch
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Roman GOLOVCHENKO (since 4 June 2020); First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai SNOPKOV (since 4 June...
Legislative Branch
description: bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobraniye consists of:Council of the Republic or Sovet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members indirectly elected by regional and Minsk city...
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...
International Organizations
BSEC (observer)CBSS (observer)CEICISCSTOEAECEAEUEAPC
National Symbols
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...
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" (We Belarusians) lyrics/music: Mikhas KLIMKOVICH and Uladzimir KARYZNA/Nester SAKALOUSKI note: music adopted 1955, lyrics adopted 2002; after the fall of the Soviet Union,...
Safety
Homicide Rate
2.385 per 100,000
(2019)
(2019)
Travel Information
Language(s): Belarusian, Russian
Currency: BYN (Br)
Timezone(s): UTC+03:00
Landlocked: Yes
Independent: Yes
Driving Side: Right
Calling Code: +375
Car Sign: BY
Week Starts: Monday
Photos
A panel on the World War II Monument in Minsk's Victory Square. An eternal flame burns at the base of the memorial that was constructed in 1954 to commemorate the country's war dead.
A panel on the World War II Monument in Minsk's Victory Square. An eternal flame burns at the base of the memorial that was constructed in 1954 to commemorate the country's war dead. • CIA World Factbook • 2020
A view of the Yama (Death Pit) Holocaust Memorial in Minsk. The figures are part of a group descending into the pit to be executed.
A view of the Yama (Death Pit) Holocaust Memorial in Minsk. The figures are part of a group descending into the pit to be executed. • CIA World Factbook • 2020
Hundreds of Belarusian villages were wiped out during World War II - many were never rebuilt. This is part of the memorial at Khatyn, which commemorates the village that was annihilated on 1 March 1943 during Nazi reprisals against Belarusian partisans.
Hundreds of Belarusian villages were wiped out during World War II - many were never rebuilt. This is part of the memorial at Khatyn, which commemorates the village that was annihilated on 1 March 1943 during Nazi reprisals against Belarusian partisans. • CIA World Factbook • 2020
The Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Minsk was formerly a Roman Catholic church with an associated Bernadine monastery. The complex was built in the Vilnius Baroque style from 1642 into the 1700s. It is particularly renowned for its marvelous old icons.
The Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Minsk was formerly a Roman Catholic church with an associated Bernadine monastery. The complex was built in the Vilnius Baroque style from 1642 into the 1700s. It is particularly renowned for its marvelous old icons. • CIA World Factbook • 2020
CIA World Factbook • 2020
CIA World Factbook • 2020
6 photos available
Data sources: World Bank, UN Data • Updated daily •Learn about our data