Belarus
Name
| Official name | Republic of Belarus |
|---|---|
| In Belarusian and Russian | Respublika Bielarus (Рэспубліка Беларусь) · Respublika Belarus (Республика Беларусь) |
| Former names | Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1919–1991; "Byelorussia" in English until 1991 |
| Demonym | Belarusian |
| Meaning of the name | "White Rus" — Belaya Rus, a regional name of medieval origin whose meaning is debated |
Quick facts
| Capital | Minsk, on the Svislach — the largest city, about 2 million people; the seat of the Commonwealth of Independent States |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Belarusian and Russian — Russian made co-official by the referendum of 1995 and the language of most daily life |
| Currency | Belarusian ruble — ISO code BYN, symbol Br; 1 ruble = 100 kopecks; redenominated 1 July 2016 at 10,000 to 1; issued by the National Bank |
| Time zone | UTC+3 all year — Minsk time, since daylight saving was abolished in 2011 |
| Calling code | +375 |
| Internet domains | .by and .бел |
| ISO 3166 codes | BY · BLR · 112 |
| Vehicle registration code | BY |
| Driving side | Right |
| Electricity | 220 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and F |
| Independence | Sovereignty declared 27 July 1990; independence 25 August 1991, from the Soviet Union |
| National day | 3 July, Independence Day — the liberation of Minsk in 1944, chosen by the referendum of 1996 |
| Constitution | Adopted 15 March 1994; amended by referendum in 1996, 2004 and 2022 |
| Population | About 9.1 million (World Bank, 2025) — down from 10.2 million in 1990 |
| Area | 207,600 km² (80,150 sq mi) — land 202,900 km², water 4,700 km²; a little smaller than Kansas; 13th in Europe |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | Red over green, two-thirds to one-third, with a red-on-white woven ornament in a column at the hoist — the Soviet flag of 1951 without its hammer and sickle, returned by the referendum of May 1995, redrawn in 2012; the white-red-white of 1918 and 1991 is the opposition's.Flag of Belarus |
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| State emblem | A green outline of the country over a rising sun and globe, in a wreath of wheat, clover and flax bound by a ribbon in the flag's colors, a red star above — adopted 1995 after the referendum, modified 2012 and 2020 |
| National anthem | "My Belarusy" ("We Belarusians") — the music of Nestar Sakalouski from 1955; new words by Uladzimir Karyzna, adopted 2002 |
| Flag Day | The Day of the State Emblem, State Flag and State Anthem — the second Sunday of May, since 1998; the anthem added in 2023 |
| National colors | Red and green |
| National animal | The European bison, the wisent, of Belavezhskaya Pushcha — the accepted symbol, not designated |
| National bird | The white stork — widely cited, not designated |
| National flower | The cornflower (vasilyok), and flax — widely cited |
| National dish | Draniki, the potato pancakes — widely cited |
| Symbol status | The flag, emblem and anthem are fixed by the Constitution (Article 19) and the Law on State Symbols of 2004; the animal, bird, flower and dish are widely cited, none designated |
Geography
| Location | Eastern Europe — landlocked between Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia |
|---|---|
| Land borders | 3,599 km (2,236 mi) by the CIA World Factbook; 3,617 km by the State Border Committee |
| Border with Russia | 1,312 km (Factbook); 1,283 km (State Border Committee) — an open border within the Union State |
| Border with Ukraine | 1,111 km (Factbook); 1,084 km |
| Border with Lithuania | 640 km (Factbook); 679 km |
| Border with Poland | 375 km (Factbook); 398 km |
| Border with Latvia | 161 km (Factbook); 173 km |
| Coastline | None — landlocked |
| Highest point | Dzyarzhynskaya Hara, 345–346 m (1,135 ft), in Minsk Region — a hill of the Belarusian Ridge |
| Lowest point | The Neman (Nyoman) River at the Lithuanian border, 90 m (295 ft) |
| Mean elevation | 160 m (525 ft) — a glacial plain, flat and marshy |
| Major rivers | The Dnieper, the Pripyat, the Neman, the Western Dvina, the Berezina, the Sozh — the Dnieper 2,287 km in all, some 700 km of it in Belarus |
| Largest lake | Narach, about 80 km² (31 sq mi), in the lake district of the north |
| Forests | About 84,000 km² — 40% of the country |
| Belavezhskaya Pushcha | The last great tract of Europe's primeval lowland forest, shared with Poland — home of the largest wild population of the European bison; a World Heritage site |
| The Pripyat Marshes | The Polesia — the largest wetland in Europe, in the south |
| Climate | Between continental and maritime — cold winters, cool moist summers |
| Chernobyl | About 70% of the fallout of the 1986 accident, across the border in Ukraine, fell on Belarus — a fifth of the farmland contaminated; the Polesie radiation reserve closed since 1988 |
| Natural resources | Timber, peat, potash — one of the world's largest deposits, at Salihorsk — small oil and gas, granite, limestone |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 40–44%; arable about 27%; forest about 43% |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 4 — Belavezhskaya Pushcha (1979, extended 1992, with Poland); Mir Castle (2000); the Radziwiłł residence at Nesvizh (2005); the Struve Geodetic Arc (2005, shared) |
| Administrative divisions | 6 regions — Brest, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev and Vitebsk — and the city of Minsk; 118 districts |
People
| Population | About 9.1 million (World Bank, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 45 per km² (115 per sq mi) |
| Population growth | Negative — about −0.5% a year; the population has fallen since 1994 |
| Median age | About 41 years |
| Life expectancy | 74.4 years (2024, World Bank) |
| Fertility rate | About 1.3 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 80% |
| Adult literacy | About 99.8% |
| Ethnic groups | Belarusian about 84%, Russian about 8%, Polish about 3%, Ukrainian about 2% (2019 census) |
| Languages | Belarusian and Russian, both official — Russian the everyday language of most; Belarusian spoken at home by about a quarter |
| Religion | Orthodox about 48%, Roman Catholic about 7%, none about 41% (2011 est.) |
| Largest cities | Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Grodno, Brest, Babruysk, Baranavichy |
| Human Development Index | 0.824 (2023 data, 2025 report) — very high |
| Diaspora | Large communities in Russia, Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Ukraine — swelled by the emigration after 2020 |
Government
| Form of government | Presidential republic under the Constitution of 1994 as amended; since 2022 the All-Belarusian People's Assembly is the highest representative body |
|---|---|
| President | Alexander Lukashenko, since 20 July 1994 — the first and only president; declared the winner of a seventh term on 26 January 2025 with about 87% of the official count, on a turnout of 85.7% |
| Standing of the vote | The European Union, the United States and the exiled opposition under Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya did not recognize the 2025 vote as free; all leading opposition figures were imprisoned or abroad |
| Prime Minister | Alexander Turchin, since 10 March 2025 — formerly governor of Minsk Region |
| Parliament | The National Assembly — the House of Representatives (110) and the Council of the Republic (64) |
| All-Belarusian People's Assembly | Up to 1,200 delegates; constitutional since 2022; first convened April 2024 with Lukashenko as chairman |
| Legal system | Civil law; Belarus is the only country in Europe that carries out the death penalty |
| Union State | With Russia since 8 December 1999 — an open border and deepening integration; Russian nuclear weapons stationed since 2023 |
| United Nations | A founding member in 1945, as the Byelorussian SSR |
| Regional memberships | The CIS (a founder; its executive committee sits in Minsk), the CSTO, the Eurasian Economic Union (2015), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (member since 4 July 2024); not a member of the Council of Europe |
| Sanctions | Under European Union, United States and British sanctions since the 2020 election and widened after 2022 |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$80 billion (2025, IMF) |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita | About US$8,700 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$32,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | About 3% (2025), after 4% in 2024 |
| Economy by sector | Services about 50%, industry about 37%, agriculture about 7% |
| Currency | Belarusian ruble (BYN) |
| The state's share | A largely state-owned economy — most of the large enterprises remain in state hands |
| Potash | Belaruskali at Salihorsk — among the largest potash producers in the world, about a fifth of world exports before sanctions |
| Machines | The Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ), maker of the Belarus tractor; BelAZ at Zhodzina, maker of the world's largest dump trucks |
| Refining | The Mozyr and Naftan refineries, on Russian crude — refined products a leading export |
| Trade partner | Russia — about 60% of trade; China the second |
| Energy | The Astravets nuclear plant — unit 1 in 2020, unit 2 in 2023 — beside gas from Russia |
| Income classification | Upper-middle income (World Bank) |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airport | Minsk National Airport, 42 km east of the city |
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| Airline | Belavia, the national carrier, founded 1996 |
| Railways | About 5,500 km (3,400 mi), Russian gauge, run by Belarusian Railway — the Brest–Minsk–Moscow line the great corridor |
| Roads | About 100,000 km (62,000 mi); the M1 from Brest to the Russian border |
| Minsk Metro | Opened 1984 — three lines |
| Waterways | About 2,100 km (1,300 mi) navigable — the Dnieper, the Pripyat, the Dnieper–Bug Canal |
| Ports | None — landlocked; exports move through Russian and, formerly, Lithuanian ports |
History in dates
| 10th century | The principality of Polotsk on the Western Dvina |
|---|---|
| 13th century | The Belarusian lands join the Grand Duchy of Lithuania |
| 1569 | The Union of Lublin — the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |
| 1772–1795 | The partitions of Poland bring the lands into the Russian Empire |
| 1918 | The Belarusian People's Republic proclaimed, 25 March |
| 1919 | The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1 January |
| 1921 | The Treaty of Riga divides Belarus between Soviet Russia and Poland |
| 1941–1944 | German occupation — about a quarter of the population dies; Minsk liberated 3 July 1944 |
| 1945 | The Byelorussian SSR a founding member of the United Nations |
| 1986 | The Chernobyl disaster, 26 April — most of the fallout falls on Belarus |
| 1991 | Independence, 25 August; the Belavezha Accords dissolve the Soviet Union, 8 December |
| 1994 | Alexander Lukashenko elected president, 10 July |
| 1995 | The referendum on the symbols and the Russian language, 14 May |
| 1999 | The Union State treaty with Russia, 8 December |
| 2020 | The presidential election of 9 August and the protests that followed |
| 2022 | The constitutional referendum, 27 February; Belarusian territory used for the Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| 2025 | Lukashenko declared re-elected to a seventh term, 26 January; Alexander Turchin prime minister, 10 March |
Records & firsts
| Europe's longest-serving leader | Alexander Lukashenko, president since 1994 |
|---|---|
| The world's largest truck | The BelAZ 75710 — a payload of 450 metric tons (496 short tons) |
| The last primeval forest | Belavezhskaya Pushcha, and the largest herd of European bison |
| Europe's largest wetland | The Pripyat Marshes of Polesia |
| The heaviest fallout | About 70% of Chernobyl's — more than any other country |
| The center of Europe | By one calculation, near Lake Sho in Vitebsk Region — a claim the country marks with a monument |
| Six golds at one Games | The gymnast Vitaly Scherbo at Barcelona in 1992 — a record for a single Olympics in his sport |
| A founding UN member | One of two Soviet republics with its own seat from 1945, with Ukraine |
| The National Library | The rhombicuboctahedron of 2006 in Minsk — 23 stories of glass |
| Potash | Among the three largest producers in the world |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Belarus?
The Republic of Belarus — Respublika Bielarus in Belarusian, Respublika Belarus in Russian, both official. The name means "White Rus," an old regional term of uncertain origin; "Byelorussia," the Soviet-era English form, was dropped at independence in 1991.
What is the capital of Belarus?
Minsk, on the Svislach River in the center of the country — the largest city by far, with about 2 million people, rebuilt in the Stalinist manner after its near-destruction in the Second World War. It is also the seat of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
How big is Belarus, and how many people live there?
About 207,600 km² (80,150 sq mi) — a little smaller than Kansas, the 13th largest country in Europe — with about 9.1 million people (World Bank, 2025), a population that has fallen from 10.2 million in 1990. It is landlocked, bordering Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
What are the highest and lowest points of Belarus?
Dzyarzhynskaya Hara, a hill of 345–346 m (1,135 ft) west of Minsk, is the highest point; the Neman River where it leaves for Lithuania, at 90 m (295 ft), is the lowest. The mean elevation is 160 m: Belarus is a glacial plain of forest, marsh and lake, two-fifths of it wooded.
What currency does Belarus use?
The Belarusian ruble (ISO code BYN, symbol Br), redenominated in July 2016 at 10,000 old rubles to one new one; 1 ruble = 100 kopecks. Clocks keep UTC+3 all year — Belarus abolished daylight saving in 2011.
Who governs Belarus?
President Alexander Lukashenko, in office since 20 July 1994 — the longest-serving head of state in Europe — declared re-elected to a seventh term on 26 January 2025 with about 87 percent of the official count, in a vote Western governments and the exiled opposition did not recognize as free; and Prime Minister Alexander Turchin, appointed 10 March 2025. Since the constitutional amendments of 2022 the All-Belarusian People's Assembly, which Lukashenko chairs, is the highest representative body.
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