Belarus

In brief

Belarus is a country in Eastern Europe. Its capital is Minsk. With 9.1 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 99th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 207,600 km². Landlocked, it shares land borders with Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Ukraine.

GDP per capita stands at $10,279 (2025), 84th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 74.4 years (2024). 79% of the population lives in cities.

History of Belarus

The Belarusian lands were part of Kievan Rus’, then of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The partitions of Poland in the late 18th century brought them into the Russian Empire. The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was created after the Russian Revolution, and the country was devastated in the Second World War. Independent since 1991, Belarus has been led since 1994 by Alexander Lukashenko.

Geography of Belarus

Landlocked Belarus is a country of plains, forests, lakes and marshes, notably Polesia in the south. Its highest point is only 345 m. The Dnieper and the Pripyat flow through it.

Map of Belarus

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Flag of Belarus

The flag of Belarus is red and green. Its official proportions are 1:2 (height to width).

• Red66%
• Green29%
• White5%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Red above green, with a red and white traditional embroidery pattern near the hoist. Adopted after the 1995 referendum, it is close to the Soviet-era flag. In the official reading, red recalls past struggles and green the forests and fields.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Belarus” and “Flag of Belarus”.

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Fact file

Economy and society