View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1996 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops)

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

892 billion rubels, 1% of GDP (1995); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 2,635,570 males fit for military service: 2,067,676 males reach military age (18) annually: 76,006 (1996 est.)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 35, FM 18, shortwave 0

Radios [time series]

3.17 million (1991 est.) (5,615,000 with multiple speaker systems for program diffusion)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

telephone service inadequate for the purposes of either business or the population; about 70% of the telephones are in homes; over 750,000 applications from households for telephones remain unsatisfied (1992 est.); new investment centers on international connections and business needs domestic: the new NMT-450 analog cellular system is now operating in Minsk international: international traffic is carried by the Moscow international gateway switch and also by satellite; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (through Canada) and 1 Eutelsat (through the UK)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]

1.849 million (1991 est.)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

2 (one national and one private; the license of the private station was suspended during the parliamentary elections of 1994)

Televisions [time series]

3.5 million (1992 est.) Defense

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

grain, potatoes, vegetables; meat, milk

Budget [time series]

revenues: $4.95 billion expenditures: $5.47 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Belarusian rubel (BR)

Economic aid [time series]

recipient: ODA, $186 million (1993) note: commitments, $3,930 million ($1,845 million disbursements), 1992-95

Economic overview [time series]

At the time of independence in late 1991, Belarus was one of the most developed of the former Soviet states, inheriting a modern - by Soviet standards - machine building sector and robust agricultural sector. However, the breakup of the Soviet Union and its traditional trade ties, as well as the government's failure to embrace market reforms, has resulted in a sharp economic decline. Privatization is virtually nonexistent and the system of state orders and distribution persists. Although President LUKASHENKO pronounces his 1995 macro stabilization policies a success - annual inflation dropped from 2,220% in 1994 to 244% in 1995 - the IMF has criticized his insistence on maintaining the steady exchange rate for Belarusian rubel, which has traded at 11,500 to the dollar since late 1994. The IMF suspended Minsk's $300 million standby program in November 1995 until the government would agree to a devaluation of the rubel. The overvalued rubel has especially hurt Belarusian exporters, most of which now operate at a loss. In addition, the January 1995 Customs Union agreement with Russia - which required Minsk to adjust its foreign trade practices to mirror Moscow's - has resulted in higher import tariffs for Belarusian consumers; tariffs have risen from 5%-20% to 20%-40%.

Electricity [time series]

capacity: 7,010,000 kW production: 24.9 billion kWh consumption per capita: 2,300 kWh (1995 est.)

Exchange rates [time series]

Belarusian rubels per US$1 - 11,500 (yearend 1995), 10,600 (yearend 1994)

Exports [time series]

$4.2 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$2 billion (September 1995 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $49.2 billion (1995 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 21% industry: 49% services: 30% (1991 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP per capita) [time series]

$4,700 (1995 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP real growth rate) [time series]

-10% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs [time series]

illicit cultivator of opium poppy and cannabis; mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Imports [time series]

$4.6 billion (c.i.f., 1995) commodities: fuel, natural gas, industrial raw materials, textiles, sugar partners: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

-11% (1995 est.)

Industries [time series]

tractors, metal-cutting machine tools, off-highway dump trucks up to 110-metric-ton load capacity, wheel-type earth movers for construction and mining, eight-wheel-drive, high-flotation trucks with cargo capacity of 25 metric tons for use in tundra and roadless areas, equipment for animal husbandry and livestock feeding, motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, linen fabric, wool fabric, radios, refrigerators, other consumer goods

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

244% (1995 est.)

Labor force [time series]

4.259 million by occupation: industry and construction 40%, agriculture and forestry 21%, other 39% (1992)

Unemployment rate [time series]

2.6% officially registered unemployed (December 1994); large numbers of underemployed workers

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 207,600 sq km land area: 207,600 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Kansas

Climate [time series]

cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

current issues: soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Biodiversity, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates [time series]

53 00 N, 28 00 E

Geography - note (Geographic note) [time series]

landlocked

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

1,490 sq km (1990)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 3,098 km border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 29% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 15% forest and woodland: 0% other: 55%

Location [time series]

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Map references [time series]

Commonwealth of Independent States

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural resources [time series]

forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas

Terrain [time series]

generally flat and contains much marshland lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

6 voblastsi (singular - voblasts') and one municipality* (harady, singular - horad); Brestskaya (Brest), Homyel'skaya (Homyel'), Horad Minsk*, Hrodzyenskaya (Hrodna), Mahilyowskaya (Mahilyow), Minskaya, Vitsyebskaya (Vitsyebsk) note: the administrative centers of the voblastsi are included in parentheses

Capital [time series]

Minsk

Constitution [time series]

adopted 15 March 1994; replaces constitution of April 1978

Data code [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Sergey Nikolayevich MARTYNOV chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) was elected for a five-year term by popular vote; election last held 24 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 85%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 15% head of government: Prime Minister Mikhail CHIGIR (since NA July 1994) was appointed by the president; Deputy Prime Ministers Vladimir GARKUN (since NA), Sergey LING (since NA), Leonid SINITSYN (since NA), Valeriy KOKAREV (since NA), Vladimir RUSAKEVICH (since NA) cabinet: Council of Ministers note: first presidential elections took place in June-July 1994

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[1] (202) 986-1805 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[375] (172) 34-78-53

Flag [time series]

red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe of white on the hoist side bears in red the Belarusian national ornament

Independence [time series]

25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union); the Belarussian Supreme Soviet issued a proclamation of independence; on 17 July 1990 Belarus issued a declaration of sovereignty

International organization participation [time series]

CCC, CE (guest), CIS, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president; Constitutional Court

Legal system [time series]

based on civil law system

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral

Country name (Name of country) [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Belarus conventional short form: Belarus local long form: Respublika Byelarus' local short form: none former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 27 July (1990)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Belarusian Communist Party (KPB), Vasiliy NOVIKOV, Viktor CHIKIN, chairmen; Agrarian Party, Semen SHARETSKIY; Civic Accord Bloc (CAB); Party of People's Concord, Gennadiy KARPENKO; Party of All-Belarusian Unity and Concord (UPNAZ), Dmitriy BULAKOV; Belarusian Social-Democrat Hramada (SDBP), Alex TRUSOV; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (BPR), Anatol BARANKEVICH; Green Party of Belarus, Mikalay KARTASH; Republican Party of Labor and Justice, Anatol NETSILKIN; Belarus Peasants (BSP), Yevgeniy LUGIN, chairman; Belarusian Popular Front (NFB), Zenon POZNYAK, chairman; Belarusian Social Sports Party, Vladimir ALEKSANDROVICH; Ecological Party, Aleksiy MIKULICH; National Democratic Party of Belarus (NDPB), Victor NAVUMENKA; United Democratic Party of Belarus (ADPB), Aleksandr DOBROVOLSKIY; Belarusian Socialist Party (SPB), Vyacheslav KUZNETSOV; Slavic Assembly (SAB), Nikolai SYARECHEV; Liberal-Democratic Party (LDPB), Vasil KRIVENKA; Belarusian Christian-Democratic Unity (BKDZ), Petr SILKO; Polish Democratic Union (PDZ), Konstantin TARASEVICH; Party of Beer Lovers, Yuriy GONCHAR; Belarusian Labor Party (BPP), Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch (Supreme Soviet) [time series]

elections last held May, Nov-Dec 1995 (two rounds, each with a run-off; next to be held NA 2000); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (260 total) KPB 42, Agrarian 33, CAB 9, Party of People's Concord 8, UPNAZ 2, SDPB 2, BPR 1, Green Party 1, Republican Party of Labor and Justice 1, BSP 1, NFB 1, Social and Sports Party 1, Ecological Party 1, independents 95, vacant 62

Government type (Type of government) [time series]

republic

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth Spencer YALOWITZ embassy: Starovilenskaya #46-220002, Minsk mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [375] (172) 31-50-00

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 21% (male 1,136,499; female 1,090,101) 15-64 years: 66% (male 3,334,077; female 3,536,982) 65 years and over: 13% (male 429,574; female 888,740) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

12.15 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate [time series]

13.64 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Byelorussian 77.9%, Russian 13.2%, Polish 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.9%, other 1.9%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

13.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages [time series]

Byelorussian, Russian, other

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 68.57 years male: 63.2 years female: 74.21 years (1996 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.) total population: 98% male: 99% female: 97%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian

Net migration rate [time series]

3.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population [time series]

10,415,973 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.2% (1996 est.)

Religions [time series]

Eastern Orthodox 60%, other (including Roman Catholic and Muslim) 40% (early 1990's)

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female all ages: 0.89 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.69 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

total: 118 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 2 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 18 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 5 with paved runways under 914 m: 11 with unpaved runways over 3 047 m: 1 with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 6 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 4 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 9 with unpaved runways under 914 m: 62 (1994 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 92,200 km paved: 61,000 km (including graveled) unpaved: 31,200 km (1994 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

note: claims 5% of former Soviet fleet (1995 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural gas 1,980 km (1992)

Ports [time series]

Mazyr

Railways [time series]

total: 5,488 km broad gauge: 5,488 km 1.520-m gauge (873 km electrified) (1993)

Waterways [time series]

NA km; note - Belarus has extensive and widely used canal and river systems