Page last updated on January 31, 2014
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.
Eastern Europe, east of Poland
total: 207,600 sq km
country comparison to the world: 86
land: 202,900 sq km
water: 4,700 sq km
slightly smaller than Kansas
total: 3,306 km
border countries: Latvia 171 km, Lithuania 680 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
generally flat and contains much marshland
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
timber, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
arable land: 26.63%
permanent crops: 0.59%
other: 72.78% (2011)
total: 4.34 cu km/yr (32%/65%/3%)
per capita: 435.4 cu m/yr (2009)
soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine
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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian
Belarusian 83.7%, Russian 8.3%, Polish 3.1%, Ukrainian 1.7%, other 3.2% (2009 census)
Belarusian (official) 23.4%, Russian (official) 70.2%, other 6.4% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities) (1999 census)
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
9,625,888 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
0-14 years: 15.2% (male 752,536/female 710,384)
15-24 years: 12.3% (male 607,877/female 575,827)
25-54 years: 45.5% (male 2,146,332/female 2,238,033)
55-64 years: 13% (male 548,170/female 699,780)
65 years and over: 14% (male 423,287/female 923,662) (2013 est.)
total dependency ratio: 41.1 %
youth dependency ratio: 21.6 %
elderly dependency ratio: 19.5 %
potential support ratio: 5.1 (2013)
total: 39.2 years
male: 36.1 years
female: 42.2 years (2013 est.)
-0.18% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211
10.99 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
13.68 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
0.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
urban population: 75% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 0.21% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
MINSK (capital) 1.861 million (2011)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.78 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female
total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
190 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 58
total: 3.67 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 206
male: 4.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
total population: 71.81 years
country comparison to the world: 140
male: 66.14 years
female: 77.82 years (2013 est.)
1.46 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
5.3% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 131
3.76 physicians/1,000 population (2011)
11.1 beds/1,000 population (2011)
0.3% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
17,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
fewer than 1,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
24.3% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 65
1.3% (2005)
country comparison to the world: 126
5.3% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 62
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.5% (2009 est.)
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2011)
total number: 54,218
percentage: 5 % (2005 est.)
total: 12.6%
country comparison to the world: 96
male: 12.4%
female: 12.6% (2009)
conventional long form: Republic of Belarus
conventional short form: Belarus
local long form: Respublika Byelarus'/Respublika Belarus'
local short form: Byelarus'/Belarus'
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
name: Minsk
geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: none scheduled for 2013
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
25 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
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
several previous; latest drafted between late 1991 and early 1994, signed 15 March 1994; amended 1996, 2004 (2013)
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
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: president Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994); note - the US does not recognize the results of the 19 December 2010 elections under which the Central Election Commission of Belarus declared LUKASHENKO president
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
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 [2008] - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KPB 6, AP 1, no affiliation 103; Palata Predstaviteley [2012] - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KPB 3, AP 1, no affiliation 106
highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chairman, deputy chairman, and NA judges); 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 Chamber of Representatives; term of judges is 11 years with an age limit of 70
subordinate courts: regional, district, city, town, and military courts
pro-government parties:
opposition parties:
Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH] (unregistered)
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
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Oleg KRAVCHENKO
chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604
FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805
consulate(s) general: New York
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ethan GOLDRICH (since July 2012)
embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002
mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723
telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83
FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853
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
mounted knight known as Pahonia (the Chaser)
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, 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)
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 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 53% in 2011 and 59% in 2012.
$145.3 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
$62.4 billion (2012 est.)
1.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
$15,500 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
31.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
household consumption: 46.7%
government consumption: 14.6%
investment in fixed capital: 32.8%
investment in inventories: 1.6%
exports of goods and services: 81.6%
imports of goods and services: -77.1%
agriculture: 9.1%
industry: 46.3%
services: 44.5% (2012 est.)
grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
2% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
5 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 76
agriculture: 9.4%
industry: 45.9%
services: 44.7% (2005 est.)
1% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
note: official registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers
lowest 10%: 3.8%
highest 10%: 21.9% (2008)
27.2 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 125
revenues: $22.38 billion
expenditures: $21.96 billion (2012 est.)
35.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
0.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
31.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
59.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 223
10.5% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
19.49% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
$4.018 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
$13.32 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
$19.82 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
$-1.688 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
$45.57 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Russia 35.4%, Netherlands 16.4%, Ukraine 12.1%, Latvia 7.1% (2012)
$45.01 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals
Russia 59.4%, Germany 5.9%, China 5.1%, Ukraine 5% (2012)
$5.809 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
$1.225 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
Belarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar -
32.82 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
31.74 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
5.067 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
7.767 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
8.032 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
99.7% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
0.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
0.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
32,070 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
294,800 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
198 million bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 60
346,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
188,800 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
224,200 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
43,240 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
220 million cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
21.82 billion cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
21.02 billion cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 98
67.16 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
4.407 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 37
10.675 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 75
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 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)
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)
295,217 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 64
2.643 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 69
65 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 75
total: 33
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 20
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2013)
total: 32
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m:
gas 5,386 km; oil 1,589 km; refined products 1,730 km (2013)
total: 5,537 km
country comparison to the world: 32
broad gauge: 5,512 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)
standard gauge: 25 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
total: 86,392 km
country comparison to the world: 55
paved: 74,651 km
unpaved: 11,741 km (2010)
2,500 km (use limited by its location on the perimeter of the country and by its shallowness) (2011)
country comparison to the world: 36
river port(s): Mazyr (Prypyats')
Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force, Special Operations Force (2013)
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)
males age 16-49: 2,401,785
females age 16-49: 2,429,653 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 1,693,626
females age 16-49: 2,012,401 (2010 est.)
male: 51,855
female: 48,760 (2010 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 248
boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania; Poland seeks enhanced demarcation and security along this Schengen hard border with financial assistance from the EU
stateless persons: 6,969 (2012)
current situation: Belarus is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; women and children are trafficked to European and Middle Eastern countries and within Belarus for sexual exploitation; Belarusian men, women, and children are found in forced labor in the construction industry and other sectors in Russia and Belarus; Belarusian men seeking work abroad are increasingly subjected to forced labor
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government demonstrates decreased law enforcement efforts, conducting fewer trafficking investigations and convicting only one trafficking offender; while two new anti-trafficking laws were passed, they have not been fully implemented and government services to victims remain very limited; the government continues its efforts to prevent trafficking through public awareness campaigns and NGO-operated anti-trafficking hotlines (2013)
