Belarus

Belarus

Country

Native name

Рэспубліка Беларусь
Республика Беларусь

Capital

Minsk

Largest city

Minsk

Official languages

Belarusian; Russian

Demonym

Belarusian

Legislature

National Assembly

Currency

Belarusian ruble(BYN)

Calling code

+375

Website

[Official website Official website]

Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital and largest city is Minsk. Belarus covers about 207,600 square kilometres and had a population of about 9.1 million in 2025.

Belarusian and Russian are the country's official languages. The Constitution defines Belarus as a unitary state and provides for a presidential system of government. Aleksandr Lukashenko has served as president since 1994, while Aleksandr Turchin became prime minister in March 2025.

The territory of modern Belarus was historically connected with the principalities of Kievan Rus', the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire. A short-lived Belarusian state was proclaimed in 1918, while the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was established in 1919 and became part of the Soviet Union in 1922. Belarus declared state sovereignty in July 1990 and independence in August 1991 as the Soviet Union was breaking apart.

Belarus has a mixed economy with a large state-owned enterprise sector. Important industries include manufacturing, machinery, petrochemicals, fertilizers, agriculture and food processing. The country maintains particularly close economic, political and security ties with Russia and participates in the Union State, the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

History

Early states and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

East Slavic communities became established in the area of present-day Belarus during the early medieval period. Polotsk emerged as one of the region's important political centres and is recorded in sources from the ninth century. Other principalities developed within the broader political and cultural world associated with Kievan Rus'.

From the 13th century, much of the territory that now forms Belarus became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. East Slavic languages and communities were important parts of the duchy's political and cultural life. In 1569, the Union of Lublin linked the Grand Duchy and the Kingdom of Poland within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth experienced a series of wars and political crises during the 17th and 18th centuries. The partitions of the Commonwealth in 1772, 1793 and 1795 brought the lands of present-day Belarus under the control of the Russian Empire.

Russian rule and national movements

During the 19th century, the region experienced major political and social changes under Russian imperial rule. It was affected by the Napoleonic invasion of 1812 and uprisings against imperial authority in 1830–1831 and 1863–1864. Belarusian cultural and political movements became more organized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as writers, intellectuals and political groups promoted a distinct Belarusian identity.

The First World War turned much of the region into a battlefield between German and Russian forces. Following the Russian revolutions of 1917 and the collapse of imperial authority, the Belarusian People's Republic declared independence in March 1918. It did not establish lasting control over the territory. The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in January 1919.

Soviet period

The 1921 Treaty of Riga, following the Polish–Soviet War, divided Belarusian-populated territories between Poland and Soviet Belarus. The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic became one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union in 1922.

Belarus suffered extensive destruction during the Second World War. German forces occupied the republic after the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Jewish communities were subjected to ghettos, mass shootings and other forms of persecution and murder during the Holocaust. Partisan resistance operated extensively in occupied Belarus, and Soviet forces retook the territory in 1944.

The Byelorussian SSR became an original member of the United Nations in 1945, despite remaining a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. After the war, industrialization and urbanization expanded rapidly, while Minsk and other cities underwent large-scale reconstruction.

The Chernobyl disaster of April 1986 had major environmental and social effects on Belarus. According to the United Nations Development Programme, radioactive contamination affected about 23% of the country's territory, with southeastern Belarus among the most heavily affected areas.

Independence

The Supreme Council of the Byelorussian SSR adopted a declaration of state sovereignty on 27 July 1990. On 25 August 1991, during the final months of the Soviet Union, the declaration was given constitutional status and Belarus effectively became independent. The country's present name, Republic of Belarus, was adopted in September 1991.

In December 1991, the leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine met in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha area and signed agreements establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States. The agreements were an important step in the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

A new constitution was adopted on 15 March 1994 and created the office of president. Aleksandr Lukashenko won the country's first presidential election later that year.

A 1996 referendum resulted in constitutional changes that expanded presidential authority and established a bicameral National Assembly. Further constitutional changes were approved in a referendum in February 2022, including provisions giving constitutional status and additional powers to the All-Belarusian People's Assembly.

The presidential election of August 2020 was followed by large demonstrations and a wide-ranging political crisis. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said that it could not observe the election because Belarus did not issue a timely invitation, and it reported concerns regarding the treatment of activists, candidate registration and the response to protests.

Geography

Belarus lies on the East European Plain and is entirely landlocked. Its five neighbouring countries are Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The country has a total area of approximately 207,600 square kilometres.

The landscape is generally low-lying and includes forests, agricultural plains, wetlands and numerous lakes. The northern parts of Belarus contain many lakes, while the Polesia region in the south includes extensive wetlands associated with the Pripyat River. World Bank data estimated that forests covered about 43.4% of the country's land area in 2023.

Belarus has a moderate continental climate. Winters are generally cold and humid, while summers are warm. Average January temperatures vary roughly between −4.5°C and −8°C, while average July temperatures range from about 17°C to 18.5°C. Average annual precipitation is approximately 600–700 millimetres.

Environment and wildlife

Belarus contains large forest, wetland and peatland ecosystems. Its wildlife includes elk, deer, wild boar, beavers, wolves and a wide range of bird species. The transboundary Białowieża Forest, known in Belarus as Belovezhskaya Pushcha, preserves an important area of old-growth European forest and supports a major population of European bison. It is shared with Poland and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage property.

Environmental policy continues to be influenced by the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. Contaminated land was concentrated particularly in southeastern areas, and long-term programmes have addressed radiation monitoring, health, land management and economic development in affected communities.

Administrative divisions

Belarus is divided into six main regions, or oblasts: Brest Region, Gomel Region, Grodno Region, Minsk Region, Mogilev Region and Vitebsk Region. Minsk is the national capital and the country's largest urban centre.

The regions are further divided into districts and local administrative units. Minsk is the main political, financial, educational and transport centre, while other important cities include Gomel, Grodno, Vitebsk, Mogilev and Brest.

Government and politics

The Constitution establishes Belarus as a unitary state with a president serving as head of state. Executive authority is exercised through the presidency and the government, which is headed by the prime minister. The president appoints the prime minister with the prior consent of the House of Representatives.

The national legislature is the bicameral National Assembly. Its lower chamber, the House of Representatives, has 110 members. The upper chamber, the Council of the Republic, has 64 members: 56 are chosen through regional and Minsk representative bodies and eight are appointed by the president.

The constitutional amendments approved in 2022 also established the All-Belarusian People's Assembly as a constitutional institution. The Constitution describes it as the highest representative body of people's government. It may include up to 1,200 delegates and has responsibilities relating to strategic directions of domestic and foreign policy and national socioeconomic programmes.

As of September 2026, Aleksandr Lukashenko is president and Aleksandr Turchin is prime minister. United Nations protocol records list Lukashenko as president since July 1994 and Turchin as prime minister since 10 March 2025.

Elections

Belarus holds presidential and parliamentary elections under its constitutional and electoral framework. In the presidential election held on 26 January 2025, official results published by the Central Election Commission and reproduced by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems gave Lukashenko 86.82% of the vote, with reported turnout of 85.69%.

ODIHR did not deploy an observation mission for the 2025 presidential election because the Belarusian authorities did not issue an invitation. ODIHR said that the absence of an invitation prevented an impartial and independent assessment of the electoral process and was inconsistent with Belarus's OSCE commitments.

Human rights

Belarus has been the subject of continuing review by United Nations and OSCE human rights mechanisms. The United Nations Human Rights Council established a Special Rapporteur mandate on the human rights situation in Belarus in 2012 and renewed it again in 2026.

UN special procedure mandate-holders continued in 2026 to raise allegations involving arbitrary detention, prolonged incommunicado or solitary confinement, ill-treatment and restrictions on due-process rights in politically sensitive cases. International organizations have also raised concerns over restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and association. These assessments form part of an ongoing international dispute over political rights and governance in the country.

Foreign relations and defence

Belarus was admitted to the United Nations in 1945 through the Byelorussian SSR and continued its membership after independence. It is also a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Relations with Russia are particularly extensive. Belarus and Russia signed the Treaty on the Establishment of a Union State on 8 December 1999; it entered into force on 26 January 2000. The two countries cooperate in trade, energy, defence, border policy and other areas, although they remain separate sovereign states.

Belarus's relations with the European Union and several Western governments deteriorated sharply after the 2020 presidential election and subsequent repression. The European Union maintains sanctions against Belarus that it says respond to human rights abuses, Belarusian support for Russia's war against Ukraine and activities directed against EU states. In February 2026, the EU extended its principal Belarus sanctions regime until 28 February 2027.

Belarus became closely involved in the regional security crisis following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian forces used Belarusian territory in connection with military operations against Ukraine. United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-11/1 deplored Belarus's involvement in the invasion and called on it to comply with its international obligations.

Economy

Belarus is classified by the World Bank as an upper-middle-income economy. The economic system combines market activity with a large state-owned enterprise sector, particularly in manufacturing and heavy industry.

Major economic activities include mechanical engineering, chemicals and petrochemicals, fertilizer production, food processing, agriculture, forestry and timber products. Belarus is known for producing heavy machinery, trucks, tractors and agricultural equipment. Fertilizers, petrochemicals, agricultural goods, timber products and machinery are among its important export categories.

According to World Bank data, Belarus's gross domestic product was about US$93.4 billion in 2025, with GDP per capita of approximately US$10,279. Real GDP grew by about 1.3% during that year. Russia is a central economic partner, while trade patterns have also been affected by international sanctions and by Belarus's participation in the Eurasian Economic Union.

The national currency is the Belarusian ruble, whose international currency code is BYN.

Energy

Belarus historically relied heavily on imported fossil fuels, particularly from Russia, but nuclear power has become a major part of domestic electricity production. The Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant near Astravets has two operating reactors. International Atomic Energy Agency data for 2025 listed total net nuclear generating capacity at 2,220 MW and nuclear power at about 39% of electricity production.

Demographics

Belarus had a population of approximately 9.09 million in 2025, according to World Bank data. The population has been declining in recent years; World Bank data recorded a population growth rate of about −0.5% in 2025.

Belarusians form the country's largest ethnic group. Results from the 2019 population census reported that approximately 84.9% of residents identified as Belarusian, 7.5% as Russian, 3.1% as Polish and 1.7% as Ukrainian, with smaller Jewish, Armenian, Tatar, Roma and other communities.

Languages

Belarusian and Russian have official status under Article 17 of the Constitution. Polish, Ukrainian and other languages are also used within some minority communities.

Both Belarusian and Russian belong to the East Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. Belarusian has played an important role in national literature, folklore and cultural identity, while Russian is also widely used across public and private life.

Religion

Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the largest religious tradition in Belarus. Roman Catholic communities are also substantial, particularly in western parts of the country. Protestant, Jewish and Muslim communities are present as well. The official national portal reported more than 3,400 registered religious communities representing up to 25 confessions as of January 2024.

Education

The Belarusian education system includes preschool, general secondary, vocational, higher and postgraduate education. Compulsory schooling extends through eleven years. Russian and Belarusian are both used within the education system.

Higher education is provided by universities, academies and institutes. The official national portal listed 47 higher education institutions and reported an adult literacy rate of 99.9%.

Culture

Belarusian culture reflects East Slavic traditions as well as centuries of interaction with Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Jewish and other communities. Belarusian and Russian are both important literary and cultural languages. Traditional crafts include weaving, woodworking and decorative folk art, while folk music, dance and regional costumes remain visible in festivals and cultural institutions.

Belarus has four properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are the Mir Castle Complex, the Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh, parts of the transnational Struve Geodetic Arc, and the transboundary Białowieża Forest.

Traditional practices represented on UNESCO cultural heritage lists include forms of ritual celebration, craftsmanship and community traditions. Belarusian cultural heritage also includes historic castles, Orthodox and Catholic churches, wooden architecture and urban centres that developed under several different states and cultural influences over the centuries.

See also

• History of Belarus
• Geography of Belarus
• Politics of Belarus
• Economy of Belarus
• Culture of Belarus
• Belarusians
• Minsk

External links

• Official Website of the Republic of Belarus
• United Nations country profile for Belarus
• World Bank data for Belarus
• UNESCO World Heritage profile for Belarus