{"id":147657,"date":"2025-07-22T11:28:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T08:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T11:28:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T08:28:13","slug":"belarusian-economy-running-out-of-steam","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarusian economy running out of steam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Economic growth in Belarus is slowing sharply, decelerating to 2.1 percent in the first half of 2025 from 5\u20136 percent in mid-2024, when the economy was buoyed by Russian defense orders. The government\u2019s growth target of 4.1 percent for 2025 now appears unrealistic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"block-image block-image-normal\">\n\n    <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/>\n    <figcaption>\n        \n                    <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                                <span>(freepik.com)<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Regional dimension<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Growth has slowed across all regions, including Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Hrodna region, which reported the highest growth in 2024, has experienced a steep decline. The Viciebsk region\u2019s economy contracted by 0.9 percent between January and May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-flourish wp-block-embed-flourish\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/24295089\/embed#?secret=hxxLSb1bpj\" data-secret=\"hxxLSb1bpj\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"500\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While Minsk and the Minsk region are still expanding at rates above 4 percent, their momentum has slowed. Minsk accounts for approximately 31\u201332 percent of national GDP, while the Minsk region contributes 17\u201318 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-flourish wp-block-embed-flourish\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/24295110\/embed#?secret=VrM4xfF4sY\" data-secret=\"VrM4xfF4sY\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"500\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New driver: construction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The manufacturing sector, which led growth in 2024, has seen its pace drop dramatically\u2014from 8 percent last year to just 0.8 percent in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2025, construction has emerged as the main growth driver, posting double-digit increases. However, this boom is driven by a state program aimed at boosting domestic demand, heavily supported by government subsidies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-flourish wp-block-embed-flourish\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/24295118\/embed#?secret=DLkuXmF2qQ\" data-secret=\"DLkuXmF2qQ\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"500\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The government controls key developers and acts as the primary customer. As such, the current boom is not a result of market forces but rather a government-managed effort to extract maximum output from a sector it directly oversees. It is a deliberate policy tool aimed at stimulating economic activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the rapid growth, the construction industry has limited export potential and struggles to compete in Russia\u2014its largest external market. The boom appears unsustainable and is more accurately seen as a short-term measure to support the economy using internal resources and subsidies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the IT and communications sector has been growing at a moderate 5\u20137 percent rate this year but has yet to fully recover from its earlier slump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ties to Russia \u2014 a risk factor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What is currently labeled as &#8220;growth&#8221; increasingly resembles an illusion, masking the accumulation of structural problems. Construction funded by loans, manufacturing reliant on military orders, and IT contracts rerouted through third countries do not offer a foundation for lasting stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, the situation evokes the end of previous economic cycles, where old growth models were exhausted and no viable new ones emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chinese economic expansion has also impacted both Belarus and Russia, adding to the complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this context, recent moves to redistribute property in sectors not yet entirely stifled by Belarus\u2019 investment climate appear to be tactical plays by individual actors\u2014efforts to shore up influence ahead of a period of significant regional uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the Russian economy loses its traditional anchors, it increasingly pulls Belarus into its growing turbulence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fpb_rb_flag-1-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fpb_rb_flag-1-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fpb_rb_flag-1-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fpb_rb_flag-1-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fpb_rb_flag-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fpb_rb_flag-1.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> \u0410\u043d\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">\u0410\u043d\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Belarus\u2019 official trade union: a helpless pawn<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">Belarus has established a nationwide trade union that answers directly to the head of state. The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB), which has branches in every state-owned or state-affiliated company, is supposed to play a key role in &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/longreads\/147492\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Economic growth in Belarus is slowing sharply, decelerating to 2.1 percent in the first half of 2025 from 5\u20136 percent in mid-2024, when the economy was buoyed by Russian defense orders. The government\u2019s growth target of 4.1 percent for 2025 now appears unrealistic. Regional dimension Growth has slowed across all regions, including Minsk. The Hrodna [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":133124,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-147657","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Belarusian economy running out of steam | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Economic growth in Belarus is slowing sharply, decelerating to 2.1 percent in the first half of 2025 from 5\u20136 percent in mid-2024, when the economy was\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Belarusian economy running out of steam | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Economic growth in Belarus is slowing sharply, decelerating to 2.1 percent in the first half of 2025 from 5\u20136 percent in mid-2024, when the economy was\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-22T08:28:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1128\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"752\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Pozirk_online\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/\"},\"headline\":\"Belarusian economy running out of steam\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-22T08:28:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-22T08:28:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/\"},\"wordCount\":438,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/\",\"name\":\"Belarusian economy running out of steam | Pozirk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-22T08:28:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-22T08:28:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"Economic growth in Belarus is slowing sharply, decelerating to 2.1 percent in the first half of 2025 from 5\u20136 percent in mid-2024, when the economy was\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg\",\"width\":1128,\"height\":752,\"caption\":\"\u0418\u043b\u043b\u044e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0446\u0438\u044f: freepik.com\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Belarusian economy running out of steam\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Pozirk\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Belarusian economy running out of steam | Pozirk","description":"Economic growth in Belarus is slowing sharply, decelerating to 2.1 percent in the first half of 2025 from 5\u20136 percent in mid-2024, when the economy was","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Belarusian economy running out of steam | Pozirk","og_description":"Economic growth in Belarus is slowing sharply, decelerating to 2.1 percent in the first half of 2025 from 5\u20136 percent in mid-2024, when the economy was","og_url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/","og_site_name":"Pozirk","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","article_modified_time":"2025-07-22T08:28:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1128,"height":752,"url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Pozirk_online","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/"},"headline":"Belarusian economy running out of steam","datePublished":"2025-07-22T08:28:10+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-22T08:28:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/"},"wordCount":438,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/","name":"Belarusian economy running out of steam | Pozirk","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-22T08:28:10+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-22T08:28:13+00:00","description":"Economic growth in Belarus is slowing sharply, decelerating to 2.1 percent in the first half of 2025 from 5\u20136 percent in mid-2024, when the economy was","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/economy-crash_freepik.com_.jpg","width":1128,"height":752,"caption":"\u0418\u043b\u043b\u044e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0446\u0438\u044f: freepik.com"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/147657\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Belarusian economy running out of steam"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","name":"Pozirk","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization","name":"Pozirk","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Pozirk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/longreads\/147657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/longreads"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/longreads"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"rubric","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rubric?post=147657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}