Over Last Decade, Birthrate in Belarus Fell by 52 Percent while Death Rate Rose by 1.59, Belstat Figures Show

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Oct. 19 – Figures released by Belstat, Minsk’s statistical agency, show that between 2015 and 2025, the number of births per 1000 people in the population of Belarus fell by 52 percent while the number of deaths for the same number rose by 1.59 percent, figures that put Belarus on a path of demographic decline.

            Not only do the birth figures mean that there are fewer children being born now but they also mean that the size of the prime child-bearing cohort of women will decline in the future, something that will make it very difficult to reverse (thinktanks.pro/publication/2026/10/19/v-belarusi-za-10-let-rozhdaemost-upala-na-52-a-smertnost-uvelichilas.html).

            At least part of the birthrate decline is the result of urbanization, The city of Minsk saw the largest fall in the number of births during this period while more rural areas saw much less. The relatively small increase in mortality in turn reflects the fact that it was already high ten years ago. 

            What is worrying about the mortality figures is that the number of deaths per 1000 population is nearly twice as high in rural areas as it is in cities, 19.8 as against 11, the result both of the outflow of younger people to the cities and the less adequate medical care available in rural locations.