General

By the beginning of 2000, the population of Belarus was 10,018 thousand people.

Belarus is a poly-ethnic and poly-confessional state where, along with Belarusians (81,2% of the population), more than 100 nationalities are represented. The people of Belarus as a social and political entity within specific territory and a single state have represented poly-ethnical and poly-confessional community of different ethnic associations, primarily, of Slavonic linguistic group, since ancient times. By the end of the 19th century, these were Belarusians, Russians, Poles, Ukrainians (also some Czechs and Slovaks); representatives of the Baltic linguistic group (Lithuanians, Latvians, mainly Latgals, and descendants of the Prussian-Yatviag population); Semitic group (Jews); the Turkoman group (Tartars, Karaites); also the German (Germans and Swedes), Roman (French, Italians), Finno-Ugric (Estonians) and Indo-Arian (Gipsies) groups are represented. Traditionally, Christians almost always predominated among the religious groups in Belarus, namely Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Greek Catholics (Uniates). Protestants, i.e. Calvinists, Lutherans, etc., were historically represented on a lesser scale. They were followed by Judaeans (Jews and Karaites) and Muslims (Tartars), and others. The Orthodox religion was spread mainly among the local Slavonic and, partially, Baltic population. Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism and Islam mostly spread thanks to the migration of groups of Polish, German, Jewish and Tartar population. The local population adopted these confessions only towards the end of the 14th and 17th centuries.

According to the 1989 census, more than 1,142 thousand of Russians (about 11,4% of the total population) live in Belarus. Ethnic Russians have lived in Belarus throughout its history. The number of Russian population in Belarus started to grow most intensively after World War II due to resettlement of workers and specialists in various spheres of the national economy, science and art, and Communist Party and Comsomol functionaries to Belarus. Belarus is the home of some groups and families of Russians which came here much earlier, such as Old Ritualists, descendants of intelligentsia and functionaries who settled in the Republic from late 18th century. Russians are dispersed throughout Belarus, there are no distinct enclaves; however, numerous groups of them are represented in the Eastern regions (Vitebsk, Mogilev and Gomel Oblasts), in the capital and major industrial centres where they constitute up to 20% of the population or more.

The great majority of Russians are largely dissolved among the Belarusian ethnical environment, however they maintain their national self-consciousness, including nationality and language, while the believers maintain their religion. From the socio-political and national aspects, the Russian population enjoys extensive opportunities for realising their ethnic-confessional and cultural-linguistic needs. The Russian language, along Belarusian, is a state language. Russian press is received in the Republic, periodicals and books are printed in Russian, there are Russian-language theatres, radio and TV programmes, education is provided in Russian.

Poles represent the next biggest (following Russians) population group in Belarus, 396 thousand strong (3,9%). They have been residing in the western parts of Belarus for several centuries. They are mostly dispersed, although their main concentration falls on western areas of Grodno, Brest, Vitebsk and Minsk Oblasts. Poles constitute about 5% of the urban population, although in a number of towns in the West of Belarus (Grodno, Lida, Postavy, Oshmiany, Mosty, Voronovo, etc.) and in Minsk their share is much higher. But the main part of Belarusian Poles live in villages.

According to the 1979 census, only 31.2 thousand Poles out of the 403.2 thousand indicated Polish as their native language, 298.4 thousand indicated Belarusian, while the others stated Russian. Almost all groups of Belarusian Poles are assimilated by the local environment, however they preserve their specific features of spoken language, way of life, psychology and religion. More than 13% of Poles in Belarus speak fluent Polish. This tendency has been growing in the recent years thanks to the policy of the authorities of the Republic of Poland, the activities of the Catholic church and cultural and educational organisations (such as the Union of Poles, Polonia, etc.). In 1990 the Polish associations merged into the Union of Poles in Belarus which numbers more than 32 thousand people and has its offices in all Oblast centres and in major cities. The main goal of the Union is the revival of the Polish language and culture among the Polish population of Belarus. Polish language newspapers are imported to and printed in Belarus, radio and TV programmes are being broadcast. Relatively open borders between Belarus and Poland and the possibility of regular meetings between relatives of Belarusian Poles and Polish Belarusians play an important role.

The main character of relations between Poles and Belarusians (both Orthodox and Catholics or Protestants) is undoubtedly peaceful and good-neighbourly.

Ukrainians represent the fourth biggest group, following Belarusians, Russians and Poles in Belarus (by the beginning of 2000, there are 237 thousand Ukrainians, or 2.4% of the population). The main wave of immigration of the Ukrainian people with a clear-cut self-consciousness fell on the 18-20th centuries. In the beginning of the 20th century most groups of Ukrainians lived in Pinsk, Kobrin, Brest, Gomel, Rechitsa, Bobruisk and Byhov provinces. After the war, most immigrants were urban people, such as specialists in various industries, functionaries, intellectuals and artists.

On the whole, the Ukrainians are dispersed, although there are areas of concentration in Pinsk, Kobrin, Brest, Stolin, Gomel and some other southern Polessiye districts. Most people who regard themselves as Ukrainians belong to Orthodox church, although there are Catholics, Uniates and Protestants (Baptists and Pentecostals).

There functions the Association of Ukrainians in Belarus Vatra, a Republican public organisation. Along with the generally educational purposes, the Association has formulated national goals, such as dissemination of knowledge on the history and culture of Ukraine and Ukrainians, popularisation of the Ukrainian language among Ukrainians, dissemination of various periodicals and books. Vatra consists of several local associations (such as Zapovit, Obrii, etc.) which are organised and function in the areas of compact residence of Ukrainians. The relations between Ukrainians and Belarusians are good-neighbourly and peaceful. There are no conflicts due to national differences even on the household level.

Jews represent the fifth ethno-confessional group in Belarus (more than 28 thousand people). Starting from 1980, their number has drastically decreased due to their emigration to Israel and Western countries. The migration intensity has considerably subsided in recent years. They are mostly dispersed, although sometimes prevail in the population of towns and small settlements. The main language is Russian. Bilinguals who know Yiddish can only be met among older people. In recent years, school optional education is provided in Hebrew. Bilinguals among Jews again are becoming a characteristic tendency. Belarusian Jews constitute an ethno-confessional group with a highest educational level. There are a lot of engineers, medical doctors, teachers, lawyers, researchers, musicians, etc., among them.

Education also fostered a high level of knowledge of the Belarusian and, partially, Polish languages. Like the other ethno-confessional minorities in Belarus, Jews are mainly dispersed among the Belarusian environment. Anti-Semitism is not a traditional feature in Belarus. The relations have always been good-neighbourly and tolerant. In recent years, ethnic self-identification and self-consciousness began to be revived in the Jewish communities, interest towards the history of the Jewish nation, its statehood and religion is growing. In 1993, the constitutive conference of the Belarusian Association of Jewish Organisations and Communities took place (now it is called the Union of Belarusian Jewish Organisations and Communities); its aim is to revive Jews as a national and cultural entity. The Association unites more than 100 various scientific, cultural, enlightenment, educational, religious and sport organisations.

There are 20 Jewish Sunday schools in Belarus attended by more than 1000 children. Special Jewish classes are opened in a secondary and a specialised (art) school in Minsk and Mogilev. The Sohnut club organises annual meetings of young Jewish people at summer and sports camps.

According to the 1989 census, about 7,000 Lithuanians reside in Belarus. They have been living in Belarus for a long time, mostly scattered among the population, although there are villages of their compact settlement (Ostrovtsy and Voronovo districts of Grondo Oblast, Braslav district of Vitebsk Oblast). Lithuanians are largely assimilated in the Belarusian-Polish ethnical environment. Bilinguals who know Lithuanian are mostly to be met among older generation (they learned the language in their time) and, partially, among the youth. Within the last decade the Republic of Lithuania specially provided facilities for school education of Belarusian Lithuanians in the Lithuanian language, dispatched teachers from Lithuania, supported the local culture.

The relations of Lithuanians with the other ethnic groups of the western regions of Belarus are traditionally good-neighbourly and respectful. A Belarusian Diaspora has been in existence in Lithuania and its capital since ancient times. All significant or disputable issues on religious, ethnic or border-line problems are regulated on high diplomatic or local district levels.

According to the 1989 census, 123 nationalities are represented in Belarus, including Tartars (13 thousand), Azerbaijanians, Armenians, Latvians, Koreans, Germans, Georgians, Ossetians, Gipsies, Moldavians, etc. Some of them have founded their own cultural and educational associations (for instance, Armenians, Azerbaijanians, Koreans, Lithuanians, Moldavians, Germans, etc.). The Belarusian Centre of German Culture was one of the founders of the International Association of Germans in the CIS. The cultural, natural history and Roma folklore Gipsy club was opened in Vitebsk Oblast.

The migration processes which have greatly expanded within the last decade (due to the events in Nagorny Karabah, Tajikistan, Abkhazia, Chechnya, Latvia, etc.), alter the general pattern of ethnic minorities in Belarus. For instance, they resulted in the decreasing of certain groups (Latvians, Germans, Estonians) and increasing of others, mostly coming from hot spots (such as Armenians, Georgians, Azerbaijanians, Ossetians, Tajiks, etc.).

About 3 million Belarusians and their descendants reside outside Belarus, mostly in Russia, Ukraine, the USA, Poland, and also in Latvia, Lithuania, Canada and Argentina.

More than 70% of Belarusians are city-dwellers. Minsk, the Republic's capital, is the biggest city in the country, its population constitutes about 24% of the urban inhabitants (more than 1.7 million people).

Birth and death rate. Natural growth has been the basis of the growth of the population. It was extensively falling during 1970-1980's (from 146.2 thousand in 1960 to 50.0 thousand in 1989) and fell still more in the course of 1990's. The death rate exceeded the birth rate for the first time in 1993 (by 11.1 thousand people). The present demographic situation in Belarus testifies to the fact that the country faces an obvious demographic crisis, primarily in the falling birth rate and growing death rate, resulting in the decrease of the total population.

The reduction of the birth rate can be traced to the beginning of the 20th century (from 45 born per thousand at the beginning of the century down to 16 in 1970-1980's). The sharp fall in the birth rate occurred in 1990's (in 1996, 9.3 births per thousand). In general, the reproduction rate among the Belarus population has for a long time been unsatisfactory, and for more than 20 years now the generation of children does not equal numerically to the generation of parents. This can be illustrated by the family composition. According to the 1979 census, the average family consisted of 3.3 members, according to the 1989 census, of 3.2, that is to say the average number of children per family was 1.2. It means that a single child in the family predominates in Belarus. A number of factors brought about the fall in the birth rate, such as the age structure (women of the child-bearing age are children of the war children, a reduced generation which decreased the birth rate), an unstable socio-economic situation, a sharp drop in the living standards of the population, different social orientations, ecological consequences of the Chernobyl accident.

Starting from the second half of the 20th century, the death rate in all age groups began to grow. The mean life span decreased and, starting from 1970, the death rate among the working age men especially grew. Differentiation as to the life span depending on the sex is characteristic of Belarus. In 1997, the life span of men (62.9 years) was by 11.4 years shorter than that of women (74.3 years). One more characteristic feature of the present demographic situation is in that the death rate in towns has been especially growing in recent years: within the last 5 years the death rate among men has grown by 42% and among women by 22%; in the rural areas, respectively, by 14 and 11%.

Density of population. Belarus is comparatively densely populated country. The average density of the population is 49 people per 1 km2. The Republic's territory is rather uniformly populated, with a higher density in the central regions (82 people per 1 km2 in Minsk Oblast, 48 people per 1 km2 in Grodno Oblast). Lower density is in the North of Vitebsk Oblast (in Rosson and Verhnedvinsk Districts less than 10 people per 1 km2).

Age structure. The present age structure in Belarus is characterised by an increased share of older age and a decreased share of children. One out of each five citizens of the Republic is in the pension age. The present age composition has resulted, mainly, due to the fall in the birth rate. Also, it was greatly influenced by the consequences of World War II which, apart from taking millions of lives, gave birth to the so-called demographic waves and resulted in a reduction in the number of births among the generation of those who were born during the war. This brings about an intensive ageing of the population, primarily among women.

Noticeable differences are observed at present in the age structure of the urban and rural population. By the beginning of 1999, 16% of the population beyond the working age lived in towns, while in the rural areas there were more than 33%. The share of the working age population in the rural areas is 46.0% against 62.1% in towns.

Migration processes. The disintegration of the Soviet Union and the restructuring of the society have resulted in significant changes in the character, orientation and intensity of the migration tendencies. As a result, the rate of external and internal migration has dropped in the 1990's. Resettlement is hampered by administrative and economic factors (different currency systems, deterioration of the living standards, little chances of acquiring dwelling, unemployment, etc.).

The internal migration is characterised by a sharp drop in the migration increment of the urban population. The balance of internal migration in the rural areas remains negative, although during the first half of the 1990's it had a tendency towards reduction. Starting from 1995, the outflow of the population from the rural areas into towns began to increase, and in 1998 it came up to 27.6 thousand people.

The exchange of the population between Belarus and the CIS countries and Baltic states is positive and in 1999 came up to more than 20 thousand people. Most of the migration exchange takes place with Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan whose share is 83% of the total. The result of the migration exchange is in influx of the young population with a high educational level (more than 11% with a higher education, 74% with secondary or secondary special education).

Migration from Belarus to Western countries gradually subsides. For instance, the number of people who emigrated to Israel, the USA and Germany in 1998 decreased by 692 as compared with the previous year. External labour migration is a new tendency where export of the workforce prevails over import. The main countries providing work for migrants from Belarus are Russia, Moldova, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Hungary.

Employment. The shaping of market relations in Belarus is connected with a reduction in the employment rate. For the first time in the Republic's history the number of people employed in the economy began to fall, from 5.1 million people in 1990 to 4.4 million in 1999. The employment ratio has correspondingly decreased from 86.3% to 74.3%.

Thanks to a certain improvement in the economic situation in the country, positive changes have appeared in the sphere of labour. A gradual stabilisation of the employment rate is observed in the real sector of economy. In 1997, the number of appointments for the first time exceeded the number of dismissals. The rate of forced partial employment in the production sector has significantly dropped, from 14% in 1997 to 4% in May 1999.

The decrease in the number of people employed in the real sector has significantly changed the structure of employment by sectors of economy. The release of the workforce from the production sphere is partially compensated by a growth of the number people engaged in the social sphere where about 48% of the workforce is employed at present. The number of people engaged in education, health protection, finances and crediting has especially increased. The employment growth tendency is observed in the industrial production and construction, the outflow of the workforce from agriculture has considerably dropped.

Significant changes have occurred in the distribution of the employed population among sectors of the economy. In the course of the years of reforms the workforce at the state-run enterprises has decreased by almost one-third and its share dropped from 73.9% to 57.3%. The share of people engaged in the non-state sector has respectively increased from 26% to 42.7%. The development process of private entrepreneurship is rather dynamic. At present, there are about 221 thousand entrepreneurs (5% of the total workforce in the economy).

As a result of a priority development of processing industry branches, such as automobile engineering, tractor and agricultural machinery engineering, optics, radio-electronics, precise instrument engineering and other industries which require highly qualified workforce, a stable system of training qualified personnel has been formed in the country, which ensures a high educational level of the population.

At present, 380 people out of each 1000 engaged in the real sector of the economy, have higher or secondary special education, in the sphere of services this number is 580-690 people, depending on the sector. By the social composition the working population consists of white collar employees (33%) and workers (about 67%). Within the professional structure of white collar employees more than 24% are executives of enterprises and organisations, about 68% are specialists in various fields, including more than 11% engineers, 7% accountants, 18% teachers, about 13% medical personnel.

Among workers, more than 12% have a higher or secondary special education. Noticeable positive changes have occurred within the recent years in the professional composition of workers, accompanied by the appearance of new professions and extinction of old ones. The new professions of workers are connected with the application of computers, robots, microprocessor facilities and flexible technologies. The number of welders using diffusion welding, laser and electronic beam installations, and operators of laser, topographic instruments, etc. has grown.

In the middle of 1991 the Law On Employment of the Population was adopted, which defined the legal, social and organisational basis of regulating the employment of the population. Pursuant to the Law, the Committee on the Employment of the Population was founded under the Ministry of Labour of the Republic of Belarus, there function Oblast and town committees on employment. Along with the committees on employment, there function public commercial organisations dealing with provision of jobs to the population. Their activity is aimed at pursuing an active policy in the labour market by facilitating employment and providing material support to unemployed people, professional training and re-training of the unemployed; booking and creating jobs at enterprises for unemployed people who are not capable of competing on the labour market (such as invalids, young people, women, etc.); providing information and consultations to people who apply for a job.

The Law of the Republic of Belarus On Employment of the Population adopted in 1991 officially recognised unemployment the level of which by the end of 1996 reached its peak, 3.9% of economically active population. The number of unemployed grew to 182.5 thousand people, while the number of vacancies was only 17.2 thousand. As a result, tension on the labour market increased, as 12 unemployed people competed to occupy each vacancy.

Unemployment started to acquire a mass character. In order to eliminate it, decrees of the President of the Republic of Belarus On the State Policy of Support of Small Businesses, On Providing the First Working Place to Graduates of Higher, Secondary Special and Professional Training Educational Establishments, as well as to Servicemen Discharged from the Military Service, and On Additional Measures to Ensure Employment of the Population, etc., were issued.

The implementation by the Government of a set of measures in the field of the social policy brought about the appearance and development in 1997-1999 of a number of positive processes on the labour market. The number of officially registered unemployed decreased by 1999 down to 95.4 thousand people, or 2.0% of economically active population. The number of vacancies increased up to 30.3 thousand. The tension on the labour market reduced, at the end of 1998, 2 unemployed competed for each vacancy (at the end of 1996 - 12 people). Durable (more than a year) unemployment has considerably decreased. The situation with the population employment has improved in the great majority of towns and districts of the country.

The tension on the labour market is to a large degree lessened by the implementation of the State and Regional programmes of employment of the population whose aim is to introduce practical measures in order to facilitate employment of the population, eliminate mass unemployment, provide social support to the unemployed. The measures envisage the creation of new working places, facilitation of engagement of unemployed population, employment of certain categories of people for whom engagement is difficult; facilitation of self-employment of unemployed and support of their entrepreneurship activity; organisation of paid public works; development of a system of training, re-training and improving the qualification of the unemployed.