Demographics of Belarus
Demographics of Belarus Population 9,155,978 (2024)[1] Fertility rate 1.47 (2020)0–14 years 16.9% (male 821,285/female 772,360) 15–64 years 67.7% (male 3,053,618/female 3,314,835) 65 and over 15.4% (male 479,740/female 971,608)
(2019 census) Total 0.87 male(s)/female (2014) At birth 1.06 male(s)/female Under 15 1.06 male(s)/female 15–64 years 0.94 male(s)/female 65 and over 0.46 male(s)/female Nationality noun : Belarusian(s) adjective : BelarusianMajor ethnic Belarusians Spoken Belarusian, Russian
Belarus: Population and rural population 1913–2008 (beginning of year). Source: official statistics from BelStat.
Historical population Year 1897 6,673,000 — 1914 6,899,100 +0.20% 1926 4,983,240 −2.67% 1939 5,568,994 +0.86% 1951 7,781,100 +2.83% 1959 8,055,700 +0.43% 1970 8,992,200 +1.00% 1979 9,532,500 +0.65% 1989 10,151,800 +0.63% 1999 10,045,200 −0.11% 2009 9,503,800 −0.55% 2019 9,413,446 −0.10% 2021 9,349,645 −0.34% 2024 9,155,978 −0.70% Source:[2] [3]
The demographics of Belarus is about the demographic features of the population of Belarus , including population growth, population density , ethnicity , education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations , and other aspects of the population.
Population
The population of Belarus suffered a dramatic decline during World War II, dropping from more than 9 million in 1940 to 7.7 million in 1951. It then resumed its long-term growth, rising to 10 million in 1999.[4] After that the population began a steady decline, dropping to 9.7 million in 2006–2007.[5] Originally a highly agrarian country with nearly 80% of its population in rural areas, Belarus has been undergoing a process of continuous urbanization . The rural population saw its share of the total population decrease from 70% in 1959 to less than 30% in the 2000s.[6]
Population
9,491,800 (January 2018 est.)[7]
country comparison to the world: 92 [8]
Age structure
0–14 years: 15.4% (male 759,285/female 717,118)
15–24 years: 11.7% (male 575,907/female 544,170)
25–54 years: 45.5% (male 2,141,419/female 2,227,433)
55–64 years: 13.3% (male 562,639/female 716,216)
65 years and over: 14.2% (male 430,225/female 933,646) (2014 est.)
Total: 39.4 years
Male: 36.3 years
Female: 42.4 years (2014 est.)
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0–14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15–24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
25–54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55–64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
Population change in Belarus, 1970 – 2010[9]
1970–1989
1970–2010
1999–2010
Life expectancy at birth
Life expectancy in Belarus since 1900
Life expectancy in Belarus since 1960 by gender
Average life expectancy at birth in Belarus (2018)
Total population: 72.15 years
country comparison to the world: 138
Male: 66.53 years
Female: 78.1 years (2014 est.)
Period
Life expectancy in Years
1950–1955
60.71
1955–1960
66.32
1960–1965
69.11
1965–1970
70.37
1970–1975
70.51
1975–1980
70.41
1980–1985
70.14
1985–1990
71.35
1990–1995
69.44
1995–2000
67.42
2000–2005
67.83
2005–2010
69.25
2010–2015
72.15
Total fertility rate (TFR) in Belarus by region and year
Birth rate (by district, 2019)
Mortality rate (by district, 2019)
Rate of natural increase (by district, 2019)
Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.0 deaths/1,000 live births for 429 death. (2010)
Total: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births for 422 death. (2011)
Total: 3.4 deaths/1,000 live births for 386 death. (2012)
Total: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births for 407 death. (2013)
Total: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births for 415 death. (2014)
Total: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births for 321 death. (January–September 2014)
Total: 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births for 283 death. (January–September 2015)
Vital statistics
For the historical figures on Belarusian provinces of the Russian Empire (Grodno , Vitebsk , Minsk , Mogilev , Vilna ) with a Belarusian majority before 1917, see:[11]
Year
Average population (from 1990 onwards beginning of year)
Live births
Deaths
Natural change
Crude birth rate (per 1000)
Crude death rate (per 1000)
Natural change (per 1000)
Crude migration change (per 1000)
Crude population change (per 1000)
Total fertility rate
Abortions reported
1950
7,745,000
197,200
62,000
135,200
25.5
8.0
17.5
-14.5
2.6
1951
7,765,000
198,200
61,200
137,000
25.5
7.9
17.6
-23.3
-5.7
1952
7,721,000
191,100
64,200
126,900
24.8
8.3
16.4
-20.4
-4.0
1953
7,690,000
176,200
61,900
114,300
22.9
8.0
14.9
-10.7
4.2
1954
7,722,000
193,100
61,600
131,500
25.0
8.0
17.0
-6.4
10.6
1955
7,804,000
194,400
58,000
136,400
24.9
7.4
17.5
-7.8
9.7
1956
7,880,000
199,500
56,000
143,500
25.3
7.1
18.2
-11.1
7.1
1957
7,936,000
200,800
58,000
142,800
25.3
7.3
18.0
-8.8
9.2
1958
8,009,000
207,700
53,700
154,000
25.9
6.7
19.2
-6.3
12.9
1959
8,112,000
204,600
62,600
142,000
25.2
7.7
17.5
-7.9
9.6
2.72
1960
8,190,000
200,218
54,037
146,181
24.4
6.6
17.8
-6.3
11.5
2.69
170,787
1961
8,284,000
194,239
53,682
140,557
23.4
6.5
17.0
-4.8
12.2
2.66
178,290
1962
8,385,000
185,302
60,676
124,626
22.1
7.2
14.9
-6.3
8.7
2.57
185,554
1963
8,458,000
173,889
58,291
115,598
20.6
6.9
13.7
-6.5
7.2
2.46
191,137
1964
8,519,000
161,794
53,967
107,827
19.0
6.3
12.7
-2.4
10.3
2.36
200,534
1965
8,607,000
153,865
58,156
95,709
17.9
6.8
11.1
0.8
11.9
2.27
205,999
1966
8,709,000
153,414
58,265
95,149
17.6
6.7
10.9
-0.5
10.4
2.28
203,430
1967
8,800,000
147,501
61,263
86,238
16.8
7.0
9.8
-1.1
8.8
2.26
203,722
1968
8,877,000
146,095
62,354
83,741
16.5
7.0
9.4
-0.4
9.0
2.23
198,955
1969
8,957,000
142,652
65,912
76,740
15.9
7.4
8.6
0.4
9.0
2.18
191,637
1970
9,038,000
146,676
68,974
77,702
16.2
7.6
8.6
-0.4
8.2
2.30
187,935
1971
9,112,000
149,135
68,511
80,624
16.4
7.5
8.8
-1.6
7.2
2.34
190,169
1972
9,178,000
147,813
71,866
75,947
16.1
7.8
8.3
-1.0
7.3
2.36
185,101
1973
9,245,000
144,729
73,927
70,802
15.7
8.0
7.7
-0.5
7.2
2.29
193,503
1974
9,312,000
146,876
73,181
73,695
15.8
7.9
7.9
-2.0
5.9
2.24
194,247
1975
9,367,000
146,517
79,701
66,816
15.6
8.5
7.1
-1.5
5.5
2.20
194,710
1976
9,411,000
147,912
82,400
65,512
15.7
8.8
7.0
-1.5
5.5
2.16
199,121
1977
9,463,000
148,963
84,565
64,398
15.7
8.9
6.8
-0.2
6.6
2.11
202,146
1978
9,525,000
151,053
86,612
64,441
15.9
9.1
6.8
0.0
6.8
2.08
201,619
1979
9,590,000
151,800
90,837
60,963
15.8
9.5
6.4
0.7
7.1
2.05
203,446
1980
9,658,000
154,432
95,514
58,918
16.0
9.9
6.1
1.6
7.7
2.04
201,852
1981
9,732,000
157,899
93,136
64,763
16.2
9.6
6.7
0.7
7.4
2.08
202,340
1982
9,804,000
159,364
93,840
65,524
16.3
9.6
6.7
0.2
6.9
2.02
198,011
1983
9,872,000
173,510
97,849
75,661
17.6
9.9
7.7
-1.0
6.7
2.09
207,461
1984
9,938,000
168,749
104,274
64,475
17.0
10.5
6.5
-0.4
6.1
2.14
210,844
1985
9,999,000
165,034
105,690
59,344
16.6
10.6
5.9
0.0
5.9
2.09
200,888
1986
10,058,000
171,611
97,276
74,335
17.1
9.7
7.4
-2.1
5.3
2.10
171,114
1987
10,111,000
162,937
99,921
63,016
16.2
9.9
6.2
-2.9
3.3
2.04
163,761
1988
10,144,000
163,193
102,671
60,522
16.1
10.1
6.0
-3.3
2.7
2.03
140,921
1989
10,171,000
153,449
103,479
49,970
15.1
10.2
4.9
-3.1
1.8
2.03
256,041
1990 [12]
10,188,942
142,167
109,582
32,585
14.0
10.8
3.2
-3.1
0.1
1.91
260,839
1991
10,189,753
132,045
114,650
17,395
13.0
11.2
1.7
-0.9
0.8
1.81
241,138
1992
10,198,346
127,971
116,674
11,297
12.5
11.4
1.1
2.5
3.6
1.76
240,387
1993
10,234,593
117,384
128,544
-11,160
11.5
12.6
-1.1
2.0
0.9
1.62
217,957
1994
10,243,506
110,599
130,003
-19,404
10.8
12.7
-1.9
-1.3
-3.2
1.53
212,533
1995
10,210,403
101,144
133,775
-32,631
9.9
13.1
-3.2
0
-3.2
1.41
193,280
1996
10,177,258
95,798
133,422
-37,624
9.4
13.1
-3.7
0.2
-3.5
1.34
174,098
1997
10,141,880
89,586
136,653
-47,067
8.9
13.5
-4.7
-0.1
-4.8
1.25
152,660
1998
10,092,986
92,645
137,296
-44,651
9.2
13.6
-4.4
0.2
-4.2
1.30
145,339
1999
10,050,940
92,975
142,027
-49,052
9.3
14.2
-4.9
0.1
-4.8
1.31
135,829
2000
10,002,535
93,691
134,867
-41,176
9.4
13.5
-4.1
-0.5
-4.6
1.32
121,895
2001
9,956,684
91,720
140,299
-48,579
9.2
14.1
-4.9
-0.8
-5.7
1.29
101,402
2002
9,900,414
88,743
146,655
-57,912
9.0
14.9
-5.9
-1.1
-7.0
1.24
89,895
2003
9,830,681
88,512
143,200
-54,688
9.0
14.6
-5.6
-1.3
-6.9
1.23
80,174
2004
9,762,817
88,943
140,064
-51,121
9.1
14.4
-5.3
-1.6
-6.9
1.23
71,700
2005
9,697,475
90,508
141,857
-51,349
9.4
14.7
-5.3
-1.5
-6.9
1.25
64,655
2006
9,630,354
96,721
138,426
-41,705
10.1
14.4
-4.3
-1.0
-5.3
1.34
58,516
2007
9,579,493
103,626
132,993
-29,367
10.8
13.9
-3.1
-0.8
-3.9
1.43
46,287
2008
9,542,412
107,876
133,879
-26,003
11.3
14.1
-2.7
-0.3
-3.0
1.49
42,197
2009
9,513,557
109,263
135,097
-25,834
11.5
14.2
-2.7
0.8
-1.9
1.51
35,967
2010
9,495,608
108,050
137,132
-29,082
11.4
14.5
-3.1
0.6
-2.5
1.49
33,262
2011
9,472,064
109,147
135,090
-25,943
11.5
14.3
-2.7
0.5
-2.2
1.52
32,031
2012
9,451,221
115,893
126,531
-10,638
12.3
13.4
-1.1
0.2
-0.9
1.62
28,628
2013
9,442,450
117,997
125,326
-7,329
12.5
13.3
-0.8
1.0
0.2
1.67
31,206
2014
9,443,972
118,534
121,542
-3,008
12.5
12.9
-0.3
1.3
1.0
1.70
29,797
2015
9,453,058
119,028
120,026
-998
12.6
12.7
-0.1
1.8
1.7
1.72
29,217
2016
9,469,400
117,779
119,379
-1,600
12.4
12.6
-0.2
0.2
0.0
1.73
27,467
2017
9,469,093
102,556
119,311
-16,755
10.8
12.6
-1.8
-0.4
-2.2
1.54
2018
9,448,312
94,042
120,053
-26,011
10.0
12.7
-2.8
0.8
-2.0
1.45
2019
9,429,257
87,602
120,470
-32,868
9.3
12.8
-3.5
1.5
-2.0
1.38
2020
9,410,259
83,015
144,536
-61,651
8.9
15.4
-6.5
0.1
-6.4
1.33
2021
9,349,645
79,732
173,853
-94,121
8.6
18.7
-10.1
0.0
-10.1
1.29
2022
9,255,524
73,906
128,813
-54,907
8.0
14.0
-5.9
0.0
-5.9
2023
9,200,617
69,010
7.5
2024
9,155,978
Current vital statistics
This section needs to be updated . Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2024 )
[13]
Period
Live births
Deaths
Natural increase
January - March 2019
21,519
32,229
-10,710
January - March 2020
20,180
31,039
-10,859
Difference
-1,339 (-6.22%)
-1,190 (-3.69%)
-149
BelStat does not provide official birth data recently. However, according to BelStat the number of inhabitants age 0-4 has declined from 550,147 in January 1st, 2019 to 388,693 in January 1st, 2024, a 29.3% decline in five years.[14]
Structure of the population
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 04.X.2019):
[15]
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
4 351 473
5 061 973
9 413 446
100
0–4
270 610
255 488
526 098
5.59
5–9
288 068
273 160
561 228
5.96
10–14
259 437
246 882
506 319
5.38
15–19
234 423
221 344
455 767
4.84
20–24
228 635
219 413
448 048
4.76
25–29
305 775
310 546
616 321
6.55
30–34
388 316
392 937
781 253
8.30
35–39
367 695
381 356
749 051
7.96
40–44
325 233
345 140
670 373
7.12
45–49
302 148
337 685
639 833
6.80
50–54
289 385
333 961
623 346
6.62
55–59
319 173
385 127
704 300
7.48
60–64
292 835
387 326
680 161
7.23
65-69
202 723
310 845
513 568
5.46
70-74
123 837
219 468
343 305
3.65
75-79
67 798
160 061
227 859
2.42
80-84
55 715
164 022
219 737
2.33
85-89
21 467
80 001
101 468
1.08
90-94
7 173
31 583
38 756
0.41
95-99
966
5 300
6 266
0.07
100+
61
328
389
<0.01
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
818 115
775 530
1 593 645
16.93
15–64
3 053 618
3 314 835
6 368 453
67.65
65+
479 740
971 608
1 451 348
15.42
Ethnic groups
Belarusians 84.9%, Russians 7.5%, Poles 3.1%, Ukrainians 1.7%, Jews 0.1%, Armenians 0.1%, Lipka Tatars 0.1%, Ruska Roma 0.1%, Lithuanians 0.1%, Azerbaijanis 0.1%, others 2.2% (2019 census).
Prior to the Second World War
Prior to World War II , Jews were the second largest ethnic group in Belarus, and at 400,000 in the 1926 and 1939 censuses they even exceeded the number of Russians (although admittedly by a small margin).[16] Jews accounted for 7%–8% of the total population at that time, comprising more than 40% of the population in cities and towns, where Jews and Poles were the majority, while Belarusians mostly lived in rural areas.
The Poles were the fourth largest ethnic group in Byelorussian SSR (current Eastern portion of Belarus), before World War II, comprising 1–2% of the population in the pre-war censuses (less than 100,000).[16]
Population of the Byelorussian SSR according to ethnic group 1926–1939
Ethnic group
census 19261
census 19392
Number
%
Number
%
Belarusians
4,017,301
80.6
4,615,496
82.9
Jews
407,059
8.2
375,092
6.7
Russians
383,806
7.7
364,705
6.6
Poles
97,498
2.0
58,380
1.1
Ukrainians
34,681
0.7
104,247
1.9
Germans
7,075
0.1
8,448
0.2
Latvians
14,080
0.3
8,117
0.2
Tatars
3,777
0.1
7,664
0.1
Lithuanians
6,864
0.1
4,284
0.1
Roma
2,366
0.1
3,632
0.1
Mordvins
1,051
0.0
2,042
0.0
Others
7,682
0.2
16,887
0.3
Total
4,983,240
5,568,994
1 Source: [1] . 2 Source: [2] Archived 2012-12-21 at archive.today .
After the Second World War
The Holocaust decimated the Jewish population in Belarus, and after World War II, in 1959, Jews accounted for only 1.9% of the population. Since then, Jewish emigration to Israel and other countries reduced the number of Jews to 0.1% of the population (13,000 in 2009).
Polish minority districts in 1960: Over 50% Polish
40-50%
30-40%
10-30%
Up to 10% Polish
Border of Poland in 1939
After the war, a large number of Poles were forced to move to Poland . In exchange, Belarusians from the former Belastok Region , which was returned to Poland in 1945, after being occupied in 1939 were displaced to Belarus. Due to changes in the western border of Belarus and Poland after World War II (see territorial changes of Poland ), the number of Poles in Belarus increased to more than 500,000 according to the first post-war census (1959) and to about 400,000 according to the 1999 census. Poles are now the third largest ethnic group in Belarus (see Polish minority in Belarus ). There are around 15,000 of Lipka Tatars and about 10,000 of Ruska Roma (Russian Gypsies).
In the post-war period Belarus experienced an influx of workers from other parts of the Soviet Union, for example Russians and Ukrainians. The decade after independence saw a decline in the population of most of these minority groups, either by assimilation or emigration. The most significant exception to this trend has been a continued (if small-scale) net immigration of Armenians and Azerbaijanis , whose numbers increased from less than 2,000 in 1959 to around 10,000 in 1999.[4]
Ethnic composition of Belarus according to 2019 census
Belarusian
Russians
Poles
Ukrainians
Ethnic composition of Belarus according to 2009 census
Belarusian
Russians
Poles
Ukrainians
Population of Belarus according to ethnic group 1959–2019
Ethnic group
census 19591
census 19702
census 19793
census 19894
census 19995
census 20096
census 20197
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Belarusians
6,532,035
81.1
7,289,610
81.0
7,567,955
79.4
7,904,623
77.9
8,158,900
81.2
7,957,252
83.7
7,990,719
84.9
Russians
659,093
8.2
938,161
10.4
1,134,117
11.9
1,342,099
13.2
1,141,700
11.4
785,084
8.3
706,992
7.5
Poles
538,881
6.7
382,600
4.3
403,169
4.2
417,720
4.1
395,700
3.9
294,549
3.1
287,693
3.1
Ukrainians
133,061
1.7
190,839
2.1
230,985
2.4
291,008
2.9
237,000
2.4
158,723
1.7
159,656
1.7
Jews
150,084
1.9
148,011
1.6
135,450
1.4
111,975
1.1
27,800
0.3
12,926
0.1
13,705
0.1
Armenians
1,751
0.0
2,362
0.0
2,751
0.0
4,933
0.1
10,200
0.1
8,512
0.1
9,392
0.1
Tatars
8,650
0.1
9,992
0.1
10,851
0.1
12,436
0.1
10,100
0.1
7,316
0.1
8,445
0.1
Romani
4,662
0.1
6,843
0.1
8,408
0.1
10,762
0.1
9,900
0.1
7,079
0.1
6,848
0.1
Azerbaijanis
1,402
0.0
1,335
0.0
2,654
0.0
5,009
0.1
6,300
0.1
5,567
0.1
6,001
0.1
Lithuanians
8,363
0.1
8,092
0.1
6,993
0.1
7,606
0.1
6,400
0.1
5,087
0.1
5,287
0.1
Others
16,666
0.2
24,493
0.3
29,183
0.3
43,635
0.4
41,200
0.4
261,712
2.8
218,708
2.3
Total
8,054,648
9,002,338
9,532,516
10,151,806
10,045,200
9,503,807
9,413,446
1 Source: [3] . 2 Source: [4] . 3 Source: [5] . 4 Source: [6] . 5 Source: [7] . 6 Source: [8] . 7 Source: [9] .
Languages
Belarusian and Russian are the official languages according to the Constitution of Belarus (Article 17). The constitution guarantees preservation of the cultural heritage of all ethnic minorities, including their languages (Article 15). Russian, and not Belarusian, is the dominant language in Belarus, spoken normally at home by 70% of the population (2009 census). Major cities such as Minsk and Brest are overwhelmingly Russian-speaking.
Languages of Belarus according to 2009 census (green – Belarusian, blue – Russian)
Native languages
Spoken languages
Religion
According to 1997 estimates, 80% of the religious population belonged to the Eastern Orthodox Church and the others are mainly Roman Catholic , Greek Catholic, Protestants , Muslims , and Jews .[17]
Figures for 2020 state that 78% of the population have a Christian background (this includes 60% Orthodox and 10% Catholic). Of the rest, almost 22% are non-religious, with a very small number of Jews and Sunni Muslims.[18]
Urbanization
Urban population: 75% of total population (2011)
Rate of urbanization: 0.21% annual rate of change (2010–2015 est.)
See also
References
^ "Численность населения на 1 января 2024 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2023 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа" (PDF) . belstat.gov.by .
^ "Belarus: historical demographical data of the whole country" . Populstat . Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2017 .
^ https://www.belstat.gov.by/upload/iblock/210/uaj9375ey0b16oxtxqm0bmkycb45i04g.pdf
^ a b Ethnic composition of the population Archived February 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , 1999 Belarus Census .
^ Population estimates 1995–2007 Archived 2008-12-03 at the Wayback Machine , BelStat
^ Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Belarus 2007 , BelStat, Minsk, 2007
^ "Population on January 1, 2018 by regions of the Republic of Belarus" (in Russian). Белстат. 2018.
^ "Belarus ranks 6th in population the CIS countries" (in Russian). БЕЛТА. 2018-07-06.
^ "Division of Belarus" . pop-stat.mashke.org .
^ "Demographic Data" . demdata.belstat.gov.by . 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-04-04. Retrieved 2018-06-23 .
^ "Статистический ежегодник Российской Империи (Издание ЦСК ) - Проект "Исторические Материалы" " . istmat.info . Archived from the original on 2014-12-16. Retrieved 2014-12-24 .
^ database Belstat.gov, visited 17 December 2023
^ "Бюллетени" . www.belstat.gov.by .
^ "10101100003 Population at the beginning of year" . www.belstat.gov.by .
^ "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics" . unstats.un.org . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
^ a b "Приложение Демоскопа Weekly" . demoscope.ru .
^ "The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency" . www.cia.gov . 28 October 2022.
^ The ARDA website, Retrieved 2023-08-01
External links
Sovereign states States with limited recognition Dependencies and other entities Other entities
Sovereign states States with limited recognition Dependencies and other entities