III. The people of belarus

In the last complete census conducted in the Soviet Union in 1989, the population of Belarus was 10,151,806; a 2008 estimate was 9,685,768, giving the country a population density of 47 persons per sq km (121 per sq mi). The most notable demographic trend since the 1950s has been the steady migration of the population from the villages to urban centers, and the correspondent aging of the population remaining in the rural areas. In 1959 urban residents accounted for 31 percent of the population; in 1979 they accounted for 55 percent; and in 2005 they accounted for about 72 percent. The most populated cities are Minsk, the capital and largest city; Homyel’; Mahilyow; Vitebsk; Hrodna; and Brest. All of these cities are industrial centers. Minsk, Homyel’, and Hrodna have universities.

A. Ethnic Groups and Languages

The people of Belarus are composed of mainly five ethnic groups. In the 1989 census, people of Belarusian descent comprised 77.9 percent of the population. Russians were the largest minority group with 13.2 percent of the population. Other minorities included Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews (considered both an ethnic and a religious group). No significant tensions exist between these groups, and many residents of Belarus feel some cultural affinity to Russia.

In 1990 Belarusian was designated the official state language. In 1995, after a national referendum on the subject, Russian also was elevated to a state language. Belarusian and Russian, along with Ukrainian, form the eastern branch of the Slavic languages of the Indo-European language family. More than 90 percent of the population has native fluency in Russian, which was promoted by the state during the Soviet period. Belarusian is commonly spoken in rural areas, but in urban centers it is rarely heard.

B. Religion

Many Belarusians follow the Eastern Orthodox religion, though there are large enclaves of Roman Catholics, particularly in the Hrodna region of western Belarus. Smaller groups adhere to the Eastern (Uniate) Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, and Muslim faiths, among others. The government has adopted the Eastern Orthodox faith as the official state religion. Church services are well attended, particularly Easter services, for which there are three separate holidays.

C. Education

Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 14. Higher education institutions include three universities, the largest of which is the Belarusian State University (founded in 1921) in Minsk. There also are a number of specialized academies and institutes for studies in technical arts, agriculture, medicine, economics, and other fields. The literacy rate is 100 percent.

While the current literacy rate is high, only about 30 percent of the population was literate in 1919. The Soviet regime emphasized compulsory education and claimed to have eliminated illiteracy by the 1950s. At the same time, after the 1920s there was little provision for education in the Belarusian language. In the post-World War II years, and especially in the 1960s and 1970s, the culture of the republic was thoroughly Russified through government policies that emphasized the Russian language. Schools that taught in the Belarusian language were closed, primarily in rural areas. The process of Russification was reversed somewhat between 1985 and 1991, when Mikhail Gorbachev was leader of the USSR, and in the early 1990s. Since the mid-1990s, however, the government has attempted to put an end to the revival of the Belarusian language by advocating Russian as the language of education, particularly in higher institutions. The government has also reviewed all school textbooks for content, denouncing those with anti-Soviet viewpoints and planning for the return of some Soviet texts.

D. Way of Life

The population remains deeply influenced by the Soviet period, retaining its heroes and legends. Belarusians generally revere the past, and former Soviet government leaders tend to dominate society, living in superior apartments and using personal chauffeurs. There also is a small new business-oriented elite with similar privileges. Movements for civil rights and women’s liberation have barely penetrated the social fabric.

Belarusians are fond of sports and excel in gymnastics and rowing. Soccer, basketball, and ice hockey are also popular. Belarus maintains cultural facilities in Minsk and other cities. Such amenities are not available in rural areas, where social occasions tend to be family-centered. The people of Belarus generally hold close family contacts.

E. Social Issues

The post-Soviet period has been marked by a dramatic drop in the standard of living for the majority of the population. Wages have been distributed erratically and have not kept pace with the rising cost of living. Food supplies, though plentiful, are priced beyond the reach of many. Poverty has now embraced more than half the population, and difficult economic times appear to have exacerbated the degree of alcoholism. Meanwhile, much of the country’s new business of the early 1990s was first impeded by high taxation and customs duties and subsequently taken over by organized crime elements.

Many city residents live in dilapidated apartment blocks that were constructed mostly in the 1950s and 1960s. The health care system has attracted international attention because of the ramifications of the Chernobyl’ disaster, but hospitals still lack basic equipment, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines. Infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and diphtheria, are common, and the infant mortality rate is about double the United States average. There has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of thyroid gland cancer among children since the Chernobyl’ disaster. Most of the cases reported each year are among children who were living in the Homyel’ or Brest regions at the time of the explosion. Since 1995 the government has increased restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religions. In 1995 and 1996 there were frequent and violent clashes between those opposing the president’s policies—particularly members of the main opposition movement, the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF)—and the militia. Repression of all government criticism continued in 1997 and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) set up an office in Minsk to monitor human rights issues.