Belarus

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 any of the other former Soviet republics. In 1999, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union, 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 negotiations on further integration have been contentious. Since taking office in 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 tightened in the wake of the disputed presidential election in 2020. The election results sparked large-scale protests as members of the opposition and civil society criticized the election’s validity. LUKASHENKA has remained in power as the disputed winner of the presidential election after quelling protests in 2020. Since 2022, Belarus has facilitated Russia's war in Ukraine, which was launched in part from Belarusian territory.

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

53 00 N, 28 00 E

Europe

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

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

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

generally flat with much marshland

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

260 sq km (2022)

Dnyapro (Dnieper) (shared with Russia [s] and Ukraine [m]) - 2,287 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

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

large tracts of marshy land

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

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

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

-0.44% (2025 est.)

8.16 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

13.21 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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

2.057 million MINSK (capital) (2023)

26.8 years (2019 est.)

1 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.45 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.7 (2025 est.)

4.72 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

9.7 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)

24.5% (2016)

62.4% (2019 est.)

soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine

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

13.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

57.9 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

presidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship

6 regions (<em>voblastsi</em>, singular - <em>voblasts</em>') and 1 municipality* (<em>horad</em>); Brest, Homyel' (Gomel'), Horad Minsk* (Minsk City), Hrodna (Grodno), Mahilyow (Mogilev), Minsk, Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk)

civil law system

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

18 years of age; universal

Belaya Rus or BR<br>Republican Party of Labour and Justice or RPTS<br>Communist Party of Belarus or CBP<br>Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus or LDPB

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, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), ZC

25 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Independence Day, 3 July (1944)

<strong>description:</strong> red horizontal band (top), with a green horizontal band below that is half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the left side has traditional Belarusian designs in red<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the red stands for past struggles to escape oppression, and the green for hope and the country's forests

no official symbol; the mounted knight known as Pahonia (the Chaser) is the traditional symbol

green, red, white

declining Russian energy subsidies will end in 2024; growing public debt; strong currency pressures have led to higher inflation; recent price controls on basic food and drugs; public sector wage increases and fragile private sector threaten household income gains and economic growth

$75.962 billion (2024 est.)

milk, sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, triticale, barley, maize, rapeseed, rye, chicken (2023)

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

6% (2024 est.)

4.817 million (2024 est.)

3.9% (2022 est.)

12.7% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

China 34%, Kazakhstan 10%, Uzbekistan 7%, Poland 6%, Brazil 5% (2023)

fertilizers, rapeseed oil, wood, poultry, beef (2023)

China 33%, Poland 16%, Germany 11%, Lithuania 10%, Turkey 9% (2023)

cars, broadcasting equipment, fabric, plastic products, video displays (2023)

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)

.by

EW

46 (2025)

4 (2025)

Belarus Armed Forces: Army, Air and Air Defense Force, Special Operations Force, Special Troops, Territorial Defense Forces<br><br>Ministry of Interior: State Border Troops, Militia, Internal Troops (2025)

approximately 50-60,000 active-duty military personnel (2025)

the military's inventory is comprised mostly of Russian and Soviet-origin equipment; Belarus's defense industry manufactures some equipment (mostly modernized Soviet designs), including vehicles, guided weapons, and electronic warfare systems (2025)

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; 17-year-olds are eligible to become cadets at military higher education institutes, where they are classified as military personnel (2025)

the military of Belarus is responsible for territorial defense; Russia is the country’s closest security partner, and the military conducts joint training exercises with Russian forces; in 2022, Belarus allowed the Russian military to stage on its territory for their invasion of Ukraine; in 2023, Belarus agreed to permit Russia to deploy nuclear weapons on its soil<br><br>Belarus has been a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and has committed an airborne brigade to CSTO's rapid reaction force; the military trains regularly with other CSTO members (2025)