Belarus — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Belarus: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Belarus is in Eastern Europe, east of Poland. It covers 207,600 sq km. Terrain: generally flat with much marshland. Climate: cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime.
| Capital | Minsk |
|---|---|
| Population | 9,460,972 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $265.22 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $29,000 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 4% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 5.8% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 3.4% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 33.2% of GDP (2019 est.) |
| Exports | $49.386 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $50.679 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 74.7 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 42.5 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 80.7% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship |
| Independence | 25 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
| Languages | Russian (official) 71.4%, Belarusian (official) 26%, other 0.3% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities), unspecified 2.3% (2019 est.) |
Belarus’s GDP is $265.22 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $75.962 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 4% (2024 est.). See where Belarus ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Nothing in Jul–Sep 2026 moved the needle. The institutions functioned, the economy ran its course, and the world looked elsewhere.
That is the honest note: a quarter of normalcy, scored as such.
- What our model rewards: unemployment near 3.4% — work for whoever wants it; public debt under 33% of GDP — room to maneuver
- What drags it down: fertility of 1.4 children per woman — below replacement, the cradle is emptying
Timber, Natural gas.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 70% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 26.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 104.821 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 313.7 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 45.3 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 34,633 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Gas 59.5%, Nuclear 36.5%, Hydro 0.9%, Oil 0.8%, Solar 0.5%, Wind 0.4%, Coal 0.1% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 39.6% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 313.6 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $49.386 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $50.679 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $1.3 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, refrigerators, washing machines and other household appliances |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Alexander Lukashenka — President. President Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA (since 20 July 1994)
Belarus maintains 57 embassies and 15 consulates abroad, hosts 51 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, UN Geneva, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 57 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 15 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 51 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, UN Geneva, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna |
Source: Abroad: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus http://mfa.gov.by/en/bilateral/belarus/ (74 missions: 57 embassies, 14 consulates-general + 1 consulate, in 57 countries). Hosted: Consular Affairs Center in-country ranking, Jan 2026 (Minsk 51). Multilateral: UNOG Blue Book; OSCE delegations directory.
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Landlocked — no seacoast; exports move through transit corridors across neighbouring countries. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 46 + 4 heliports (registration prefix EW) |
| Railways | 5528 km |
| Pipelines | 5,386 km gas, 1,589 km oil, 1,730 km refined products (2013) |
Major airports
Brest International Airport (BQT) — Brest; Minsk National Airport (MSQ) — Minsk; Gomel Airport (GME) — Gomel; Mogilev Airport (MVQ) — Mogilev.
Terminals
| River ports | Mazyr (Prypyats') |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | authoritarian rule |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Belarus.
Historical timeline of Belarus
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Belarus — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Belarus's power score?
Belarus has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.