{"id":78448,"date":"2024-04-09T12:46:39","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T09:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"belarus-population-shrinking","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus&#8217; population shrinking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>By Ale\u015b Hudzija<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Belarus\u2019 population fell by 44,639 (0.49 percent) in one year to 9,155,978 on January 1, said the National Statistical Committee (Bie\u0142stat).<\/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\/2024\/04\/liudzi_1128_UNDP-in-Belarus.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/liudzi_1128_UNDP-in-Belarus.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/liudzi_1128_UNDP-in-Belarus-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/liudzi_1128_UNDP-in-Belarus-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/liudzi_1128_UNDP-in-Belarus-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/liudzi_1128_UNDP-in-Belarus-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/>\n    <figcaption>\n        \n                    <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                                <span>(UNDP in Belarus)<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency has withheld births and deaths data, but continues to publish information on the total population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Decline in all regions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The population decline has slowed down from 1.01 percent in 2021 to 0.49 percent in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Population on January 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Increase\/decrease from previous year, people\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Increase\/decrease from previous year, 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\/17341712\/embed#?secret=LHI7A18wSB\" data-secret=\"LHI7A18wSB\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"500\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Bie\u0142stat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year, the rural population shrank much faster than the urban one, by 30,500 and 14,100, respectively. The urban population decreased by 0.2 percent, while the rural population, by 1.5 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Population, 2020-24 on January 1<br><\/strong>Increase\/decrease from previous year, people\u00a0\u00a0 Increase\/decrease from previous year, 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\/17342092\/embed#?secret=2kg6s3sLj1\" data-secret=\"2kg6s3sLj1\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"500\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Urban\/rural<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Source:\u00a0 Bie\u0142stat<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The urbanization trend persists with people moving from villages to towns and cities and the rural population ageing rapidly, which results in higher mortality and lower birth rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The population decline was reported throughout the country, with the highest decrease of 10,000 recorded in the Viciebsk region and the lowest, of 1,700, in the Minsk region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Population by region<\/strong>, 2020-24, on January 1<br>Increase\/decrease from previous year, people\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Increase\/decrease from previous year, 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\/17342517\/embed#?secret=dWTjeQyVwL\" data-secret=\"dWTjeQyVwL\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"500\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brest, Viciebsk, Homiel, Hrodna, Minsk, Minsk region, Mahilou<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Source:\u00a0 Bie\u0142stat<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minsk has been shrinking for the fourth year in a row. In 2023, it lost 2,600 residents, fewer than in 2020 and 2021, over 10,000 each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Emigration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The official population data should be treated with caution. One should not rule out manipulation by government agencies, as it happened during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The methodology does not fully take into account the mass migration of Belarusians. Many of those living in Poland, Lithuania, Georgia and other countries are still included in the Belarusian population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, Bie\u0142stat remains the most comprehensive source of information on population despite all the doubts about its accuracy, completeness and reliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is obvious that the population decline remains a challenge for the country&#8217;s development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Traditional values will not increase birth rate<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Officials have been promoting what they call traditional values in an effort to boost the birth rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The government could try to reverse the decline by increasing financial support for families with children or adopting a sound migration policy. However, it is reluctant to splash cash and lacks competence to implement a balanced migration policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More importantly, any scenarios involving the population require trust between society and the government and a positive and trustworthy image of the future. Otherwise, even generous financial incentives will not encourage young families to have children or migrants to return to Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The population decline contributes to a labor shortage and puts a strain on the social welfare, health care and education systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the government\u2019s effort to limit the outflow of workforce, especially skilled workers, the crisis continues. And as young, healthy and ambitious people leave Belarus, the country&#8217;s demographic outlook becomes increasingly bleak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Ale\u015b Hudzija Belarus\u2019 population fell by 44,639 (0.49 percent) in one year to 9,155,978 on January 1, said the National Statistical Committee (Bie\u0142stat). After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency has withheld births and deaths data, but continues to publish information on the total population. Decline in all regions The population decline [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-78448","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","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>Belarus&#039; population shrinking | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Ale\u015b Hudzija Belarus\u2019 population fell by 44,639 (0.49 percent) in one year to 9,155,978 on January 1, said the National Statistical Committee\" \/>\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\/78448\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Belarus&#039; population shrinking | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Ale\u015b Hudzija Belarus\u2019 population fell by 44,639 (0.49 percent) in one year to 9,155,978 on January 1, said the National Statistical Committee\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/\" \/>\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=\"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00\" \/>\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\/78448\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/\"},\"headline\":\"Belarus&#8217; population shrinking\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-09T09:46:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/\"},\"wordCount\":502,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/\",\"name\":\"Belarus' population shrinking | Pozirk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-09T09:46:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"By Ale\u015b Hudzija Belarus\u2019 population fell by 44,639 (0.49 percent) in one year to 9,155,978 on January 1, said the National Statistical Committee\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Belarus&#8217; population shrinking\"}]},{\"@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":"Belarus' population shrinking | Pozirk","description":"By Ale\u015b Hudzija Belarus\u2019 population fell by 44,639 (0.49 percent) in one year to 9,155,978 on January 1, said the National Statistical Committee","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\/78448\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Belarus' population shrinking | Pozirk","og_description":"By Ale\u015b Hudzija Belarus\u2019 population fell by 44,639 (0.49 percent) in one year to 9,155,978 on January 1, said the National Statistical Committee","og_url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/","og_site_name":"Pozirk","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","article_modified_time":"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00","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\/78448\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/"},"headline":"Belarus&#8217; population shrinking","datePublished":"2024-04-09T09:46:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/"},"wordCount":502,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/","name":"Belarus' population shrinking | Pozirk","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-04-09T09:46:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49+00:00","description":"By Ale\u015b Hudzija Belarus\u2019 population fell by 44,639 (0.49 percent) in one year to 9,155,978 on January 1, said the National Statistical Committee","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/78448\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Belarus&#8217; population shrinking"}]},{"@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\/78448","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\/83"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"rubric","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rubric?post=78448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}