View source for Demographics of Belarus

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{{Infobox place demographics
 | place  =[[Belarus]]
|image=File:Belarus 2023 population pyramid.svg
|image_size = 350
|caption= [[Population pyramid]] of [[Belarus]] in 2023
|size_of_population=9,109,280 (2025)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/publications/izdania/public_bulletin/index_148167 |title=Численность населения на 1 января 2025 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2024 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа|website=belstat.gov.by}}</ref>
|birth=
|death=
|fertility={{decrease}} 1.08 (2024)
|infant_mortality=
|life=
|life_male=
|life_female=
|average Childbearing age = 
|age_0-14_years=16.9% (male 821,285/female 772,360)
|age_15-64_years=67.7% (male 3,053,618/female 3,314,835)
|age_65_years=15.4% (male 479,740/female 971,608)
(2019 census)
|
|total_mf_ratio=0.87 male(s)/female (2014)
|sr_at_birth=1.06 male(s)/female
|sr_under_15=1.06 male(s)/female
|sr_15-64_years=0.94 male(s)/female
|sr_65_years_over=0.46 male(s)/female
|net_migration=
|nation=''noun'': Belarusian(s) ''adjective'': Belarusian
|major_ethnic= [[Belarusian people|Belarusians]]
|minor_ethnic= [[Russian people|Russians]], [[Polish people|Poles]]
|official= 
|spoken=Russian, Belarusian
}}

{{Historical populations
|type =
| percentages = pagr
|footnote = Source:<ref>{{cite web |title=Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Пространство, число наличного населения и плотность. |url=https://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus1897_01.php |website=demoscope.ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330100100/https://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus1897_01.php |archive-date=30 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Статистический ежегодник России 1914 г. (Год одиннадцатый) |pages=33–39 |url=https://archive.org/details/csk_ezhegodniki/%D0%A1%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9%20%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA%20%D0%A0%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B8%201914%20%D0%B3.%20%28%D0%93%D0%BE%D0%B4%20%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%86%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B%D0%B9%29/page/n29/mode/2up |language=ru}}</ref>{{efn|For 1897 and 1914, the population refers to the total number of inhabitants of the uyezds whose administrative centers are part of modern-day Belarus.}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Polyakov |first1=Y. A. |title=Всесоюзная перепись населения 1937 года: Общие итоги |date=2007 |publisher=ROSSPEN |isbn=5-8243-0337-1 |pages=47 |url=https://djvu.online/file/2MdsvbI0tfZA1 |language=ru |trans-title=The All-Union Population Census of 1937: General Results}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sulkevich |first1=Semen I |title=Территория и население СССР |date=1940 |publisher=[[:ru:Политиздат|Politizdat]] |page=46 |url=https://archive.org/details/territoriia_i_naselenie_SSSR/page/n43/mode/2up|language=ru|trans-title=Territory and Population of the USSR}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Belarus: historical demographical data of the whole country|url=http://www.populstat.info/Europe/belarusc.htm|website=Populstat|access-date=6 July 2017|archive-date=14 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414035528/http://www.populstat.info/Europe/belarusc.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫЙ СТАТИСТИЧЕСКИЙ КОМИТЕТ     РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ |url=https://www.belstat.gov.by/upload/iblock/210/uaj9375ey0b16oxtxqm0bmkycb45i04g.pdf |access-date=20 Oct 2025 |website=belstat.gov.by}}</ref>
|1897 | 6493600
|1914 | 8961800
|1926 | 4983240
|1937 | 5196549
|1940 | 10400000{{efn|This includes 1.35 million of inhabitants of [[Belastok Oblast]], most of which was transferred to Poland in 1944.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Exeler |first1=Franziska |title=Ghosts of War Nazi Occupation and Its Aftermath in Soviet Belarus |date=2022 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=9781501762758 |page=265 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jHkyEAAAQBAJ}}</ref>}}
|1951 | 7781100
|1959 | 8055700
|1970 | 8992200
|1979 | 9532500
|1989 | 10151800
|1999 | 10045200
|2009 | 9503800
|2019 | 9413446
|2021 | 9349645
|2025 | 9109280
}}

The '''demographics of Belarus''' is about the [[demographics|demographic]] features of the [[population]] of [[Belarus]], including population growth, [[population density]], [[Ethnic group|ethnicity]], education level, health, economic status, [[Religion in Belarus|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.<ref name=census/> After that the population began a steady decline, dropping to 9.7 million in 2006–2007.<ref name=pop>[http://belstat.gov.by/homep/en/indicators/population.php Population estimates 1995–2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203155701/http://belstat.gov.by/homep/en/indicators/population.php |date=2008-12-03 }}, BelStat</ref> 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.<ref>''Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Belarus 2007'', BelStat, Minsk, 2007</ref>

{{#chart:Belarus Total Population.chart}}
{{GraphChart
| width = 600
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= ‰
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| legend=
| hAnnotatonsLine=0
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

| y1= 17.5,17.6,16.4,14.9,17.0,17.5,18.2,18.0,19.2,17.5,17.8,17.0,14.9,13.7,12.7,11.1,10.9,9.8,9.4,8.6,8.6,8.8,8.3,7.7,7.9,7.1,7.0,6.8,6.8,6.4,6.1,6.7,6.7,7.7,6.5,5.9,7.4,6.2,6.0,4.9,3.2,1.7,1.1,-1.1,-1.9,-3.2,-3.7,-4.7,-4.4,-4.9,-4.1,-4.9,-5.9,-5.6,-5.3,-5.3,-4.3,-3.1,-2.7,-2.7,-3.1,-2.7,-1.1,-0.8,-0.3,-0.1,-0.2,-1.8,-2.8,-3.5, -6.6

| y2= , -15.1, -22.1, -18.9, -12.9, -7,0,-8.6, -10.9, -10.1, -4.8, -8.3, -5.6, -2.8, -5,0, -5.5, -0.9, 0.8, 0.5, -0.8, 0.4, 0.4, -0.7, -1.1, -0.4, -0.7, -1.3, -2.3, -1.3, -0.3, 0.4, 0.9, 0.9, 0.7, -0.8, 0.2, 0.2, -1.5, -1,0, -2.7, -2.3, -1.4,-1.2, 1.1, 3.3, 0.7, 0,0, 0.3, 0.5, -0.1, 0.4,-0.6, -0.2, -0.5, -1.4, -1.6, -1.5, -1.8, -1.5, -0.7, 0.5, 0.7, 0.4, -0.4, 0.4, 0.9, 1.4, 1,0, 0.7, 0.6, 1.5, 2.3

| y1Title=Natural change (per 1000)
| y2Title=Crude migration change (per 1000)
}}

===Population===
:9,109,280 (2025 est.)<ref>{{Cite web |title= Population on January 1, 2025 by regions of the Republic of Belarus
|url=https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/publications/izdania/public_bulletin/index_148167/ |date=2025 |publisher = Белстат |language=ru-RU}}</ref>
:''country comparison to the world:'' 98 <ref>{{Cite web |title= Belarus ranks 6th in population the CIS countries
|url=https://www.belta.by/society/view/belarus-zanimaet-6-e-mesto-po-chislennosti-naselenija-sredi-stran-sng-309467-2018 |date=2018-07-06 |publisher = БЕЛТА |language=ru-RU}}</ref>

===Age structure===
:0–14 years: 16.78% (male 791,170/female 414,450)
:15–24 years: 9.59% (male 404,500/female 375,750)
:25–54 years: 43.94% (male 2,058,648/female 2,105,910)
:55–64 years: 14.45% (male 605,330/female 763,972)
:65 years and over: 17.66% (male 327,300/female 355,163) (2022 est.)

===Median age===
:''Total:'' 40.9 years
:''Male:'' 39.5 years
:''Female:'' 43.9 years (2022 est.)

===Sex ratio===
:At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
:0–14 years: 87.266 male(s)/female
:15–24 years: 87.266 male(s)/female
:25–54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
:55–64 years: 0.79 male(s)/female
:65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female
:Total population: 87.266 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

{|class="whitetable" style="text-align:center"
 |+ Population change in Belarus, 1970 – 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/belarus-division.htm|title=Division of Belarus|website=pop-stat.mashke.org}}</ref>
 | width="32%"|[[File:BelarusPopChange1970-1989.PNG|center|250px]]
 | width="2%"|
 | width="32%"|[[File:BelarusPopulationChange1970-2009.PNG|center|250px]]
 | width="2%"|
 | width="32%"|[[File:BelarusPopulationChange1999-2009.png|center|250px]]
 |-
 |1970–1989
 |
 |1970–2010
 |
 |1999–2010
 |}

=== Life expectancy at birth ===
[[File:Life-expectancy, 1900 to 2023, BLR.svg|thumb|300px|[[Life expectancy]] in Belarus since 1900]]
[[File:Life expectancy by WBG -Belarus -diff.png|thumb|300px|Life expectancy in Belarus since 1960 by gender]]
[[File:Average life expectancy at birth in Belarus (2018, en).png|thumb|right|300px|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.)

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Period
!Life expectancy in<br />Years
|-
|1950–1955
|60.71
|-
|1955–1960
|{{increase}} 66.32
|-
|1960–1965
|{{increase}} 69.11
|-
|1965–1970
|{{increase}} 70.37
|-
|1970–1975
|{{increase}} 70.51
|-
|1975–1980
|{{decrease}} 70.41
|-
|1980–1985
|{{decrease}} 70.14
|-
|1985–1990
|{{increase}} 71.35
|-
|1990–1995
|{{decrease}} 69.44
|-
|1995–2000
|{{decrease}} 67.42
|-
|2000–2005
|{{increase}} 67.83
|-
|2005–2010
|{{increase}} 69.25
|-
|2010–2015
|{{increase}} 72.15
|}

===Total fertility rate (TFR) in Belarus by region and year===
{{#chart:Belarus TFR.chart}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Region<ref>{{Cite web |title= Population and migration statistics |url=https://dataportal.belstat.gov.by/osids/rubric-info/1063260 |date=2025 |publisher = Belstat}}</ref> !!2024 !! 2017 !! 2016!! 2015 !! 2010 !! 2005
|-
| '''Belarus (total)''' || 1.08 || 1.54 || 1.73 || 1.72 || 1.49 || 1.25
|-
| [[Minsk]] || 0.69 ||1.06 || 1.21 || 1.24 || 1.25 || 1.08
|-
| [[Vitebsk Oblast]] || 1.13 || 1.45 || 1.63 || 1.62 || 1.42 || 1.19
|-
| [[Mogilev Oblast]] || 1.25 || 1.65 || 1.85 || 1.83 || 1.49 || 1.25
|-
| [[Gomel Region|Gomel Oblast]] || 1.20 || 1.72 || 1.93 || 1.89 || 1.55 || 1.28
|-
| [[Grodno Region|Grodno Oblast]] || 1.19 || 1.75 || 2.03 || 1.96 || 1.63 || 1.30
|-
| [[Brest Oblast]] || 1.41 || 1.89 || 2.10 || 2.06 || 1.73 || 1.45
|-
| [[Minsk Oblast]] || 1.14 || 1.94 || 2.16 || 2.18 || 1.72 || 1.37
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:right"
! rowspan="19" |TFR
! colspan="10" |Years
|-
! 1900!!1901!!1902!!1903!!1904!!1905!!1906!!1907!!1908!!1909<ref name="ourworldindata.org">{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=RUS|title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=[[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]]}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.99|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.96|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.92|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.89|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.86|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.83|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.8|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.77|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.73|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.7
|-
! 1910!!1911!!1912!!1913!!1914!!1915!!1916!!1917!!1918!!1919<ref name="ourworldindata.org" />
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.67|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.64|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.61|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.58|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.54|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.51|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.48|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.45|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.42|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.38
|-
! 1920!!1921!!1922!!1923!!1924!!1925!!1926!!1927!!1928!!1929<ref name="ourworldindata.org" />
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.35|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.32|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.29|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.26|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.23|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.19|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.16|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |5.05|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |4.94|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |4.83
|-
! 1930!!1931!!1932!!1933!!1934!!1935!!1936!!1937!!1938!!1939<ref name="ourworldindata.org" />
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |4.71|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |4.6|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |4.49|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |4.38|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |4.26|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |4.15|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |4.04|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |3.93|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |3.82|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |3.7
|-
! 1940!!1941!!1942!!1943!!1944!!1945!!1946!!1947!!1948!!1949<ref name="ourworldindata.org" />
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |3.59|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |3.49|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |3.38|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |3.27|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |3.17|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |3.06|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.96|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.85|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.74|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.64
|-
! 1950!!1951!!1952!!1953!!1954!!1955!!1956!!1957!!1958<ref name="ourworldindata.org" />
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.5|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.53|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.59|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.64|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.68|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.71|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.73|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.74|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;" |2.73
|}

<gallery>
Birth rate in Belarus, 2019.png|Birth rate (by district, 2019)
Death rate in Belarus, 2019.png|Mortality rate (by district, 2019)
Natural population change in Belarus, 2019.png|Rate of natural increase (by district, 2019)
</gallery>

=== Infant mortality rate ===
:''Total:'' 4.0 {{DecreasePositive}} deaths/1,000 live births for 429 death. (2010)
:''Total:'' 3.9 {{DecreasePositive}} deaths/1,000 live births for 422 death. (2011)
:''Total:'' 3.4 {{DecreasePositive}} deaths/1,000 live births for 386 death. (2012)
:''Total:'' 3.5 {{IncreaseNegative}} deaths/1,000 live births for 407 death. (2013)
:''Total:'' 3.5 {{steady}} deaths/1,000 live births for 415 death. (2014)

:''Total:'' 3.5 {{DecreasePositive}} deaths/1,000 live births for 321 death. (January–September 2014)
:''Total:'' 3.2 {{IncreasePositive}} deaths/1,000 live births for 283 death. (January–September 2015)

== Vital statistics ==

===Belarusian provinces of the [[Russian Empire]]===
The figures below refer to the uyezds of the five governorates of the [[Russian Empire]] ([[Grodno Governorate|Grodno]], [[Vitebsk Governorate|Vitebsk]], [[Minsk Governorate|Minsk]], [[Mogilev Governorate|Mogilev]], [[Vilna Governorate|Vilna]]) whose administrative centers are now part of modern-day Belarus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://istmat.info/node/21366|title=Статистический ежегодник Российской Империи (Издание ЦСК ) - Проект "Исторические Материалы"|website=istmat.info|access-date=2014-12-24|archive-date=2014-12-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216153942/http://istmat.info/node/21366|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"

|-

!
! width="70pt"|Average population

! width="70pt"|Live births

! width="70pt"|Deaths

! width="70pt"|Natural change

! width="70pt"|Crude birth rate (per 1000)

! width="70pt"|Crude death rate (per 1000)

! width="70pt"|Natural change (per 1000)

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1900

|6,886,000

|301,000||170,000||131,000

|43.7||24.7||19.0

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1901

|7,020,000

|295,000||180,000||115,000

|42.1||25.6||16.4

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1902

|7,143,000

|313,000||169,000||144,000

|43.8||23.6||20.1

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1903

|7,290,000

|285,000||182,000||104,000

|39.1||24.9||14.2

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1904

|7,423,000

|297,000||181,000||116,000

|40.0||24.4||15.6

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1905

|7,546,000

|286,000||184,000||101,000

|37.9||24.4||13.4

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1906

|7,688,000

|293,000||162,000||131,000

|38.1||21.0||17.0

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1907

|7,809,000

|293,000||149,000||144,000

|37.5||19.0||18.5

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1908

|7,986,000

|280,000||158,000||122,000

|35.0||19.7||15.3

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1909

|8,138,000

|295,000||161,000||134,000

|36.2||19.8||16.4

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1910

|8,272,000

|286,000||173,000||113,000

|34.6||21.0||13.6

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1911

|8,382,000

|293,000||156,000||137,000

|35.0||18.6||16.4

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1912

|8,554,000

|299,000||146,000||154,000

|35.0||17.0||18.0

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1913

|8,725,000

|288,000||156,000||131,000

|33.0||17.9||15.1

|-

| style="text-align: left;"| 1914

|8,962,000

|298,000||163,000||135,000

|33.2||18.2||15.0

|}

===After WW2===

Population and migration statistics:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dataportal.belstat.gov.by/osids/rubric-info/1063260|title=Интерактивная информационно-аналитическая система распространения официальной статистической информации|website=dataportal.belstat.gov.by}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right;"
|-
! width="70pt" |Year
! width="70pt" |Average population
! width="70pt" |Live births
! width="70pt" |Deaths
! width="70pt" |Natural change
! width="70pt" |Crude birth rate (per 1000)
! width="70pt" |Crude death rate (per 1000)
! width="70pt" |Natural change (per 1000)
! width="70pt" |Crude migration change (per 1000)
! width="70pt" |Crude population change (per 1000)
! width="70pt" |Total fertility rate
! width="80pt" |Abortions reported
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1950
|7,745,000
|197,200||62,000||135,200
|25.5||8.0||17.5 || style="color: red" | -14.5 || 2.6
| style="color: blue" |
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1951
|7,765,000
|198,200||61,200||137,000
|25.5||7.9||17.6 || style="color: red" | -23.3 || style="color: red" |  -5.7
| style="color: blue" |
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1952
|7,721,000
|191,100||64,200||126,900
|24.8||8.3||16.4 || style="color: red" | -20.4 || style="color: red" | -4.0
| style="color: blue" |
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1953
|7,690,000
|176,200||61,900||114,300
|22.9||8.0||14.9 || style="color: red" | -10.7 || 4.2
| style="color: blue" |
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1954
|7,722,000
|193,100||61,600||131,500
|25.0||8.0||17.0 || style="color: red" | -6.4 || 10.6
| style="color: blue" |
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1955
|7,804,000
|194,400||58,000||136,400
|24.9||7.4||17.5 || style="color: red" | -7.8 || 9.7
| style="color: blue" |
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1956
|7,880,000
|199,500||56,000||143,500
|25.3||7.1||18.2 || style="color: red" | -11.1 || 7.1
| style="color: blue" |
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1957
|7,936,000
|200,800||58,000||142,800
|25.3||7.3||18.0 || style="color: red" | -8.8 || 9.2
| style="color: blue" |
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1958
|8,009,000
| style="color: blue" |207,700
|53,700
| style="color: blue" |154,000
| style="color: blue" |25.9
|6.7
| style="color: blue" |19.2 
|  style="color: red" |-6.3 
|  style="color: blue" |12.9
| style="color: blue" |
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1959
|8,112,000
|204,600||62,600||142,000
|25.2||7.7||17.5 || style="color: red" | -7.9 ||9.6
| style="color: blue" |2.72
|
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1960
|8,190,000
|200,218
|54,037
|146,181
|24.4
|6.6
|17.8 || style="color: red" | -6.3 || 11.5
| style="color: blue" |2.69
|170,787
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1961
|8,284,000
|194,239
| style="color: blue" |53,682
|140,557
|23.4
|6.5
|17.0 || style="color: red" | -4.8 || 12.2
| style="color: blue" |2.66
|178,290
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1962
|8,385,000
|185,302
|60,676
|124,626
|22.1
|7.2
|14.9 || style="color: red" | -6.3 || 8.7
| style="color: blue" |2.57
|185,554
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1963
|8,458,000
|173,889
|58,291
|115,598
|20.6
|6.9
|13.7 || style="color: red" | -6.5 || 7.2
| style="color: blue" |2.46
|191,137
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1964
|8,519,000
|161,794
|53,967
|107,827
|19.0
| style="color: blue" |6.3
|12.7 || style="color: red" | -2.4 || 10.3
| style="color: blue" |2.36
|200,534

|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1965
|8,607,000
|153,865
|58,156
|95,709
|17.9
|6.8 
|11.1 || 0.8 || 11.9
| style="color: blue" |2.27
|205,999
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1966
|8,709,000
|153,414
|58,265
|95,149
|17.6
|6.7
|10.9 || style="color: red" |  -0.5 || 10.4
| style="color: blue" |2.28
|203,430
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1967
|8,800,000
|147,501
|61,263
|86,238
|16.8
|7.0
|9.8 ||  style="color: red" | -1.1 || 8.8
| style="color: blue" |2.26
|203,722
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1968
|8,877,000
|146,095
|62,354
|83,741
|16.5
|7.0
|9.4 || style="color: red" | -0.4 || 9.0
| style="color: blue" |2.23
|198,955
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1969
|8,957,000
|142,652
|65,912
|76,740
|15.9
|7.4
|8.6 || 0.4 || 9.0
| style="color: blue" |2.18
|191,637
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1970
|9,038,000
|146,676
|68,974
|77,702
|16.2
|7.6
|8.6 ||  style="color: red" | -0.4 || 8.2
| style="color: blue" |2.30
|187,935
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1971
|9,112,000
|149,135
|68,511
|80,624
|16.4
|7.5
|8.8 || style="color: red" | -1.6 || 7.2
| style="color: blue" |2.34
|190,169
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1972
|9,178,000
|147,813
|71,866
|75,947
|16.1
|7.8
|8.3 ||  style="color: red" |-1.0 || 7.3
| style="color: blue" |2.36
|185,101
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1973
|9,245,000
|144,729
|73,927
|70,802
|15.7
|8.0
|7.7 || style="color: red" | -0.5 || 7.2
| style="color: blue" |2.29
|193,503
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1974
|9,312,000
|146,876
|73,181
|73,695
|15.8
|7.9
|7.9 || style="color: red" | -2.0 || 5.9
| style="color: blue" |2.24
|194,247
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1975
|9,367,000
|146,517
|79,701
|66,816
|15.6
|8.5
|7.1 ||  style="color: red" |-1.5 || 5.5
| style="color: blue" |2.20
|194,710
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1976
|9,411,000
|147,912
|82,400
|65,512
|15.7
|8.8
|7.0 ||  style="color: red" |-1.5 || 5.5
| style="color: blue" |2.16
|199,121
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1977
|9,463,000
|148,963
|84,565
|64,398
|15.7
|8.9
|6.8 || style="color: red" | -0.2 || 6.6
| style="color: blue" |2.11
|202,146
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1978
|9,525,000
|151,053
|86,612
|64,441
|15.9
|9.1
|6.8 ||  0.0 || 6.8
|2.08
|201,619
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1979
|9,590,000
|151,800
|90,837
|60,963
|15.8
|9.5
|6.4 || 0.7 || 7.1
|2.05
|203,446
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1980
|9,658,000
|154,432
|95,514
|58,918
|16.0
|9.9
|6.1 || 1.6 || 7.7
|2.04
|201,852
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1981
|9,732,000
|157,899
|93,136
|64,763
|16.2
|9.6
|6.7 || 0.7 || 7.4
|2.08
|202,340
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1982
|9,804,000
|159,364
|93,840
|65,524
|16.3
|9.6
|6.7 || 0.2 || 6.9
|2.02
|198,011
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1983
|9,872,000
|173,510
|97,849
|75,661
|17.6
|9.9
|7.7 || style="color: red" | -1.0 || 6.7
|2.09
|207,461
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1984
|9,938,000
|168,749
|104,274
|64,475
|17.0
|10.5
|6.5 || style="color: red" |  -0.4 || 6.1
| style="color: blue" |2.14
|210,844
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1985
|9,999,000
|165,034
|105,690
|59,344
|16.6
|10.6
|5.9 || 0.0 || 5.9
|2.09
|200,888
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1986
|10,058,000
|171,611
|97,276
|74,335
|17.1
|9.7
|7.4 || style="color: red" | -2.1 ||| 5.3
| style="color: blue" |2.10
|171,114
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1987
|10,111,000
|162,937
|99,921
|63,016
|16.2
|9.9
|6.2 ||  style="color: red" |-2.9 || 3.3
|2.04
|163,761
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1988
|10,144,000
|163,193
|102,671
|60,522
|16.1
|10.1
|6.0 || style="color: red" | -3.3 || 2.7
| align="right" |2.03
|140,921
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1989
|10,170,374
|153,449
|103,479
|49,970
|15.1
|10.2
|4.9 ||  style="color: red" |-3.1 || 1.8
| align="right" |2.03
|256,041
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1990
|10,189,348
|142,167
|109,582
|32,585
|14.0
|10.8
|3.2 ||  style="color: red" |-3.1 || 0.1
| align="right" |1.91
| style="color: red" |260,839
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1991
|10,194,050
|132,045
|114,650
|17,395
|13.0
|11.2
|1.7 ||  style="color: red" |-0.9 || 0.8
| align="right" |1.81
|241,138
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1992
|10,216,470
|127,971
|116,674
|11,297
|12.5
|11.4
|1.1 ||style="color: blue" | 2.5 ||3.6
| align="right" |1.76
|240,387
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1993
| style="color: blue" | 10,239,050
|117,384
|128,544
| style="color: red" | -11,160
|11.5
|12.6
| style="color: red" | -1.1 ||  2.0 || 0.9
| align="right" |1.62
|217,957
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1994
|10,226,955
|110,599
|130,003
| style="color: red" | -19,404
|10.8
|12.7
| style="color: red" | -1.9 ||  style="color: red" | -1.3 || style="color: red" | -3.2
| align="right" |1.53
|212,533
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1995
|10,193,831
|101,144
|133,775
| style="color: red" | -32,631
|9.9
|13.1
| style="color: red" | -3.2 || 0 || style="color: red" | -3.2
| align="right" |1.41
|193,280
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1996
|10,159,569
|95,798
|133,422
| style="color: red" | -37,624
|9.4
|13.1
| style="color: red" | -3.7 || 0.2 ||  style="color: red" |-3.5
| align="right" |1.34
|174,098
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1997
|10,117,433
|89,586
|136,653
| style="color: red" | -47,067
|8.9
|13.5
| style="color: red" | -4.7 ||  style="color: red" | -0.1 || style="color: red" | -4.8
| align="right" |1.25
|152,660
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1998
|10,071,963
|92,645
|137,296
| style="color: red" | -44,651
|9.2
|13.6
| style="color: red" | -4.4 || 0.2 || style="color: red" | -4.2
| align="right" |1.30
|145,339
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 1999
|10,026,738
|92,975
|142,027
| style="color: red" | -49,052
|9.3
|14.2
| style="color: red" | -4.9 || 0.1 || style="color: red" | -4.8
| align="right" |1.31
|135,829
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2000
|9,979,610
|93,691
|134,867
| style="color: red" | -41,176
|9.4
|13.5
| style="color: red" | -4.1 ||  style="color: red" |-0.5 || style="color: red" | -4.6
| align="right" |1.32
|121,895
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2001
|9,928,549
|91,720
|140,299
| style="color: red" | -48,579
|9.2
|14.1
| style="color: red" | -4.9 || style="color: red" | -0.8 || style="color: red" | -5.7
| align="right" |1.29
|101,402
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2002
|9,865,548
|88,743
|146,655
| style="color: red" | -57,912
|9.0
|14.9
| style="color: red" | -5.9 ||  style="color: red" |-1.1 ||  style="color: red" |-7.0 
| align="right" |1.24
|89,895
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2003
|9,796,749
|88,512
|143,200
| style="color: red" | -54,688
|9.0
|14.6
| style="color: red" | -5.6 || style="color: red" | -1.3 || style="color: red" | -6.9
| align="right" |1.23
| style="color: blue" |80,174
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2004
|9,730,146
|88,943
|140,064
| style="color: red" | -51,121
|9.1
|14.4
| style="color: red" | -5.3 ||  style="color: red" |-1.6 || style="color: red" | -6.9
| align="right" |1.23
| style="color: blue" |71,700
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2005
|9,663,915
|90,508
|141,857
| style="color: red" | -51,349
|9.4
|14.7
| style="color: red" | -5.3 ||  style="color: red" |-1.5 || style="color: red" | -6.9
| align="right" |1.25
| style="color: blue" |64,655
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2006
|9,604,924
|96,721
|138,426
| style="color: red" | -41,705
|10.1
|14.4
| style="color: red" | -4.3 || style="color: red" | -1.0 || style="color: red" | -5.3
| align="right" |1.34
| style="color: blue" |58,516
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2007
|9,560,953
|103,626
|132,993
| style="color: red" | -29,367
|10.8
|13.9
| style="color: red" | -3.1 || style="color: red" | -0.8 || style="color: red" | -3.9
| align="right" |1.43
| style="color: blue" |46,287
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2008
|9,527,985
|107,876||133,879|| style="color: red" |-26,003
|11.3||14.1|| style="color: red" |-2.7 ||  style="color: red" |-0.3 || style="color: red" | -3.0
| align="right" |1.49
| style="color: blue" |42,197
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2009
|9,504,583
|109,263||135,097|| style="color: red" |-25,834
|11.5||14.2|| style="color: red" |-2.7 || 0.8 || style="color: red" |-1.9
| align="right" |1.51
| style="color: blue" |35,967
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2010
|9,483,836
|108,050||137,132|| style="color: red" |-29,082
|11.4||14.5|| style="color: red" |-3.1 || 0.6 ||  style="color: red" |-2.5
| align="right" |1.49
| style="color: blue" |33,262
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2011
|9,461,643
|109,147||135,090|| style="color: red" |-25,943
|11.5||14.3|| style="color: red" |-2.7 || 0.5 || style="color: red" | -2.2
| align="right" |1.50
| style="color: blue" |32,031
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2012
|9,446,836
|115,893||126,531|| style="color: red" |-10,638
|12.3||13.4|| style="color: red" |-1.1 || 0.2 ||  style="color: red" |-0.9
| align="right" |1.60
| style="color: blue" |28,628
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2013
|9,443,211
|117,997||125,326|| style="color: red" |-7,329
|12.5||13.3|| style="color: red" |-0.8 || 1.0 || 0.2
| align="right" |1.65
| style="color: blue" |31,206
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2014
|9,448,515
|118,534||121,542|| style="color: red" |-3,008
|12.5||12.9|| style="color: red" |-0.3 || 1.3 || 1.0
| align="right" |1.68
| style="color: blue" |29,797
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2015
|9,461,076
|119,028||120,026|| style="color: red" |-998
|12.6||12.7|| style="color: red" |-0.1 || 1.8 || 1.7
| align="right" |1.71
| style="color: blue" |29,217
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2016
|9,469,379
|117,779||119,379|| style="color: red" |-1,600
|12.4||12.6|| style="color: red" |-0.2 || 0.2|| 0.0
| align="right" |1.72
| style="color: blue" |27,467
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2017
|9,458,989
|102,556||119,311|| style="color: red" |-16,755
|10.8||12.6|| style="color: red" |-1.8 || style="color: red" |  -0.4 ||  style="color: red" |-2.2
| align="right" |1.53
| style="color: blue" |25,249
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2018
|9,438,785
|94,042||120,053|| style="color: red" |-26,011
|10.0||12.7|| style="color: red" |-2.8 || 0.8 ||  style="color: red" |-2.0
| align="right" |1.45
| style="color: blue" |23,305
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2019
|9,419,758
|87,602||120,470|| style="color: red" |-32,868
|9.3||12.8|| style="color: red" |-3.5 || 1.5 ||  style="color: red" |-2.0
| align="right" |1.39
| style="color: blue" |21,289
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2020
|9,379,952
|82,022
|144,536
| style="color: red" | -62,514
|8.7
|15.4
|style="color: red" | -6.7 || 0.1 ||  style="color: red" |-6.6
|1.33
| style="color: blue" | 18,180
|-
| style="text-align: left;"| 2021
|9,302,585
|76,151
| style="color: red" |173,853
| style="color: red" | -97,702
|8.1
|18.6
|style="color: red" | -10.5|| 0.0 || style="color: red" | -10.1 
|1.29
| style="color: blue" | 16,861
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| 2022
|9,228,071
|67,396
|130,064
| style="color: red" | -61,417
|7.3
|13.9
| style="color: red" | -6.6|| 0.0 || style="color: red" | -6.4
|1.19
| style="color: blue" | 16,696
|-
| style="text-align: left;"|2023
|9,178,298
|64,605
|119,823
| style="color: red" | -55,218
| 7.0
| 13.0
| style="color: red" | -6.0|| 1.2 || style="color: red" | -4.8
|1.15
| style="color: blue"| 15,871
|-
| style="text-align: left;"|2024
|9,132,629
|58,938
|115,124
| style="color: red" | -56,186
| style="color: red" | 6.5
| 12.6
| style="color: red" | -6.1|| 1.1|| style="color: red" | -5.1
| align="right" style="color: red" |1.08
| style="color: blue" | 14,444
|-
| style="text-align: left;"|2025
|9,109,280*
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki> Data as of the January 1, 2025. Data as of the July 1, 2025 are to be released.

=== Current vital statistics ===
{{Update|section|date=May 2025}}
{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! Period
! Live births
! Deaths
! Natural increase
|-
| '''January - December 2023'''
| 64,605
| 119,823
| -55,218
|-
| '''January - December 2024'''
| 58,938
| 115,124
| -56,131
|-
| '''Difference'''
| {{decrease}} -5,612 (-8.69%)
| {{DecreasePositive}} -4,699 (-3.92%)
| {{decrease}} -913
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align: center;" | '''Source:'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/publications/izdania/public_bulletin/|title=Бюллетени|website=www.belstat.gov.by}}</ref>
|}

{{#chart:Belarus Natural Population Change.chart}}

BelStat did not provide official birth data between 2020 and 2024. However, according to BelStat the number of inhabitants age 0-4 has declined from 550,147 in January 1, 2019 to 388,693 in January 1st, 2024, a 29.3% decline in five years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dataportal.belstat.gov.by/Indicators/Preview?key=144299|title=10101100003 Population at the beginning of year|website=www.belstat.gov.by}}</ref> BelStat issued official statistics in 2025 for the first time since 2020 showing that there were 58,938 births in 2024.

===Structure of the population===

{{Hidden begin 
|title= Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 04.X.2019):<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/#statistics |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=unstats.un.org}}</ref>
|titlestyle = background:#EEBC35;
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age Group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 4 351 473
| align="right" | 5 061 973 
| align="right" | 9 413 446
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0–4
| align="right" | 270 610
| align="right" | 255 488
| align="right" | 526 098
| align="right" | 5.59
|-
| align="right" | 5–9
| align="right" | 288 068  
| align="right" | 273 160
| align="right" | 561 228
| align="right" | 5.96
|-
| align="right" | 10–14
| align="right" | 259 437
| align="right" | 246 882
| align="right" | 506 319 
| align="right" | 5.38
|-
| align="right" | 15–19
| align="right" | 234 423
| align="right" | 221 344
| align="right" | 455 767
| align="right" | 4.84
|-
| align="right" | 20–24
| align="right" | 228 635
| align="right" | 219 413
| align="right" | 448 048
| align="right" | 4.76
|-
| align="right" | 25–29
| align="right" | 305 775
| align="right" | 310 546
| align="right" | 616 321
| align="right" | 6.55
|-
| align="right" | 30–34
| align="right" | 388 316
| align="right" | 392 937
| align="right" | 781 253
| align="right" | 8.30
|-
| align="right" | 35–39
| align="right" | 367 695
| align="right" | 381 356
| align="right" | 749 051
| align="right" | 7.96
|-
| align="right" | 40–44
| align="right" | 325 233
| align="right" | 345 140
| align="right" | 670 373
| align="right" | 7.12
|-
| align="right" | 45–49
| align="right" | 302 148
| align="right" | 337 685
| align="right" | 639 833
| align="right" | 6.80
|-
| align="right" | 50–54
| align="right" | 289 385
| align="right" | 333 961
| align="right" | 623 346
| align="right" | 6.62
|-
| align="right" | 55–59
| align="right" | 319 173
| align="right" | 385 127
| align="right" | 704 300
| align="right" | 7.48
|-
| align="right" | 60–64
| align="right" | 292 835
| align="right" | 387 326
| align="right" | 680 161
| align="right" | 7.23
|-
| align="right" | 65-69
| align="right" | 202 723
| align="right" | 310 845
| align="right" | 513 568
| align="right" | 5.46
|-
| align="right" | 70-74
| align="right" | 123 837
| align="right" | 219 468
| align="right" | 343 305
| align="right" | 3.65
|-
| align="right" | 75-79
| align="right" | 67 798
| align="right" | 160 061
| align="right" | 227 859
| align="right" | 2.42
|-
| align="right" | 80-84
| align="right" | 55 715
| align="right" | 164 022
| align="right" | 219 737
| align="right" | 2.33
|-
| align="right" | 85-89
| align="right" | 21 467
| align="right" | 80 001 
| align="right" | 101 468
| align="right" | 1.08
|-
| align="right" | 90-94
| align="right" | 7 173
| align="right" | 31 583
| align="right" | 38 756
| align="right" | 0.41
|-
| align="right" | 95-99
| align="right" | 966
| align="right" | 5 300 
| align="right" | 6 266
| align="right" | 0.07
|-
| align="right" | 100+
| align="right" | 61
| align="right" | 328
| align="right" | 389 
| align="right" | <0.01
|-
! width="50"|Age group 
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0–14
| align="right" | 818 115
| align="right" | 775 530
| align="right" | 1 593 645
| align="right" | 16.93
|-
| align="right" | 15–64
| align="right" | 3 053 618
| align="right" | 3 314 835
| align="right" | 6 368 453
| align="right" | 67.65
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 479 740
| align="right" | 971 608
| align="right" | 1 451 348
| align="right" | 15.42
|-
|}
{{Hidden end}}

== Migration ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Net Migration Data for Belarus (1994–2024)
|-
! Year !! Immigration !! Emigration !! Net Migration
|-
| 1994 || 53,135 || 56,465 || -3,330
|-
| 1995 || 34,866 || 35,071 || -205
|-
| 1996 || 31,902 || 22,539 || +9,363
|-
| 1997 || 31,417 || 16,709 || +14,708
|-
| 1998 || 33,182 || 13,247 || +19,935
|-
| 1999 || 30,830 || 13,238 || +17,592
|-
| 2000 || 25,943 || 13,812 || +12,131
|-
| 2001 || 23,355 || 14,270 || +9,085
|-
| 2002 || 18,939 || 13,378 || +5,561
|-
| 2003 || 18,146 || 12,986 || +5,160
|-
| 2004 || 14,642 || 12,510 || +2,132
|-
| 2005 || 13,031 || 11,082 || +1,949
|-
| 2006 || 14,124 || 8,498 || +5,626
|-
| 2007 || 14,155 || 9,479 || +4,676
|-
| 2008 || 17,413 || 9,268 || +8,145
|-
| 2009 || 19,892 || 7,643 || +12,249
|-
| 2010 || 17,169 || 6,866 || +10,303
|-
| 2011 || 17,510 || 7,610 || +9,900
|-
| 2012 || 18,040 || 8,712 || +9,328
|-
| 2013 || 19,435 || 7,792 || +11,643
|-
| 2014 || 24,941 || 9,219 || +15,722
|-
| 2015 || 28,349 || 9,855 || +18,494
|-
| 2016 || 21,038 || 13,098 || +7,940
|-
| 2017 || 18,961 || 15,087 || +3,874
|-
| 2018 || 24,601 || 15,239 || +9,362
|-
| 2019 || 34,846 || 20,976 || +13,870
|-
| 2024 || 42,250 || 32,762 || +9,488
|}
<small>Note: Data for 2020 to 2023 is unavailable.</small>
<ref>Belarusian National Statistical Committee (Belstat). "Migration Statistics." [https://dataportal.belstat.gov.by/osids/rubric-info/1063263](https://dataportal.belstat.gov.by/osids/rubric-info/1063263)</ref>

== Ethnic groups ==
[[File:COB data Belarus.PNG|350px|right|thumb]]
: [[Belarusians]] 84.9%, [[Russians]] 7.5%, [[Polish people|Poles]] 3.1%, [[Ukrainians]] 1.7%, [[History of the Jews in Belarus|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).<ref name=prewar>{{cite web|url=http://demoscope.ru/weekly/pril.php#1926|title=Приложение Демоскопа Weekly|website=demoscope.ru}}</ref> 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).<ref name=prewar/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+
'''Population of the Byelorussian SSR according to ethnic group 1926–1939'''
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! rowspan="2" | Ethnic<br />group
! colspan="2" | census 1926<sup>1</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 1939<sup>2</sup>
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|-
| [[Belarusians]]
| align="right" | 4,017,301
| align="right" | 80.6
| align="right" | 4,615,496
| align="right" | 82.9
|-
| [[Jews]]
| align="right" | 407,059
| align="right" | 8.2
| align="right" | 375,092
| align="right" | 6.7
|-
| [[Russians]]
| align="right" | 383,806
| align="right" | 7.7
| align="right" | 364,705
| align="right" | 6.6
|-
| [[Polish people|Poles]]
| align="right" | 97,498
| align="right" | 2.0
| align="right" | 58,380
| align="right" | 1.1
|-
| [[Ukrainians]]
| align="right" | 34,681
| align="right" | 0.7
| align="right" | 104,247
| align="right" | 1.9
|-
| [[Germans]]
| align="right" | 7,075
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 8,448
| align="right" | 0.2
|-
| [[Latvians]]
| align="right" | 14,080
| align="right" | 0.3
| align="right" | 8,117
| align="right" | 0.2
|-
| [[Tatars]]
| align="right" | 3,777
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 7,664
| align="right" | 0.1
|-
| [[Lithuanians]]
| align="right" | 6,864
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 4,284
| align="right" | 0.1
|-
| [[Ruska Roma|Roma]]
| align="right" | 2,366
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 3,632
| align="right" | 0.1
|-
| [[Mordvins]]
| align="right" | 1,051
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 2,042
| align="right" | 0.0
|-
| Others
| align="right" | 7,682
| align="right" | 0.2
| align="right" | 16,887
| align="right" | 0.3
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! align="left" | Total
! colspan="2" | 4,983,240
! colspan="2" | 5,568,994
|-
| colspan="5" | <small><sup>1</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr_nac_26.php]. <sup>2</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr_nac_39.php] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121221160751/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr_nac_39.php |date=2012-12-21 }}.  </small>
|}

===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).

[[Image:Poles in Belarus 1960.png|thumb|right|Polish minority [[Raion|districts]] in 1960:
{{legend|#960000|Over 50% Polish}}
{{legend|#E50000|40-50%}}
{{legend|#E56100|30-40%}}
{{legend|#E5B800|10-30%}}
{{legend|#B8B8B1|Up to 10% Polish}}
{{legend|#00009E|Border of Poland in 1939}}]]

After the war, a large number of Poles were [[Polish population transfers (1944–1946)|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.<ref name=census>[http://belstat.gov.by/homep/ru/perepic/p5.php Ethnic composition of the population] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207141941/http://belstat.gov.by/homep/ru/perepic/p5.php |date=February 7, 2009 }}, [[1999 Belarus Census]].</ref>

{|class="whitetable" style="text-align:center"
 |+ Ethnic composition of Belarus according to 2019 census
 | width="23%"|[[File:Belarusians in Belarus (2019).png|center|190px]]
 | width="2%"|
 | width="23%"|[[File:Russians in Belarus (2019).png|center|190px]]
 | width="2%"|
 | width="23%"|[[File:Poles in Belarus (2019).png|center|190px]]
 | width="2%"|
 | width="23%"|[[File:Ukrainians in Belarus (2019).png|center|190px]]
 |-
 |Belarusian
 |
 |Russians
 |
 |Poles
 |
 |Ukrainians
 |}

{|class="whitetable" style="text-align:center"
 |+ Ethnic composition of Belarus according to 2009 census
 | width="23%"|[[File:Belarusians in Belarus 2009.png|center|190px]]
 | width="2%"|
 | width="23%"|[[File:Russians in Belarus 2009.PNG|center|190px]]
 | width="2%"|
 | width="23%"|[[File:Poles in Belarus 2009.PNG|center|190px]]
 | width="2%"|
 | width="23%"|[[File:Ukrainians in Belarus 2009.PNG|center|190px]]
 |-
 |Belarusian
 |
 |Russians
 |
 |Poles
 |
 |Ukrainians
 |}

{| class="wikitable"
|+
'''Population of Belarus according to ethnic group 1959–2019'''
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! rowspan="2" | Ethnic<br />group
! colspan="2" | census 1959<sup>1</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 1970<sup>2</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 1979<sup>3</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 1989<sup>4</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 1999<sup>5</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 2009<sup>6</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 2019<sup>7</sup>
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|-
| [[Belarusians]]
| align="right" | 6,532,035
| align="right" | 81.1
| align="right" | 7,289,610
| align="right" | 81.0
| align="right" | 7,567,955
| align="right" | 79.4
| align="right" | 7,904,623
| align="right" | 77.9
| align="right" | 8,158,900
| align="right" | 81.2
| align="right" | 7,957,252
| align="right" | 83.7
| align="right" | 7,990,719
| align="right" | 84.9
|-
| [[Russians]]
| align="right" | 659,093
| align="right" | 8.2
| align="right" | 938,161
| align="right" | 10.4
| align="right" | 1,134,117
| align="right" | 11.9
| align="right" | 1,342,099
| align="right" | 13.2
| align="right" | 1,141,700
| align="right" | 11.4
| align="right" | 785,084
| align="right" | 8.3
| align="right" | 706,992
| align="right" | 7.5
|-
| [[Polish people|Poles]]
| align="right" | 538,881
| align="right" | 6.7
| align="right" | 382,600
| align="right" | 4.3
| align="right" | 403,169
| align="right" | 4.2
| align="right" | 417,720
| align="right" | 4.1
| align="right" | 395,700
| align="right" | 3.9
| align="right" | 294,549
| align="right" | 3.1
| align="right" | 287,693
| align="right" | 3.1
|-
| [[Ukrainians]]
| align="right" | 133,061
| align="right" | 1.7
| align="right" | 190,839
| align="right" | 2.1
| align="right" | 230,985
| align="right" | 2.4
| align="right" | 291,008
| align="right" | 2.9
| align="right" | 237,000
| align="right" | 2.4
| align="right" | 158,723
| align="right" | 1.7
| align="right" | 159,656
| align="right" | 1.7
|-
| [[Jews]]
| align="right" | 150,084
| align="right" | 1.9
| align="right" | 148,011
| align="right" | 1.6
| align="right" | 135,450
| align="right" | 1.4
| align="right" | 111,975
| align="right" | 1.1
| align="right" | 27,800
| align="right" | 0.3
| align="right" | 12,926
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 13,705
| align="right" | 0.1
|-
| [[Armenians]]
| align="right" | 1,751
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 2,362
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 2,751
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 4,933
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 10,200
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 8,512
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 9,392
| align="right" | 0.1
|-
| [[Tatars]]
| align="right" | 8,650
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 9,992
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 10,851
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 12,436
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 10,100
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 7,316
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 8,445
| align="right" | 0.1
|-
| [[Romani people|Romani]]
| align="right" | 4,662
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 6,843
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 8,408
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 10,762
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 9,900
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 7,079
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 6,848
| align="right" | 0.1
|-
| [[Azerbaijanis]]
| align="right" | 1,402
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 1,335
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 2,654
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 5,009
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 6,300
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 5,567
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 6,001
| align="right" | 0.1
|-
| [[Lithuanians]]
| align="right" | 8,363
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 8,092
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 6,993
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 7,606
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 6,400
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 5,087
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 5,287
| align="right" | 0.1
|-
| Others
| align="right" | 16,666
| align="right" | 0.2
| align="right" | 24,493
| align="right" | 0.3
| align="right" | 29,183
| align="right" | 0.3
| align="right" | 43,635
| align="right" | 0.4
| align="right" | 41,200
| align="right" | 0.4
| align="right" | 261,712
| align="right" | 2.8
| align="right" | 218,708
| align="right" | 2.3
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! align="left" | Total
! colspan="2" | 8,054,648
! colspan="2" | 9,002,338
! colspan="2" | 9,532,516
! colspan="2" | 10,151,806
! colspan="2" | 10,045,200
! colspan="2" | 9,503,807
! colspan="2" | 9,413,446
|-
| colspan="15" | <small><sup>1</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_59.php]. <sup>2</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_70.php]. <sup>3</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_79.php]. <sup>4</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php]. <sup>5</sup> Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20101101205819/http://belstat.gov.by/homep/en/census/main1.php]. <sup>6</sup> Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706163803/http://belstat.gov.by/homep/en/census/2009/main.php]. <sup>7</sup> Source: [https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/solialnaya-sfera/naselenie-i-migratsiya/naselenie/statisticheskie-izdaniya/index_17854/].</small>
|}

==Languages==
{{main|Languages of Belarus}}
[[Belarusian language|Belarusian]] and [[Russian language|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 71.3% of the population (2019 census). Major cities such as Minsk and Brest are overwhelmingly Russian-speaking.
{|class="whitetable" style="text-align:center"
 |+ Languages of Belarus according to 2009 census (green – Belarusian, blue – Russian)
 | width="32%"|[[File:BelarusNativeLanguages2009.PNG|center|250px]]
 | width="2%"|
 | width="32%"|[[File:BelarusHomeLanguages2009.PNG|center|250px]]
 |-
 |Native languages
 |
 |Spoken languages
 |}

==Religion==
{{Main|Religion in Belarus}}
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 [[Judaism|Jews]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/belarus/|title=The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|date=28 October 2022 }}</ref>

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.<ref>[https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=21c The ARDA website, Retrieved 2023-08-01]</ref>

==Urbanization==
:''Urban population:'' 75% of total population (2011)
:''Rate of urbanization:'' 0.21% annual rate of change (2010–2015 est.)

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
* [[List of cities in Belarus]]
*[[Belarus Census (disambiguation)]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [https://belarusdigest.com/story/lukashenka-wants-to-double-belarus-population-will-that-work/ Lukashenka wants to double Belarus population: will that work?] Belarus Digest

{{Belarus topics}}
{{Demographics of Europe}}
{{Europe topic|Ethnic groups in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demographics Of Belarus}}
[[Category:Demographics of Belarus| ]]