Below are the coefficients of change in the population of Belarus, calculated by us for 2019:
- Birth rate: average 305 children per day (12.70 per hour);
- Death rate: average 369 people per day (15.37 per hour);
- Migration population growth: on average 66 people per day (2.75 per hour).
The population growth rate of Belarus in 2019 will be 2 people per day.
Population of Belarus 2018
According to our estimate, at the end of 2018, the population of Belarus was 9,501,164 people. In 2018, the population of Belarus increased by approximately 760 people. Considering that the population of Belarus at the beginning of the year was estimated at 9,500,404 people, the annual increase was 0.01%.
Here are the main demographic indicators of Belarus for 2018:
- Births: 111,250 people;
- Deaths: 134,621 people;
- Natural population growth: -23,371 people;
- Migration population growth: 24,131 people;
- Men: 4,416,494 (est. 31 December 2018);
- Women: 5,084,670 (est. 31 December 2018).
Population growth 1952 - 2019
| Year | Population growth |
|---|---|
| 1952 | 0,51 |
| 1953 | 0,71 |
| 1954 | 0,86 |
| 1955 | 0,97 |
| 1956 | 1,04 |
| 1957 | 1,06 |
| 1958 | 1,04 |
| 1959 | 1,01 |
| 1960 | 0,99 |
| 1961 | 0,98 |
| 1962 | 0,99 |
| 1963 | 1,02 |
| 1964 | 1,03 |
| 1965 | 1,02 |
| 1966 | 0,99 |
| 1967 | 0,93 |
| 1968 | 0,85 |
| 1969 | 0,78 |
| 1970 | 0,72 |
| 1971 | 0,68 |
| 1972 | 0,65 |
| 1973 | 0,63 |
| 1974 | 0,6 |
| 1975 | 0,59 |
| 1976 | 0,6 |
| 1977 | 0,62 |
| 1978 | 0,66 |
| 1979 | 0,69 |
| 1980 | 0,7 |
| 1981 | 0,7 |
| 1982 | 0,68 |
| 1983 | 0,65 |
| 1984 | 0,61 |
| 1985 | 0,55 |
| 1986 | 0,46 |
| 1987 | 0,33 |
| 1988 | 0,17 |
| 1989 | 0,01 |
| 1990 | -0,12 |
| 1991 | -0,22 |
| 1992 | -0,28 |
| 1993 | -0,31 |
| 1994 | -0,34 |
| 1995 | -0,37 |
| 1996 | -0,43 |
| 1997 | -0,49 |
| 1998 | -0,57 |
| 1999 | -0,64 |
| 2000 | -0,67 |
| 2001 | -0,66 |
| 2002 | -0,61 |
| 2003 | -0,53 |
| 2004 | -0,44 |
| 2005 | -0,35 |
| 2006 | -0,27 |
| 2007 | -0,18 |
| 2008 | -0,09 |
| 2009 | -0,01 |
| 2010 | 0,05 |
| 2011 | 0,05 |
| 2012 | 0,05 |
| 2013 | 0,01 |
| 2014 | 0,01 |
| 2015 | -0,01 |
| 2016 | 0,01 |
| 2017 | 0,01 |
| 2018 | 0,01 |
| 2019 | 0,01 |
Population density of Belarus
According to the United Nations Department of Statistics, the total area of Belarus is 207,600 square kilometers.
The total area means the land area and the area of all water surfaces of the state within international borders. Population density is calculated as the ratio of the total population living in a given territory to total area this territory. According to our calculations, at the beginning of 2019 the population of Belarus was approximately 9,501,164 people.
Thus, the population density of Belarus is 45.8 people per square kilometer.
Religion in Belarus
Population distribution by age groups
According to our calculations, as of the beginning of 2019, the population of Belarus had the following age distribution:
- 1,348,310 people under 15 years of age (men: 693,490 / women: 654,820);
- 6,816,135 people over 14 and under 65 (men: 3,302,035 / women: 3,514,101);
- 1,336,719 people over 64 years of age (men: 423,657 / women: 913,062).
As we see, the age pyramid of Belarus has a regressive or decreasing type. This type of pyramid is usually found in highly developed countries. Such countries usually have a fairly high level of healthcare, as well as the level of education of citizens. Due to relatively low mortality and birth rates, the population has a high life expectancy. All these factors, along with many others, lead to an aging population (increasing average age population).
Dependency ratio
The dependency ratio shows the burden on society and the economy from the population that is not part of the working population (the dependent part of the population). The population that is not considered to be of working age is understood as the total population under 15 years of age and the population over 64 years of age. The age of the working-age population (the productive part of the population) is, respectively, between 15 and 65 years.
The dependency ratio directly reflects financial expenditures on social policy in the state. For example, if this coefficient increases, expenses for the construction of educational institutions, social protection, healthcare, pension payments, etc. should be increased.
Overall load factor
The overall dependency ratio is calculated as the ratio of the dependent part of the population to the working-age or productive part of the population.
For Belarus, the total dependency ratio is 39.4%.
The value of 39.4% is relatively low. It shows that the working age population is more than twice the size of the non-working age population. This attitude creates a relatively low social burden for society.
Potential replacement rate
The potential replacement rate (child load rate) is calculated as the ratio of the population below working age to the working age population.
The potential replacement rate for Belarus is 19.8%.
Pension load factor
The pension burden coefficient is calculated as the ratio of the population above working age to the working age population.
The pension burden ratio in Belarus is 19.6%.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is one of the most important demographic indicators. It shows the average number of years of a person's life expectancy. That is, the number of years that a person can theoretically live, provided that current fertility and mortality rates remain unchanged throughout the person's life. Typically, “life expectancy” refers to life expectancy at birth, that is, at age 0 years.
Average life expectancy at birth (for both sexes) in Belarus is 71.2 years (years).
This is higher than the global average life expectancy, which stands at around 71 years (according to the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs).
Average life expectancy for men at birth - 65.6 years (years).
Average life expectancy for women at birth - 77.2 years (years).
Population literacy
According to our estimates, about 8,130,783 people in Belarus over 15 years of age can read and write in any language. This represents 99.73% of the total adult population. In this case, the adult population means all people over 15 years of age. Accordingly, about 22,072 people are still illiterate.
The literacy rate among the male adult population is 99.79% (3,717,831 people).
7,861 people are illiterate.
The literacy rate among the female adult population is 99.68% (4,412,952 people).
14,211 people are illiterate.
The youth literacy rate is 99.82% and 99.86% for men and women respectively. The overall youth literacy rate is 99.84%. The concept of youth in this case covers the population aged 15 to 24 years inclusive.
Population of Belarus is a community of people permanently residing on the territory of the Republic. Close in meaning to the concept of “population of Belarus” are “people of Belarus” and “Belarusian nation”. If you try to give a short one right away, general characteristics population of the Republic of Belarus, then we can say the following: the Belarusian nation is aging, with a high number of pensioners and a low birth rate, relatively educated, living mainly in cities, less than half employed in the sphere of material production. According to these relative characteristics, the inhabitants of Belarus differ little from the population of neighboring countries.
In Belarus, almost 100% literacy of the population over 10 years of age is ensured. About 18% of citizens have higher education, another 26% have specialized secondary education.
- Population – 9 499 804
- Male population(48.5%) – 4 977 872
- Female population(51.5%) – 5 295 665
- Population growth this year – 160
Population of Belarus 2016
At the end of 2016, the population of Belarus was estimated to be 9,499,644 people. In 2016, the population of Belarus increased by approximately 760 people. Considering that the population of Belarus at the beginning of the year was estimated at 9,498,884 people, the annual increase was 0.01%.
Population of Belarus in 2017
In 2017, the population of Belarus will increase by 760 people, and at the end of the year it will amount to 9,500,404 people. Natural population growth will be negative and amount to 23,369 people. Over the entire year, approximately 111,241 children will be born and 134,610 people will die. If the level of external migration remains at the level of last year, then due to migration reasons the population will change by 24,129 people. That is, the total number of people entering the country for the purpose of long-term stay (immigrants) will be greater than the number of people leaving the country (emigrants).
Population density of Belarus
According to the United Nations Department of Statistics, the total area of Belarus is 207,600 square kilometers. Population density is calculated as the ratio of the total population living in a given territory to the total area of that territory. According to calculations at the beginning of 2017, the population of Belarus was approximately 9,499,644 people. Thus, the population density of Belarus is 45.8 people per square kilometer.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is one of the most important demographic indicators. It shows the average number of years of a person's life expectancy. That is, the number of years that a person can theoretically live, provided that current fertility and mortality rates remain unchanged throughout the person's life. Typically, “life expectancy” refers to life expectancy at birth, that is, at age 0 years.
Average life expectancy at birth (for both sexes) in Belarus is 71.2 years. This is higher than the global average life expectancy, which is around 71 years. The average life expectancy of men at birth is 65.6 years. The average life expectancy of women at birth is 77.2 years.
National composition of the population of Belarus
Belarusians make up more than 80% of the population. Due to the historical past, many other nationalities live in Belarus, some of them for several generations:
- Russians (8.2%) have long lived on the territory of Belarus. A large influx was recorded after World War II;
- Poles (3.1%) have lived in the western part of the country for centuries;
- Ukrainians (1.7%) – the largest influx was recorded in the 18th–19th centuries;
- Jews (0.13%): The first Jews settled in Belarus in the 15th century. Since the early 1980s, due to emigration to Israel and other countries, the Jewish population of Belarus has decreased and amounted to less than 30 thousand people.
Tatars, gypsies, Lithuanians and Latvians also live in Belarus.
Linguistic features of the population
In Belarus, to a greater extent than in any other state in the post-Soviet space, linguistic assimilation and bilingualism of the population are expressed. Almost the entire population of Belarus fluently understands two languages: Belarusian and Russian.
Linguistic assimilation is expressed in the fact that population groups of one nationality, being in close socio-economic, cultural and everyday contact with another nationality, master its language and, through the transitional stage of bilingualism, begin to consider this new language relatives. For Belarusians, as well as for all national minorities living on the territory of Belarus, the transition to the Russian language is typical. It should be noted that this process is usually quite slow and requires a long period of time. But on the territory of Belarus there were and are factors that significantly accelerate this process: the proximity of the Russian and Belarusian languages, the common economic, social and political space in the former Soviet Union, close labor, business, scientific contacts, etc.
Throughout the post-war period, the proportion of those who called Russian their native language grew in the republic. If in 1959 only 6.8% of Belarusians called Russian their native language, in 1970 - 9.8, in 1979 - 16, then the 1989 population census showed that this figure increased to 19.7%, that is, every fifth The Belarusian considered Russian his native language. Now this trend continues to increase.
Population literacy
It is estimated that about 8,129,480 people over 15 years of age in Belarus can read and write in any language. This represents 99.73% of the total adult population. In this case, the adult population means all people over 15 years of age. Accordingly, about 22,069 people are still illiterate.
Population migration
Immigration in Belarus
Increasing the migration growth rate is part of the country's demographic security program. Immigration plays an important role in modern demographic processes taking place on the territory of Belarus, since it is thanks to it that the overall decline population of the country is smoothed out even in conditions of continuing, although decreasing, natural population decline.
According to official data, in 2012, 18,040 citizens of other states arrived in Belarus as migrants (25,943 in 2000), of which 13,455 people were from CIS countries. Most people came from Russia (8,560 people), Ukraine (2,258), Kazakhstan (963) and Turkmenistan (800).
Emigration from Belarus
According to Russian official and unofficial sources, about 500 thousand citizens of Belarus work in the Russian Federation. But most of them almost always return home. Although it is almost impossible to track the exact number of workers in Russia, since they do not require any additional documents to work in the Russian Federation.
Also, about 200 thousand citizens of Belarus work in Poland and other EU countries. Most of them also return home, since spending the money they earn is much more profitable at home.
Family
The 2009 census showed that the population of the republic is characterized by having few children (usually 1 child per family): 65.9% of the total number of families with children had only one child, 28.3% had two and only 5.2% had three and more. The total fertility rate in the early 2010s has been gradually increasing, and in rural areas it is much higher than in cities: in 2012 it amounted to 1,629 births per woman in the republic as a whole, for the urban population - 1,476 births, for the rural population - 2,664 births.
Religious composition
According to a Gallup Center study, 27% of Belarusian citizens admitted that religion plays an important role in their Everyday life. According to this indicator, the Republic of Belarus is among the 11 least religious countries in the world.
At the same time, the total number of believers can reach 50%. According to the results of a survey conducted in 1997, 49.4% of the population chose the option “Yes, I believe in God.” Some estimates put the number of people visiting religious buildings at 6%.
According to data as of July 2010, provided by the office of the Commissioner for Religious Affairs and Nationalities of the Republic of Belarus, 58.9% of the population consider themselves believers. Of these, 82.5% belong to the Russian Orthodox Church (Belarusian Exarchate), 12% consider themselves to be the Roman Catholic Church, 4% of the population belongs to Eastern religions (primarily Islam, as well as Hinduism (Hare Krishnaism) and Baha’is) , 2% to Protestant denominations (Pentecostals, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Lutherans, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.), as well as to Old Believers. According to the same data, about 18% of Orthodox Christians and 50% of Catholics regularly attend services. There are also Greek Catholics, and in addition there are groups of Orthodox Christians whose communities are not included in the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church. According to the Catholic Church itself in Belarus, it includes about 1.4 million believers (about 15% of the country’s population).
Traditions and customs of the inhabitants of Belarus
Rituals and traditions, which are perfectly preserved on Belarusian soil, characterize the people who live here. A caring and respectful attitude towards their ancestors, towards their origins forces modern Belarusians to adhere to certain rules. Belarusian culture occupies its own – special – place among other Eastern European cultures. Here, despite centuries of Christian domination, ancient pagan rituals have been preserved. Maslenitsa, Kupala, Kolyada, Dozhinki - in each of these holidays, as in a thousand others, elements of ancient pagan beliefs can be traced. These beliefs were very organically woven into the Christian faith, and the result was a unique and colorful Belarusian culture.
The pride of the country is its well-preserved folklore - songs, dances, games, fairy tales, legends, riddles, proverbs and sayings of our ancestors have survived to the present day, practically unchanged. The same can be said about folk crafts: pottery, weaving from wicker and straw, weaving, embroidery, glass painting and other types of activities are based on the same artistic laws as hundreds of years ago. Of course, now these activities are acquiring an exhibition, souvenir character, but this only helps to preserve wonderful examples of Belarusian folk art.
Residents of Belarus are open and hospitable. Local hospitality is one of the best traditions of this country. In addition, people here care about their reputation. Communication can be characterized by words such as mutual politeness and respect for elders.
There are 9,499,804 people living in Belarus, but not everyone is Belarusian.
The population of Belarus includes everyone who permanently resides in the country.
- Population – 9,499,804;
- Male population (48.5%) – 4,977,872;
- Female population (51.5%) – 5,295,665;
- Population growth this year – 160;
According to sociologists, this year the population will increase to 9,500,404 people.
True, natural growth will remain negative. Its figures will be 23,369 people. About 134,610 people are expected to die.
Total number of babies born in 2017
Belarus · Population
will be about 111,241 people. The number of immigrants (those who came to the country for long-term residence) will exceed the number of emigrants (those who leave the country).
National composition of Belarus
More than 80% of the population of Belarus are native Belarusians. After World War II, a large influx of Russians was registered in the country.
The number of Russians in Belarus is 8.2%. Poles came in third place - 3.1% of them live in our country. In fourth place are Ukrainians – 1.7%. In fifth place are Jews – 0.13%. Also living in the country are Tatars, Gypsies, Lithuanians and Latvians.
Religious composition
About 60% of the population of Belarus considers themselves believers.
Of these, 82.5% are Orthodox, 12% are Catholics, 4% are professing Eastern religions (Islam, Hinduism and Baha’is), 2% are Protestants. Also, Old Believers still live on the territory of Belarus.
Lifespan
The latest demographic indicators have established the average life expectancy of a Belarusian at 71.2 years. If we talk separately about women and men, then the weaker sex, according to statistics, lives more than the stronger sexes.
Thus, a Belarusian woman lives on average 77.2 years, and a man – 65.6 years.
Linguistic features of the population
There are two in Belarus state languages: Belarusian and Russian. The majority of the population speaks Russian. According to sociological surveys, the number of people who consider Russian their native language is gradually increasing.
So in 1959 the number of such people was 6.8%, and thirty years later in 1989 it was 19.7%.
Population literacy
In Belarus, almost 100% literacy of the population over 10 years of age is ensured. About 18% of citizens have higher education, 26% have secondary education.
Population migration
According to 2012 data
18,040 migrants arrived in Belarus. Among them are Russians - 8560 people, Ukrainians - 2258, Cossacks - 963, Turks - 800. Citizens of Belarus prefer to emigrate to work in Russia - more than 500 thousand have emigrated.
people, Poland - about 200 thousand people, as well as to other EU countries.
Family
The majority of Belarusian families raise one child – 65.9%.
28.3% of families have two children, only 5.2% have three or more children.
Everything about the inhabitants of Belarus: numbers, national composition, life expectancy
Names of residents of Belarus
The country of Belarus has the full official name of the Republic of Belarus and the letter codes BY and BLR. Another name for the country is also often used - Belarus. Official names citizens of Belarus:
Residents of the masculine gender of the territory of Polesie are called: poleshuk (poleshchuk). There is no name for the feminine gender, so they say: resident of Polesie.
Declension by case
Declension of the name of the country and the names of its inhabitants by case.
Cities of Belarus
List of large and famous cities in Belarus in alphabetical order, indicating the names of citizens.
If a city does not have a feminine name for its residents, use the phrase “resident of the city...”.
| Baranovichi | resident of Baranovichi | Baranovichi resident | Baranavichy residents |
| Bobruisk | Bobruisk resident | Bobruisk woman | Bobruisk residents |
| Borisov | Borisov resident | Borisov resident | Borisov residents |
| Brest | Brest resident | Brest resident | Brest residents |
| Vitebsk | Vitebsk resident | Viteblanka | Vitebsk residents |
| Gomel | Gomel resident | Gomel resident | Gomel residents |
| Grodno | Grodno resident | Grodno | Grodno residents |
| Zhlobin | Zhlobin resident | Zhlobin resident | Zhlobin residents |
| Lida | Lidyanin | Lidyanka | Lidians |
| Minsk | Minsk resident | Minsk resident | Minsk residents |
| Mogilev | Mogilev resident | Mogilev resident | Mogilev residents |
| Pinsk | Pinsk resident | Pinchan woman | Pinsk residents |
| Polotsk | Polovchanian | Polovtsian | Polovtsians |
| Slutsk | random guy | chance | case |
The population of Belarus today, according to the statistical committee, is almost nine and a half million people. Among the CIS countries this is fifth place after Russian Federation, Ukraine, as well as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Nevertheless, the population of Belarus exceeds the number of citizens of all (1.3 times), as well as Denmark (twice). This figure is lower compared to Sweden, Austria and Bulgaria. The number of residents of Belarus is approximately equal to the number of citizens in Greece, Czech Republic, Portugal, Belgium, Yugoslavia and a number of other countries.
The period lasting from the post-war years until the nineties of the last century was characterized by a tendency towards constant growth of the country's population, as a result of which the population of Belarus increased noticeably. However, in the last decades of the twentieth century, the rate of increase in the country's population began to decline noticeably.
The economic reforms of the perestroika era affected many aspects of people's lives. The transition to market relations, the emergence of informal activities, the flourishing of private business, the growth of unemployment - all these factors played a significant role in changing the living conditions of citizens. This also affected the dynamics of the number, composition, as well as the process of reproduction of people living in the country.
Since nineteen ninety-three, Belarus, whose population began to decline, entered a stage of depopulation. The decrease in the number of citizens occurred due to the excess of the mortality rate over the birth rate. The result of this process is the country’s constant movement towards acquiring the status of a smaller state (in terms of numbers).
The population of Belarus has many National composition. Representatives of one hundred and thirty nationalities live in the state. The majority of citizens are Belarusians. Their share of the total population is eighty-one percent.
The largest percentage of Belarusians live in Minsk and currently their number in the country as a whole is constantly increasing.
The percentage composition of other nationalities has constantly changed throughout the historical period. It was directly dependent on external and internal factors (migration, wars, and so on). However, invariably the representatives of the second largest group of the population were Russian people. of this nation is equal to eleven percent. Many of the landowners, peasants and officials began to live in Belarus after its annexation to the Russian Empire. During the period of Soviet power, this ethnic group outnumbered the Polish and Jewish ones, which corresponded to the geopolitics of the USSR. Currently, the representatives' place of residence is mainly in cities.
The population of Belarus in its northwestern regions is represented by a large proportion of Poles. It makes up almost four percent of the total population of this region. A small level of migration of citizens of Polish nationality was observed in the Middle Ages. Today, most of this representatives live in the Grodno region. They do not have any significant differences from Belarusians in terms of everyday and cultural features.
Ethnolinguistic composition of the population of Belarus
The modern ethnolinguistic structure of the population of Belarus was formed as a result of a long historical development, influenced by geographical, historical, socio-economic, political and ethnic factors.
Throughout the history of the existence of the Belarusian ethnic group, Belarusians populated their ethnic territory in a compact area. Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Latvians, Lithuanians have long lived next to the indigenous nationalities on the territory of Belarus, that is, representatives of those peoples who lived in close proximity to the Belarusians.
Censuses provide us with rich information about the national composition of the population. According to the latest census of 1999, representatives of more than 130 nations and nationalities lived on the territory of Belarus. The most numerous of them are Belarusians, Russians, Poles, Ukrainians and Jews (Figure 1, Table 1). However, the absolute majority of the country's population are representatives of the indigenous Belarusian nationality. Thus, in the country as a whole, more than four-fifths of the total population (81.2%) are Belarusians. This is typical for both cities and rural areas in almost all regions.
Belarusians. In total, according to the 1999 census, 8158.9 thousand Belarusians lived on the territory of Belarus. This is 254.3 thousand more people than according to the 1989 census. Basically, the increase in the number and share of Belarusians on the territory of the republic in the 90s occurred due to their active re-emigration from other republics former USSR back to Belarus. In 1989, on the territory of the former Soviet Union There were 10,036.3 thousand people of Belarusian nationality, of which 7,904.4 thousand people (78.8%) lived on the territory of Belarus. The remaining 2131.7 thousand people (21.2%) of Belarusian nationality lived outside the republic, mainly in Russia (12.0%), Ukraine (4.4%), Kazakhstan (1.8%), Latvia (1. 2%) and in all other republics combined - 1.8%. Currently, the share of Belarusians living in other CIS and Baltic countries has decreased somewhat, since in the 90s, after the collapse of the USSR, there was a re-emigration of Belarusians to Belarus from almost all former republics.
Figure 1. Dynamics of changes in the number of main national groups of the population of Belarus (according to population census data)
* Here and in subsequent figures, data for these years are given based on the actual population
The largest balance of migration was noted from Russia, the Baltic countries, and Kazakhstan, that is, from those republics in which the largest number of Belarusians lived. The maximum influx of population to Belarus from almost all states of the former USSR occurred in 1992; in recent years (1994-1999), the intensity of the influx of population has dropped sharply. The re-emigration of Belarusians is caused by a number of reasons. The main ones are the collapse of the USSR and related processes, as well as increased competition in labor markets with the population of titular nationalities, and the emergence of national conflicts in a number of republics of the former USSR. In total, in the years after the 1989 census, over 15% of all Belarusians who lived outside the Republic of Belarus in the territory of the former USSR returned to the republic. The intensity of re-emigration of Belarusians is especially clearly visible when comparing the number of arriving migrants of Belarusian nationality from different states with the number of Belarusians living in these states according to the 1989 census. Thus, during the 90s, every third of the Belarusians who lived there in 1989 left for Belarus from the Transcaucasian states, and almost all of them left Armenia; from the Baltic countries, countries Central Asia, over the years, more than 15% of Belarusians who lived in these states at the date of the 1989 census left Russia for Belarus.
Belarusians predominate in the overwhelming majority of districts of the republic, only in the Lida and Shchuchinsky districts their share is less than half of the population - 46 and 41%, respectively, and in Voronovsky - only 11%. The largest proportion of Belarusians was noted in the Kopyl, Lelchit and Ivanovo districts - 95% each, and in the Stolin district - 96%.
Russians. Of the non-indigenous people in the republic, the majority are Russian; according to the 1999 census, their number was 1141.7 thousand people, which is 200.4 thousand less than according to the 1989 census. The decrease in this number is mainly due to the outflow of the Russian population after the collapse of the USSR, the withdrawal of troops from the territory of the republic (where their share was significant), as well as assimilation processes. The largest percentage of Russians is found mainly in the northern and eastern regions of Belarus, as well as in areas with a high proportion of urban population. Thus, Russians make up 15% or more in such areas as Borisov, Kirov, Brest, Gomel, Grodno, Braslav, Vitebsk, Bobruisk, and this figure reaches its maximum value in the Polotsk region - 20%. And in areas such as Voronovsky, Ivyevsky, Korelichi, Gantsevichi, Drogichensky, Ivanovo, Lelchitsky and Stolinsky, Russians make up less than 4% of the total population.
Russian settlements on the territory of Belarus began to emerge after the war between Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1654-1667). Then, in the 17th-18th centuries, groups of the Russian population settled on the territory of Belarus - Old Believers, who sought refuge from religious persecution. They formed rural settlements in Vitebsk, Vilna, Minsk, and Mogilev provinces.
At the end of the 18th and 19th centuries, Russian landowners, officials, workers, and peasants actively moved to Belarusian lands, buying land from landowners and the treasury.
During the Soviet Union, the number and share of Russians constantly increased - from 8% in 1959 to 13% in 1989. This increase was mainly ensured by the migration influx from various regions of the RSFSR. This process took place most intensively in the post-war period, since the restoration of destroyed factories, factories, administrative and residential premises required a significant amount of qualified labor resources. In addition, new industries developed in the republic: chemical, oil refining, radio electronics, automotive, tractor, precision instrument making, production of mineral fertilizers, engines, bearings, etc., which also required the additional involvement of qualified specialists. Therefore, most Russians settled in urban areas populated areas.
Poles. The third largest national group in Belarus is the Poles. In total, according to the 1999 census, 395.7 thousand people of Polish nationality lived in the republic. This is 22 thousand fewer people than according to the 1989 census. The vast majority of them are located in the areas of the Grodno region bordering Poland. These are mainly people of local origin, whose ancestors also lived here. The share of Poles in the total population in the republic is constantly decreasing, mainly due to natural movement, assimilation processes and migration. The resettlement of Poles to the territory of Belarus took place during the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These migrations were more active in 1921-1939, when the western regions of Belarus were under Polish rule.
Poles are distributed throughout Belarus in a compact mass in the western and northwestern regions of the country, mainly in rural areas. In Ivyevsky, Grodno, Braslavsky, Zelvensky, Volkovysk, Lida districts they make up more than a quarter of the population (from 25 to 40%), in Shchuchinsky - over half (51%), and in Voronovsky - the overwhelming majority - 83%. Such a significant predominance of people of non-indigenous nationality is an exceptional phenomenon for Belarus. However, according to many researchers, a significant part of people who consider themselves Poles are in fact “Polished” Belarusians. The fact is that these territories were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for a long time, and later were under the rule of Poland, which, naturally, could not but affect the ethnic self-awareness of Belarusians, who were forced to accept Catholicism and learn the Polish language.
Ukrainians. According to the 1999 census, 237 thousand Ukrainians live in Belarus. And the number decreased by 5 thousand compared to 1989, although in previous years it was constantly growing.
Ukrainians live both in rural areas of areas adjacent to the border of Ukraine and in the cities of Belarus. Their settlements have long arisen in the southern regions of Belarus, in the Polesie zone.
Data from the latest population census showed that the largest percentage of people of this nationality live mainly in the southwestern and southeastern regions of Belarus. Thus, in Zhabinkovsky, Kobrinsky, Brest, Braginsky, Kamenetsky and Maloritsky districts, Ukrainians make up more than 5%. In the central and northern territories, Ukrainians make up a small part of the total population. In 27 districts of the republic their share is less than 1%. Among them: Oshmyarsky, Ivyevsky, Voronovsky, Korelichi, Myadelsky, Kopylsky, Sharkovshchinsky, Ushachsky and others.
Jews. In addition to representatives of the named nationalities, the number of each of which exceeds 100 thousand people, representatives of smaller national groups live in the republic. The most numerous of them are Jews. Jews remain the fifth largest national group in Belarus by population, but the number of this nationality in the years after the 1989 census decreased significantly (by 84.2 thousand people) and amounted to only 27.8 thousand people (0.3% of the total population). In 1989, it numbered 112 thousand people and accounted for 1.1% of the total population. According to the 1939 census, 375.1 thousand Jews lived in Eastern Belarus alone, 6.7% of the total population. They constituted the second largest national population group. The reduction in the number and proportion of people of Jewish nationality on the territory of the republic is caused by a number of reasons: increased migration after the elimination of the Pale of Settlement in the first years of Soviet power, losses during the Great Patriotic War in 1941-1944, the spread of mixed marriages, emigration to big cities Russia and Ukraine. Over the past 10 years, the number of this national group has decreased significantly due to intensive travel outside the CIS and Baltic countries. During 1989-1999, more than 130 thousand people received permission to travel outside the CIS and Baltic countries in Belarus. Among them, a significant proportion were people of Jewish nationality; this proportion was especially large among those leaving in 1989-1995.
The first Jews appeared on Belarusian soil in the 8th century as a result of migration from the Middle East. And a little later, in the 11th century, and from the territory Western Europe, from where they fled from religious persecution. Jewish immigration reached its most significant scale in the 16th century, when not only representatives of large financial capital, but also the middle and poor strata of the Jewish population began to move to the territory of modern Belarus. Thus, “the total Jewish population on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 60s of the 16th century reached 20 thousand people, and by 1628 - about 40 thousand. According to the calculations of the famous Belarusian historian Z.Yu. Kopyssky, in the cities and towns of Belarus Jews made up from 2 to 10% of the population."
The overwhelming majority of the Jews of Tsarist Russia lived on the territory of modern Belarus, Poland and Ukraine, since these territories were part of the so-called “Pale of Settlement” zone. Thus, according to the 1897 census, there were 5,189,401 Jews in the Russian Empire, which was about 4% of the total population, and in the Grodno province - 17.4%, Vilna - 15.4, Vitebsk - 11.7, Minsk - 16, 0, Mogilevskaya - 12.1%.
A significant part of the Jewish population lived in such settlements as Vitebsk, Brest, Grodno, Minsk, Pinsk, Slutsk, Mogilev, Gomel, etc.
As the 1999 census showed, people of Jewish nationality are dispersed throughout the territory, that is, not forming a compact residential area. In 60 districts of the republic (that is, almost exactly half), their share is less than one tenth of one percent of the total population. Greatest value this indicator reaches in Orsha (0.4%), Mogilev (0.4%), Mozyr (0.4%), Bobruisk (0.6%), Gomel (0.7%), Vitebsk (0.7%) districts and in Minsk (0.6%).
Table 1. National composition of the population of Belarus
(population census data)
|
Nationality |
Number, thousand people |
1999 as a percentage of 1989 |
||||
|
Whole population |
||||||
|
Belarusians |
||||||
|
Ukrainians |
||||||
|
Azerbaijanis |
||||||
|
Moldovans |
||||||
|
Others and those not specified |
||||||
|
Share in total population, percentage |
||||||
|
Whole population |
||||||
|
Belarusians |
||||||
|
Ukrainians |
||||||
|
Azerbaijanis |
||||||
|
Moldovans |
||||||
|
Others and those not specified |
||||||
Other nationalities. Representatives of smaller national population groups living on the territory of Belarus, but numbering more than 10 thousand people each, include Armenians and Tatars. The number of Armenians living in the republic is rapidly increasing. Compared to the 1959 census data, it increased more than five times and amounted to 10.2 thousand people on the date of the 1999 census. The number of Armenians has grown especially rapidly in the last decade, more than doubling. Tatars have been living on the territory of the republic for several generations. Their number, according to the 1999 census, was 10.1 thousand people versus 12.6 thousand according to the 1989 census and 8.7 thousand according to the 1959 census. In addition to the mentioned nationalities, Gypsies, Lithuanians, Azerbaijanis, Germans, Moldovans, Georgians, and Latvians live on the territory of Belarus. The remaining peoples living on the territory of Belarus at the date of the 1999 census are small in number (less than one thousand).
Linguistic features of the population
Linguistic assimilation. In Belarus, to a greater extent than in any other state in the post-Soviet space, linguistic assimilation and bilingualism of the population are expressed. Almost the entire population of Belarus fluently understands two related languages, Belarusian and Russian.
Linguistic assimilation is expressed in the fact that population groups of one nationality, being in close socio-economic, cultural and everyday contact with another nationality, master its language and, through the transitional stage of bilingualism, begin to consider this new language as their native language. For Belarusians, as well as for all national minorities living on the territory of Belarus, the transition to the Russian language is typical. It should be noted that this process is usually quite slow and requires a long period of time. But on the territory of Belarus there were and are factors that significantly accelerate this process: the proximity of the Russian and Belarusian languages, the common economic, social and political space in the former Soviet Union, close labor, business, scientific contacts, etc.
Throughout the post-war period, the proportion of those who called Russian their native language grew in the republic. If in 1959 only 6.8% of Belarusians called Russian their native language, in 1970 - 9.8, in 1979 - 16, then the 1989 population census showed that this figure increased to 19.7%, that is, every fifth The Belarusian considered Russian his native language. The same trend was typical for other national groups. However, since the beginning of the 90s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, with the growth of national self-awareness, as well as the increasing role of the Belarusian language in public life, the situation has changed.
In 1990, the Language Law was adopted in Belarus. In accordance with this law, the Belarusian language received the status of the state language, which was reflected in the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus of 1994. This served to intensify the use and study of the Belarusian language in the republic, which should have a positive impact on the growth in the number of people fluent in the Belarusian language in Belarus.
On May 14, 1995, a national referendum was held. 64.8% of the country's citizens took part in it. 83.3% of the population who took part in the referendum voted for the introduction of Russian as the second state language, and thus the Russian language was given equal status with the Belarusian language.
In the 1999 census, the question of the prevalence of languages among the population was studied comprehensively, that is, the population was asked to indicate not only their native language, but also the language that the respondent speaks at home and another language that they speak fluently.
Native language. According to the 1999 census, among the entire population of the country, 81.9% of residents named the language of their nationality as their native language and 18.1% indicated the languages of other peoples (Table 2). In 1989, this figure was 78 and 22%, respectively. The Belarusian language, the language of the indigenous nationality of the Republic of Belarus, according to the 1999 census, was called native by 73.7% of the total population of the country. This is significantly more than 10 years ago. According to the 1989 census, only 65.6% of the total population considered Belarusian their native language.
Russian was considered a native language by 21.9% of the country's population; according to the 1989 census, Russian was considered a native language by 31.9% of the population.
Table 2. Distribution of population by nationality and native language, 1999
|
Number, thousand people |
Of the total number, in % |
Indicated as native language |
|||
|
consider the native language of their nationality |
Belorussian |
Russian |
other |
||
|
Whole population |
|||||
|
Belarusians |
|||||
|
Ukrainians |
|||||
According to the 1999 census, 14.3% of Belarusians consider Russian their native language. This is less than 20 years ago. This is largely due to the growth of national self-awareness, as well as the fact that the Belarusian population census of 1999 provided an opportunity to distinguish between the concepts of “mother tongue” and “language spoken at home.”
It should be noted that the population census showed an increase in Belarusian and a decrease in the share of Russian as a “native” language not only among Belarusians, but also among the other four largest national groups living in the republic.
Figure 2. Linguistic assimilation in the Republic of Belarus
(according to the 1999 census)
Thus, among Ukrainians, the share of people who called Belarusian their native language during the population census increased from 5.9% in 1989 to 14.3% in 1999, among Poles - from 63.9 to 67.1%. Such a significant percentage of Poles who consider Belarusian their native language is due to the fact that most of them live in rural areas, together with Belarusians, moreover, often people who consider themselves to be of Polish nationality are in fact native Belarusians who have accepted the Catholic faith, which in most cases it was regarded as a transition to Polish nationality. Even among Russians, this figure (the share of people who consider Belarusian their native language) increased from 2.2 to 9.1%. But it increased most sharply among Jews - from 2.1 to 17.1%, that is, eight times.
At the same time, despite a slight decrease in Russian-speaking assimilation, the proportion of people who consider Russian their native language remains significant. The latest population census showed that 90.7% of Russians, 77% of Jews, 42.8% of Ukrainians, 16.2% of Poles and 14.3% of Belarusians named Russian as their native language.
The second side of linguistic assimilation is that national groups not only switch to another language, but at the same time “forget” their native one. This trait is most characteristic of Poles, and especially of Jews. If in 1959 48.6% of Poles recognized Polish as their native language, then in 1999 - only 16.5%. Among Jews, this figure is even lower, falling from 21.9% in 1959 to 5.4% in 1999. Russians and Belarusians are least susceptible to this process. Thus, in 1959, almost 100% of Russians recognized their language as their native language; in 1999, this figure was 90.7%. For Belarusians, this figure was 93.2 and 85.6%, respectively. A distinctive feature of Ukrainians living on the territory of Belarus is that from 1959 to 1999 a fairly constant proportion of people of this nationality, approximately 40-50%, call Ukrainian their native language.
The language spoken at home. The population of Belarus is characterized by a high proportion of the population that speaks Russian at home, not the language of their nationality. According to the 1999 census, only 45% of the population spoke the language of their nationality at home. On Belarusian language 3,683 thousand people, or 36.7% of the republic’s population, usually talk at home (see Table 3).
Table 3. Distribution of population by nationality and language spoken at home, 1999
|
Number, thousand people |
Of the total number, indicate the language usually spoken at home, in % |
|||
|
Belorussian |
Russian |
other |
||
|
Whole population |
||||
|
Belarusians |
||||
|
Ukrainians |
||||
Of these, 3,373 thousand people (92%) are Belarusians. However, among all Belarusians their share is less than half, only 41.3%, while among the Poles more than half (57.6%) speak Belarusian at home.
Russian was named as the language commonly used at home by 6,308 thousand people, or 62.8% of the total population of the republic. Of these, 4,783 thousand people are Belarusians. Among Belarusians their share was 58.6%.
In cities, the proportion of Russian speakers at home is significantly higher than in rural areas (see Table 4).
Table 4. Distribution of urban and rural populations by nationality and language spoken at home
(1999, percent)
|
Nationalities |
Urban population |
Rural population |
||
|
Belorussian |
Russian |
Belorussian |
Russian |
|
|
Whole population |
||||
|
Belarusians |
||||
|
Ukrainians |
||||
As can be seen from the data in Table 4, for all major nationalities living in the cities of Belarus, the main spoken language is Russian.
This is due to the fact that the population in cities is more diverse in ethnic composition than in rural areas, interethnic marriages are more common here, and the level of education is much higher, which somewhat influences the strengthening of the role of the Russian language - the language of interethnic communication.
Figure 3. Proportion of people of a given nationality who called their national language their native language
Socio-economic differences. The 1999 Census also revealed significant differences in levels of urbanization, education, unemployment, economic activity, occupation and other economic characteristics among different national groups.
The census reflected the following differentiation in the share of people living in cities among the largest national groups living on the territory of the Republic of Belarus: Belarusians - 5,498 thousand people, which is 67.4% of all people of this nationality; Russians - 972.7 thousand people (85.2%), Poles - 215.1 thousand (54.4%), Ukrainians - 184.8 thousand (78%), Jews - 27.2 thousand (97.8%) , other nationalities - 637 thousand people (75.9%) (Table 5)
Table 5. Proportion of people living in cities and rural areas in five national groups of the Republic of Belarus
(according to the 1999 census)
|
Nationality |
Whole population |
Urban population |
Rural population |
|||
|
Whole population |
||||||
|
Belarusians |
||||||
|
Ukrainians |
||||||
Compared to the entire urban population of the republic, the proportion of Belarusians and Poles is somewhat smaller, while the proportion of Russians, Ukrainians, and especially Jews is larger.
Ethnolinguistic differences between urban and rural populations are the result historical features formation of the national composition of Belarus. Thus, according to the 1897 census, in Minsk more than half of the residents were Jews - 51.2%, Russians were in second place - 25.5, Poles were in third - 11.4, and Belarusians were only in fourth place, accounting for only 9% of the total population. The national composition was approximately the same in other cities. Thus, 34,440 Jews lived in Vitebsk, or 52% of the total population of the city, in Brest - 30,260 (65%), in Grodno - 22,684 (48%), Pinsk - 21,065 (74%), Slutsk 10,264 (77%), Mogilev - 21547 (50%), Gomel - 20385 (55%).
The rural population was represented mainly by indigenous inhabitants - Belarusians, as well as Poles.
The increased percentage of the Jewish population in cities and towns is explained by the policy of oppression carried out by the tsarist authorities. Thus, on May 3, 1882, “Temporary Rules” were published, according to which Jews were prohibited from settling in rural areas, renting land and purchasing real estate outside cities, and engaging in agriculture and cattle breeding.
The level of education. Significant differences were noted between representatives of different nationalities and by level of education. The census showed that per 1,000 people of the relevant nationality, e.g. higher education have 120 Belarusians, 261 Russians, 89 Poles, 221 Ukrainians and 405 Jews (see table 6).
Table 6. Level of education of persons of certain nationalities of the Republic of Belarus (per 1000 people of the corresponding nationality have education, according to the 1999 population census)
|
Nationality |
Higher secondary and basic |
including |
Initial |
|
|
higher |
intermediate and basic |
|||
|
Belarusians |
||||
|
Ukrainians |
||||
Age composition. Different national population groups differ quite significantly in their age and sex composition (Figure 4). The largest proportion of the working-age population in their structure is Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians (66%, 63 and 56%, respectively), the smallest are Jews - 46%.
In turn, almost half of the Jews living in Belarus are people of retirement age, while among Belarusians and Russians the share of pensioners is only a fifth of their total number.
You should also pay attention to the process of population aging. Of particular concern is the decrease in the proportion of children and youth in the general structure of the population, which limits the possibility of replenishing the labor force, since retirement is not fully compensated by young people entering working age.
Figure 4. Population structure of individual nationalities of the Republic of Belarus by economic group
(according to the 1999 census)
A low proportion of children is characteristic of almost all of the most numerous national groups living on the territory of Belarus. Thus, the age group under 10 years among Russians, Poles and Ukrainians is 7.5%, 9.6 and 4.6%, respectively, and among Jews it is only 2.6%. Only among Belarusians this age group exceeds 10% (Figure 5, Table 7).
Figure 5. Population structure of individual nationalities of the Republic of Belarus by age (according to the 1999 population census)
Table 7. Population structure of individual nationalities of the Republic of Belarus by age (according to the 1999 population census; percentage)
|
nationality |
Total |
including age, years |
||||||||
|
70 and older |
||||||||||
|
Belarusians |
||||||||||
|
Ukrainians |
||||||||||
Areas of application of labor. The population census also showed that there are certain interethnic differences in the areas of employment (see Table 8). They are connected not only with the specifics of the historical development of peoples, but also with some of their social characteristics (primarily the level of education and urbanization). These phenomena mainly began to attract the attention of sociologists, demographers, and the public in Lately. The main reason for increasing attention to this problem is the current situation in the distribution of labor resources.
Table 8. Employed population of individual nationalities of the Republic of Belarus by occupation (as a percentage of the total employed population of the corresponding nationality; according to the 1999 population census)
|
Total |
Belarusians |
Russians |
Poles |
Ukrainians |
Jews |
|
|
Whole population |
||||||
|
of them: |
||||||
|
heads (representatives) of government and management bodies at all levels, including heads of institutions, organizations and enterprises and their structural divisions |
||||||
|
specialists top level qualifications |
||||||
|
mid-level specialists |
||||||
|
employees involved in the preparation of information, documentation, accounting and maintenance |
||||||
|
workers in the service sector, housing and communal services, trade and related activities |
||||||
|
qualified workers in agriculture, forestry, hunting, fish farming and fishing |
||||||
|
skilled workers of large and small industrial enterprises, arts and crafts, construction, transport, communications, geology and subsoil exploration |
||||||
|
operators, machine operators, installation and machine operators, product assemblers |
||||||
|
unskilled workers |
||||||
Thus, among the heads (representatives) of government and management bodies of all levels, including heads of institutions, organizations and enterprises and their structural divisions (as a percentage of the total employed population of the corresponding nationality), Belarusians make up 9.9%, Poles - 8.5, Ukrainians - 13.0, Russians - 13.6, and Jews - 24.3%. The picture is approximately the same among highly qualified specialists, that is, a higher percentage among Jews, Russians and Ukrainians - 35.3, 23.3, 18.3%, respectively, and a lower percentage among Belarusians - 14.6%, as well as Poles - 13.0%. At the same time, the employment structure of Belarusians and Poles is distinguished by a higher percentage of qualified workers employed in agriculture, forestry, hunting, fish farming and fishing - 5.3 and 7.0%, respectively. For Russians, Ukrainians and Jews this figure is 2.8%, 5.2 and 0.2%.
Thus, a higher level of education and urbanization (as is known, the main administrative, economic, production, cultural, scientific and other functions are concentrated in cities) significantly contributes to the fact that in the employment structure of Ukrainians, Russians, and especially Jews, the most there is a high proportion of managers and specialists of the highest level of qualification.
In turn, a significant part of Belarusians and Poles live in rural areas, which determines the increased share of their participation in agriculture and forestry.
Unemployment. Recently, attention to such an indicator as the unemployment rate, which largely determines the state of the labor market and shows the state of the country’s economy as a whole, has increased significantly. According to the census, the unemployment rate in the republic in 1999 was 6.2% of the total economically active population (6.8% in urban areas and 4.6% in rural areas).
This indicator also varies markedly across national groups (see Table 9).
Table 9. Population of selected nationalities by unemployment rate; according to the 1999 population census (share of unemployed in the economically active population of the corresponding nationality; percentage)
|
Nationality |
Whole population |
Urban population |
Rural population |
|
For Belarus as a whole |
|||
|
Belarusians |
|||
|
Ukrainians |
|||
The highest unemployment rate is for Russians - 7.6% and Ukrainians - 6.4%; among Belarusians and Poles it is 6.0 and 5.6%, respectively. Jews have the lowest unemployment rate - only 4.8%. If we compare this indicator with the level of urbanization by national groups, we can notice the following pattern: the higher the level of urbanization, the higher the unemployment rate.
The only exception is Jews, who, despite the highest level of urbanization among the five largest national groups, have the lowest level of unemployment. To a large extent, this is the result of increased migration activity of this ethnic group: dissatisfied with their social, financial and other situation, they leave first.
1 - Kasperovich G.I. Migration of population to cities and ethnic processes. Minsk. Science and Technology, 1985
2 - Ioffe E.G. pages of the history of the Jews of Belarus. Minsk, 1996
