March 28, Pozirk. A total of 9,155,978 people lived in Belarus on January 1, according to the National Statistics Committee (Biełstat).
The population includes people who live in the country one year or longer.
The population shrank by 44,639 people (0.5 percent) year on year and by 254,281, in four years that were marred by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biełstat has kept birth and death data secret since 2020.
Falling population numbers were recorded in Minsk and all regions, with the Viciebsk and Mahiloŭ regions leading with a decrease of 0.92 and 0.86 percent, respectively.
After the 2020 presidential election and the crackdown on regime critics that followed, at least 200,000 people left Belarus fearing politically-motivated persecution but their real number may be higher.
Also read: Belarus’ official coronavirus death toll rises to 6,974
