Population of Belarus by years. Belarus: population and its size. Number, thousand people

For the second year in a row, the population of Belarus has been increasing. However, experts believe that the reverse process will begin in the next 15 years.

According to Belstat, the population of Belarus as of January 1, 2015, according to preliminary data, amounted to 9 million 481 thousand people and compared to the beginning of 2014 increased by 12.8 thousand people.

Natural population decline in 2014 amounted to 2.9 thousand people. The migration increase amounted to 15.7 thousand people and compensated for the natural decline, ensuring an increase in the population.

For the first time since 1993, the population of Belarus at the end of 2013. The main factors, thanks to which there were more Belarusians both in 2014 and in 2013, despite the still high mortality rate, are the increase in the number of births and the increase in migration.

According to Belstat, in 2014, 118 697 children were born in Belarus, in 2013 - 118 463 children (in 2012 - 114 999). An increase in the birth rate in the country has been noted since 2004, and in 2007 the number of children born for the first time in many years - 103 626 children.

Migration growth in 2014 increased by 35% compared to the previous year. A significant contribution to this figure was made by those who fled their homes due to hostilities.

Migration movements of the population of the Republic of Belarus
2014				2013 g.
	number of arrivals	number of dropouts	migration gain	number of arrivals	number of dropouts	migration gain
migration within the country
international migration

And yet, according to the forecast of demographers, the population of Belarus will decline in the next 15 years. About it site reported in the resource center of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The decline in the country's population will occur as a result of negative natural growth. According to forecast estimates, the greatest demographic losses will be incurred in rural areas, while the situation in cities will be more favorable.

According to the forecast, by 2030 the urban population will increase by 2.6% (from 7.22 million to 7.41 million), and its share will reach 80%. At the same time, it is expected that the rural population will decline in the forecast period by almost 400 thousand people and will amount to 1.85 million people in 2030. Moreover, the population will decrease in all regions, with the exception of Minsk, whose population will grow at a slow pace.

At the same time, the Resource Center notes that Belarus has one of the highest birth rates in its region. The total fertility rate in Belarus is 1.7 per woman. Currently, there is an increase in the total fertility rate. However, as before, it does not provide the level of simple reproduction of the population in the country.

Experts note that the so-called features of “European” reproductive behavior in the population of Belarus have recently become noticeable. This is manifested in the desire of the population for self-realization, career growth, and high consumption standards.

As in many European countries, Belarus is characterized by a tendency towards an increase in the average age of women at the birth of their first child. In 2013, the average age of a woman at the birth of a child was 28 years (at the birth of the first child - 25.4 years). For comparison: in Italy - 31.4, in Japan - 31.3.

There is also a tendency towards an increase in the average age at first marriage: for women - 25 years, for men - 27.1 years.

In terms of the birth rate in Belarus, there are some territorial features. Thus, there is some difference in the birth rate among the urban and rural population (12.4 and 11.8 ppm, respectively). There are differences in fertility and by region. Regional differentiation is associated, first of all, with the level of socio-economic development of the regions, the prevailing traditions that determined the corresponding demographic behavior, cultural and religious characteristics.

Thus, the highest value of the total fertility rate is typical for the Brest, Gomel, Minsk regions and Minsk.

“In a developed industrial society, children have to study for a long time to get a qualification that meets modern requirements. To ensure appropriate conditions, adults give preference to fewer children, but a better quality of life. In an agrarian society, children, working with their parents, acquired the necessary labor skills in a natural way, ”- noted in UNFPA.

17:13 - REGNUM The population in Belarus is declining, and, as independent demographers believe, the trend is that despite the efforts of the authorities, the country's population will continue to decline further. About this today, November 2, writes the Belarusian "Economic newspaper" in the material "We are few. There are fewer and fewer of us: the population has begun to decline again. "

Recall that on October 27, the National Statistical Committee of Belarus presented data on the demographic situation in the country, according to which the population of the republic since the beginning of 2017 has decreased by more than 9.2 thousand people. As of October 1, according to Belstat, 9 million 495.8 thousand people lived in Belarus.

It is also noteworthy that since the beginning of the year, more than 53 thousand marriages have been concluded in the republic, and more than 23 thousand have been officially divorced, that is, there is one divorce for about 2 new marriages. However, if we compare this figure with last year, it turns out that in 2017 there will be 1.2 thousand more marriages than in 2016.

The decrease in infant mortality was also a positive factor. If in 2010 there were 4.7 deaths of children per one thousand newborns, in 2014 - 3.5 deaths, then by October 2017 this figure was 2.9 deaths of newborns per thousand babies.

As the "Economic newspaper" notes, more than 9 thousand people whom Belarus lost in the first nine months of 2017 is a number approximately equal to the population of a small town. Moreover, according to statistics, this year already 406 more people died than in 2016 for the same period. At the same time, 11,693 fewer people were born than in 2016. So, if last year in Belarus there was a relative increase in population, this year the situation has changed in the opposite direction. Natural population decline has reached more than 11.5 thousand people. The migration growth in 2017 was also quite low: just over 2.6 thousand people, which is 3.6 thousand people less than last year's figures.

Given the totality of these indicators, the publication doubts that Belarus will not only be able to keep demographic indicators at the same level, but also increase the positive dynamics of population growth. Formerly President of the Republic Alexander Lukashenko stated that it is necessary to achieve a population of 15 million people. However, the population over the working age continues to increase. At the beginning of 2017, this figure was 25.3%, which is almost 2% more than a year earlier.

Thus, the forecast of independent demographers does not look positive at all. The population of Belarus continues to decline, and this trend will continue. By 2030, excluding external migration, 9 million people will remain in the republic.

* The value is calculated by linear interpolation, taking into account the two most closely related values ​​(Date-> Population) (unofficially).
** Migration gain is included in the calculation of fertility growth: Fertility = Population + Mortality.
*** We do not have data on the population before 1950. The figures shown are based on a rough estimate using the function: population in 1900 = 70% of the population in 1950.
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2015). World Demographic Prospects: A 2015 Revision. These estimates and projections are based on the medium-term fertility option. Used with permission from the United Nations. Downloaded: 2015-11-15 (un.org)
City density map, generated by population.city using data provided to us by 1km.net website. Each circle represents a city of over 5000. Link
Population density map was created according to instructions from daysleeperrr on reddig. Link1. Data source: Gridded Population of the World (GPW), 3rd online edition in Socioeconomic Data and Applications (SEDAC) at Columbia University.

How many cities are there in modern Belarus? What nationalities live here? What is the population of Belarus? You will find answers to these and some other demographic questions in our article.

Belarus: population, number

In general, the demographic situation in Belarus is the same as in other countries of the post-Soviet space. The same problems are observed here as in neighboring Russia or Ukraine.

Today the population of Belarus is 9 million 480 thousand people. By the way, President of the country Alexander Lukashenko recently announced that the state should be home to at least twenty million people. Nevertheless, real demographic forecasts are not yet as rosy as the leader of the Republic of Belarus wants them to be.

The population of the country, if viewed from a historical perspective, grew until 1993. It was then that the number of inhabitants here reached a record high of 10.2 million. After that, the population of Belarus began to decline rapidly. The main reason for the worsening demographic situation in the country is the excess of deaths over births. True, in recent years, the statistics of natural growth have slightly improved. In addition, the overall decline in the population was slightly smoothed out by an increase in immigration flows into the country.

The dynamics of the population of Belarus is illustrated more clearly in the following graph. Shown here is the time period from 1993 to 2008.

Key demographic indicators

In terms of demography, the country of Belarus has little to boast of, whose population continues to decline. The average life expectancy here is 72 years (with women living 11 years longer). This figure is higher than that of its neighbors - Russians and Ukrainians, but significantly lower than in developed European countries.

A rather acute demographic problem in Belarus is a serious gap in life expectancy for men and women. Indeed, according to UN norms, it should not exceed five years within one state. It should be noted that in rural areas this gap is even more noticeable - almost 14 years.

A little more boys are born in Belarus (106 per hundred girls). Although this is a worldwide trend. Families with one child prevail in the republic (there are about 66% of them in the country). Families with three or more children for Belarus are not uncommon, but not quite frequent either. According to the most recent figures, one out of two married in this country is dissolved.

The most problematic region in terms of demographics in Belarus is Vitebsk. Here, from year to year, the highest mortality rates are recorded, as well as record low birth rates.

Ethno-linguistic structure of the population

What nationalities live in the territory of the country called Belarus? Its population has always been distinguished by ethnic diversity. Together with the indigenous nation, Ukrainians, Poles, Russians, Moldovans, Jews, Lithuanians, etc. have long lived here.

Today, at least 130 different nationalities live in Belarus. The first five ethnic groups in the country in terms of numbers are as follows:

1. Belarusians (83.7%).
2. Russians (8.2%).
3. Poles (3.1%).
4. Ukrainians (1.7%).
5. Jews (0.14%).

In which regions of Belarus do the representatives of these nationalities live?

Thus, Russians are concentrated in the northeastern part of the country; Poles in the west; Ukrainians are predicted to be in the south. Jews traditionally live in large cities (especially in Gomel, Brest, Minsk and Grodno).

According to the last population census, which was conducted in the country in 2009, only 60% of its residents named Belarusian as their native language. Moreover, no more than 30% use it in everyday communication (and even then, mainly in villages). Thus, Belarus is characterized by the problem of preserving its native language. After all, many linguists already classify it as endangered.

The largest cities in Belarus

The total population of the cities of Belarus is now 7.2 million people. At the same time, as many experts note, urbanization processes will only intensify in the near future.

In Belarus, there are 14 cities with a population of over one hundred thousand people and only one million-plus city. Over 70% of the entire urban population of the country is concentrated here.

The largest cities in the country by the number of inhabitants are Minsk (1.9 million inhabitants), Gomel (505 thousand), Vitebsk (372 thousand), Mogilev (370 thousand), Grodno (352 thousand) and Brest (325 thousand).

At the same time, the rural population in Belarus continues to decline. On average, this figure is up to 50 thousand people annually (in recent years).

The capital of the state, as well as its cultural, transport, scientific and educational center is the hero city Minsk, which is located almost in the center of the country.

Conclusion

Belarus ranks 18th in Europe in terms of the number of its inhabitants. Today, the country is home to nearly 9.5 million people. The demographic problems of Belarus as a whole are typical for the post-Soviet space: they are low birth rates, high mortality rates, the extinction of the countryside, as well as a low average life expectancy (especially for men).

The population of Belarus today, according to the statistics committee, is almost nine and a half million people. Among the CIS countries, this is the fifth place after the Russian Federation, Ukraine, as well as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Nevertheless, the population of Belarus exceeds the number of citizens of all (1.3 times), as well as that of Denmark (twice). This indicator is lower in comparison with Sweden, Austria and Bulgaria. The number of inhabitants of Belarus is approximately equal to the number of citizens in Greece, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Belgium, Yugoslavia and a number of other states.

The period lasting from the post-war years up to the nineties of the last century was characterized by a tendency for the constant growth of the population of the country, as a result of which the population of Belarus increased markedly. However, in the last decades of the twentieth century, the rate of increase in the population of the country began to decline noticeably.

The economic reforms of the perestroika era have affected many aspects of people's lives. The transition to market relations, the emergence of informal activities, the flourishing of private business, the growth of unemployment - all these factors have played a significant role in changing the living conditions of citizens. This also affected the dynamics of the number, composition, as well as the process of reproduction of people living in the country.

From one thousand nine hundred and ninety-three, Belarus, whose population began to decline, entered the stage of depopulation. The decrease in the number of citizens was due to the excess of the death rate over the birth rate. The result of this process is the constant movement of the country towards the acquisition of the status of a smaller state (in terms of number).

The population of Belarus has a multinational composition. Representatives of one hundred and thirty nationalities live in the state. The majority of citizens are Belarusians. Their share in the total population is eighty-one percent.

The largest percentage of Belarusians live in Minsk and At present, their number in the country as a whole is constantly increasing.

The percentage of other nationalities has been constantly changing throughout the historical period. It was directly dependent on external and internal factors (migrations, wars, and so on). However, the Russian people were invariably representatives of the second largest population group. this nation is equal to eleven percent. Many of the landowners, peasants and officials began to live in Belarus after its annexation to the Russian Empire. During the Soviet period, this ethnic group surpassed the Polish and Jewish in terms of its numbers, which corresponded to the geopolitics of the USSR. At present, the representatives are mainly located in cities.

The population of Belarus in its northwestern regions is represented by a large proportion of Poles. It accounts for almost four percent of the total population of this region. An insignificant level of migration of citizens of Polish nationality was observed in the Middle Ages. Today, most of the representatives of this live in the Grodno region. They do not have any significant differences from Belarusians in terms of everyday and cultural features.