Belarus is a country in Eastern Europe. Its capital is Minsk.
Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Minsk; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapBelarus is largely a lowland country of gently rolling plains, forests and wetlands. Glacial activity left many lakes and subtle ridges rather than dramatic high mountains. Rivers drain toward both the Baltic and Black Sea systems.
The Pripyat region in the south contains extensive marshes and floodplains. The forest associated with Belovezhskaya Pushcha in the west represents another distinctive environment. Farmland and settlements are interspersed with these wooded and wet areas.
The climate lies between maritime and continental influences. Winters are cold, summers are mild to warm, and moisture is present throughout the year.
Wetlands store water and provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. Forests include both coniferous and broad-leaved trees. Seasonal freezing, snowmelt and river flooding create pronounced changes through the year.
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
Broad-leaved forest represents one of western Belarus’s distinctive habitats.
Photo: Metselaar, J. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The river near Mazyr forms part of the country’s broad southern lowlands.
Photo: I, Viktar Palstsiuk · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Belarusian and Russian are official languages. Russian is widely used in everyday communication, while Belarusian remains important in cultural identity, education and public life.
Polish, Ukrainian and other languages are spoken by smaller communities. Belarusian and Russian are related Slavic languages, but they are distinct languages with their own literary traditions.
Belarus became independent in 1991 as the Soviet Union broke apart. Its territory had previously been divided among larger states and suffered extensive destruction during the Second World War. A new constitution created a presidency in 1994.
Manufacturing, agriculture and services all contribute. Important products include machinery, fertilizers, refined petroleum and food. State-owned enterprises and economic ties with Russia play a large role.
metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, refrigerators, washing machines and other household appliances
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 9,040,000 | 9.040 |
| 1980 | 9,643,000 | 9.643 |
| 1990 | 10,189,348 | 10.189 |
| 2000 | 9,979,610 | 9.980 |
| 2010 | 9,483,836 | 9.484 |
| 2020 | 9,379,952 | 9.380 |
| 2025 | 9,085,991 | 9.086 |
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 29,435,120,616 | 29.435 |
| 1991 | 29,081,900,421 | 29.082 |
| 1992 | 26,290,037,664 | 26.290 |
| 1993 | 24,291,994,271 | 24.292 |
| 1994 | 21,449,830,003 | 21.450 |
| 1995 | 19,219,047,602 | 19.219 |
| 1996 | 19,757,181,812 | 19.757 |
| 1997 | 22,009,501,606 | 22.010 |
| 1998 | 23,858,297,841 | 23.858 |
| 1999 | 24,669,479,778 | 24.669 |
| 2000 | 26,100,310,413 | 26.100 |
| 2001 | 27,333,629,960 | 27.334 |
| 2002 | 28,712,684,732 | 28.713 |
| 2003 | 30,734,974,379 | 30.735 |
| 2004 | 34,254,050,021 | 34.254 |
| 2005 | 37,473,931,242 | 37.474 |
| 2006 | 41,221,322,392 | 41.221 |
| 2007 | 44,766,358,837 | 44.766 |
| 2008 | 49,332,527,209 | 49.333 |
| 2009 | 49,431,189,911 | 49.431 |
| 2010 | 53,262,115,569 | 53.262 |
| 2011 | 56,218,149,517 | 56.218 |
| 2012 | 57,178,272,608 | 57.178 |
| 2013 | 57,749,323,051 | 57.749 |
| 2014 | 58,702,836,390 | 58.703 |
| 2015 | 56,454,769,845 | 56.455 |
| 2016 | 55,028,470,318 | 55.028 |
| 2017 | 56,421,892,161 | 56.422 |
| 2018 | 58,198,729,025 | 58.199 |
| 2019 | 59,040,547,732 | 59.041 |
| 2020 | 58,643,356,628 | 58.643 |
| 2021 | 60,073,587,228 | 60.074 |
| 2022 | 57,275,121,696 | 57.275 |
| 2023 | 59,638,602,544 | 59.639 |
| 2024 | 62,232,879,596 | 62.233 |
| 2025 | 63,041,907,031 | 63.042 |
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
A presidential republic with a president, a government headed by a prime minister and a two-chamber National Assembly. State power is highly concentrated in the presidency.
Three questions about Belarus.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
