Belarus Population
Belarus had an estimated population of 9,085,991 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 99th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.11% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.51% a year.
Belarus at a glance
How Belarus's population is changing
Belarus's population is shrinking: −0.51% a year, which works out to about −46,519 people per year, or −127 a day. Births (7.0 per 1,000) and deaths (13.1 per 1,000) alone would give −0.61% a year; net migration removes about 3,020 people a year (−0.03%). Roughly one in every 904 people on Earth lives in Belarus.
Population of Belarus since 1960
In 1960, Belarus had 8,198,000 people. By 2025 that was 9,085,991 — 1.1× larger. The population peaked in 1993 at 10,239,050 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 10%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 8,198,000 | — |
| 1970 | 9,040,000 | +10.3% |
| 1980 | 9,643,000 | +6.7% |
| 1990 | 10,189,348 | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 9,979,610 | −2.1% |
| 2010 | 9,483,836 | −5.0% |
| 2020 | 9,379,952 | −1.1% |
| 2025 | 9,085,991 | −3.1% |
Belarus from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Belarus at about 2,355,081 people in 1800; the UN estimates 8,997,601 in 2025 (4× 1800) and projects 4,350,961 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 1993 at 10,241,320 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,355,081 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 3,097,828 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 4,986,216 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 7,127,595 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 9,991,310 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 8,997,601 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 7,453,542 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 5,715,779 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 4,350,961 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Belarus
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 9,085,991. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minsk | 1,950,680 | UN urban centre | 21.47% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Homyel' | 501,193 | GeoNames settlement | 5.52% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Hrodna | 374,464 | UN urban centre | 4.12% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Brest | 369,414 | UN urban centre | 4.07% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Vitebsk | 358,927 | GeoNames settlement | 3.95% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Mahilyow | 352,896 | GeoNames settlement | 3.88% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Bobruysk | 205,502 | GeoNames settlement | 2.26% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Baranovichi | 170,039 | GeoNames settlement | 1.87% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Pinsk | 123,283 | GeoNames settlement | 1.36% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Mazyr | 104,517 | GeoNames settlement | 1.15% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Belarus compares
Belarus has almost the same population as Switzerland (9,092,436).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Belarus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #97 |  Austria | 9,208,163 | +1% | compare → |
| #98 |  Switzerland | 9,092,436 | +0% | compare → |
| #100 |  Sierra Leone | 8,819,794 | −3% | compare → |
| #101 |  Togo | 8,591,626 | −5% | compare → |
Compare Belarus with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Belarus
Land neighbours (5)
Russia 143,513,328 · 15.8× the population · compare
Ukraine 38,980,376 · 4.3× the population · compare
Poland 36,435,861 · 4.0× the population · compare
Lithuania 2,888,774 · 3.1× smaller · compare
Latvia 1,847,785 · 4.9× smaller · compare
Belarus's 5 neighbours together hold 223,666,124 people — 24.6× Belarus's population. The most populous is Russia (143,513,328).
In its region
Belarus is the 24th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 1.0% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Belarus
Cities
Minsk, Homyel', Hrodna, Brest, Vitebsk, Mahilyow, Bobruysk, Baranovichi — all Belarus's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Belarus when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.