Officials sound alarm about demographics, but keep numbers secret

March 6, Pozirk. The demographic situation in Belarus can improve only if women have more children, Volha Špileŭskaja, head of the pro-government Belarusian Women’s Union, has told journalists.

She echoed earlier concerns raised by officials about the shrinking population, but failed to substantiate her statement with numbers.

The National Statistical Committee (Biełstat) has kept births and deaths data secret since 2020.

Estimates can be made using data from the Belarusian registry offices that recorded more than 65,000 births last year. Actual births may be slightly higher because parents have up to three months to register their newborns.

In 2019, 87,602 children were born in Belarus. Births have been decreasing from 117,779 in 2017, along with the population, which fell from 9.5 million in 2017 to 9.2 million in early 2023.

The recent statistics do not fully reflect the mass emigration from Belarus caused by the ongoing political crackdown on dissenters and opposition in the country.

Since 2020, at least 200,000 people have left Belarus fearing politically-motivated persecution but the real number may be several times higher.

Most Belarusian families have one or two children, Deputy Labor Minister Valeryj Kavalkoŭ said.

Women tend to marry later and become mothers for the first time after they turn 27, which reduces their reproductive period, he noted.