Belarus population pyramid 2026
8,937,018 people in 2026 (projected). Belarus has a very large gap between men and women in old age: at ages 80–84 there are only about 36 men for every 100 women.
- 2026 population
- 8.9Mrank 102 of 237
- Median age
- 41.8 yearsoldest rank 47
- Fertility rate
- 1.23births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Older18.9% age 65+
Belarus population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
Hover over or tap a bar to see exact values.
Download this population pyramid
Use the publication-ready SVG, create a high-resolution PNG, or download the complete age-by-sex dataset.
The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Belarus age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 15.5% of the population, while 18.9% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 65.7% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Belarus’s age structure as older; the guide to constrictive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 52.3: about 52 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (23.5 children and 28.8 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Belarus’s population pyramid
The war and the missing men
Belarus was among the territories most devastated in the Second World War, losing a very large share of its pre-war population through fighting, occupation and mass killing. The 1950 pyramid records this directly. Men aged 25–34 are about a third fewer than women of the same age, and the 5–9 band, born about 1941–45, is a notch narrower than every other band below 25.
The male shortage among older people today has a different main cause. Life expectancy barely moved for four decades, from about 71.7 years in 1970 to 70.5 in 2010, and men still live about nine years less than women (70.1 against 79.5 in 2026). The sex ratio falls from parity at ages 40–44 to 76 men per 100 women at 60–64, 56 at 70–74 and 36 at 80–84. Overall there are about 87 men per 100 women. The guide to sex ratios by age explains how a mortality gap of this size reshapes the top of a pyramid.
Alternating cohorts and a narrowing base
Below 50 the pyramid alternates between wide and narrow bands, in a pattern shared with Russia and Ukraine, whose profiles are set side by side in the Russia vs Ukraine comparison. The large cohorts born in the 1980s now form the widest bands, at 35–44. Fertility then fell to about 1.3 by 2000, and the cohorts born 2002–06 form a notch at ages 20–24, about 11% smaller than their neighbours. A later rise in births produced a bulge at 10–14 (born about 2012–16), about 19% larger than the bands around it; this coincided with expanded family support, although the chart alone cannot isolate the effect of policy.
Since then the base has shrunk sharply. The total fertility rate is now about 1.2, and the 0–4 band is about 43% smaller than the 10–14 band. Deaths have exceeded births every year since 1993, and in 2026 there are roughly two deaths for every birth. Migration plays only a small part, with net outflows of about 73,000 between 2000 and 2023, so the decline from the 1993 peak of about 10.2 million is almost entirely natural.
Under the medium scenario the population falls to about 7.5 million in 2050 and 4.4 million in 2100, when more than a third of residents would be 65 or older.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | 2012–2016 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +19% |
| 20–24 | 2002–2006 | Notch (smaller cohort) | −11% |
Deaths have exceeded births every year since 1993. People aged 65 and older came to outnumber children under 15 between 2020 and 2023.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Belarus is projected to record 61,280 births (about 168 births a day) and 119,042 deaths, a natural decrease of 57,762. Net migration adds −3,608 people, ranking #126 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 2,326,616 births, 3,183,522 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −72,639. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −66,972 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 79.5 years62.2 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 70.1 years54.6 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 16.4 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 2.3per 1,000 births · 92 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 2.9per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 29.0 yearssex ratio at birth 105.9
Women in Belarus are projected to live 9.4 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 92 to 2.3 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #219 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 29.0 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Belarus
The median age of 41.8 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.23 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 75.0 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,937,018 | #102 | Largest first |
| Median age | 41.8 years | #47 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.23 | #215 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | -0.7% | #217 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 75.0 years | #128 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 18.9% | #53 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Belarus
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40–44 | 737,567 | 8.3% | 369.4K / 368.2K |
| 2 | 35–39 | 724,968 | 8.1% | 369.4K / 355.5K |
| 3 | 45–49 | 653,103 | 7.3% | 318.5K / 334.6K |
| 4 | 60–64 | 613,974 | 6.9% | 265.7K / 348.3K |
| 5 | 50–54 | 613,319 | 6.9% | 288K / 325.3K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Belarus has 4,162,685 males and 4,774,333 females. That is 87.2 males per 100 females, ranking #227 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 46.6% of the population and females for 53.4%. There are 611,648 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 52.5 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.9 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Belarus has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 7,127,594 in 1950 to 8,937,018 in 2026, a change of 25%. Over the same span, median age moved from 23.7 to 41.8 years.
The under-15 share changed from 30.1% to 15.5%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 7.5% to 18.9%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Belarus’s population is projected to decline by about 17%, reaching 7,453,546 in 2050. The median age changes from 41.8 to 48.1 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 8.6 percentage points to 27.5%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 12.7%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest estimated population of 10,241,320 in 1993. Historical population totals are estimates rather than exact head counts. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 7,127,594 | 23.7 | 2.64 | 58.6 | 163,567 | 109,699 | +1,149 | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 8,207,998 | 25.7 | 2.76 | 69.3 | 207,507 | 65,641 | −27,382 | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 9,014,896 | 29.1 | 2.29 | 71.7 | 143,229 | 71,514 | −8,643 | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 9,603,170 | 30.0 | 1.98 | 70.7 | 151,899 | 94,048 | +16,616 | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 10,186,260 | 32.0 | 1.86 | 71.1 | 138,539 | 107,828 | −26,497 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9,991,313 | 35.6 | 1.27 | 68.5 | 90,546 | 140,614 | +1,812 | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 9,490,752 | 37.9 | 1.48 | 70.5 | 106,778 | 135,663 | +10,300 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 9,350,944 | 39.6 | 1.37 | 72.3 | 83,089 | 147,592 | −33,954 | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 9,115,680 | 40.5 | 1.21 | 74.4 | 65,050 | 121,587 | −3,034 | -0.7% |
| 2024* | 9,056,696 | 40.9 | 1.22 | 74.6 | 63,679 | 118,967 | −3,119 | -0.7% |
| 2026* | 8,937,018 | 41.8 | 1.23 | 75.0 | 61,280 | 119,042 | −3,608 | -0.7% |
| 2030* | 8,687,632 | 43.6 | 1.26 | 75.7 | 58,735 | 118,802 | −3,319 | -0.7% |
| 2040* | 8,064,466 | 47.5 | 1.33 | 77.3 | 64,586 | 122,842 | −2,809 | -0.8% |
| 2050* | 7,453,546 | 48.1 | 1.38 | 79.0 | 58,430 | 121,116 | −1,701 | -0.9% |
| 2060* | 6,753,786 | 49.2 | 1.41 | 80.5 | 41,638 | 112,919 | −1,510 | -1.1% |
| 2070* | 6,044,486 | 52.6 | 1.44 | 82.0 | 42,259 | 108,607 | −1,347 | -1.1% |
| 2080* | 5,407,683 | 52.9 | 1.46 | 83.4 | 39,896 | 98,003 | −1,496 | -1.1% |
| 2090* | 4,857,564 | 52.1 | 1.47 | 84.6 | 31,074 | 81,331 | −1,242 | -1.1% |
| 2100* | 4,350,962 | 53.5 | 1.49 | 85.9 | 29,060 | 78,344 | −1,043 | -1.2% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 171,516 | 162,069 | 333,585 | 3.7% |
| 5–9 | 236,947 | 224,121 | 461,068 | 5.2% |
| 10–14 | 302,294 | 284,486 | 586,780 | 6.6% |
| 15–19 | 270,003 | 254,457 | 524,460 | 5.9% |
| 20–24 | 220,361 | 208,797 | 429,158 | 4.8% |
| 25–29 | 225,336 | 212,765 | 438,101 | 4.9% |
| 30–34 | 281,555 | 270,050 | 551,605 | 6.2% |
| 35–39 | 369,433 | 355,535 | 724,968 | 8.1% |
| 40–44 | 369,382 | 368,185 | 737,567 | 8.3% |
| 45–49 | 318,545 | 334,558 | 653,103 | 7.3% |
| 50–54 | 288,031 | 325,288 | 613,319 | 6.9% |
| 55–59 | 262,653 | 318,267 | 580,920 | 6.5% |
| 60–64 | 265,693 | 348,281 | 613,974 | 6.9% |
| 65–69 | 246,404 | 365,750 | 612,154 | 6.8% |
| 70–74 | 163,718 | 293,394 | 457,112 | 5.1% |
| 75–79 | 101,687 | 220,846 | 322,533 | 3.6% |
| 80–84 | 36,112 | 101,566 | 137,678 | 1.5% |
| 85–89 | 25,052 | 92,385 | 117,437 | 1.3% |
| 90–94 | 6,683 | 28,679 | 35,362 | 0.4% |
| 95–99 | 1,217 | 4,600 | 5,817 | 0.1% |
| 100+ | 65 | 254 | 319 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Belarus’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Russia97% overlap · median age 40.7
- Ukraine97% overlap · median age 41.8
- North Macedonia96% overlap · median age 41.4
- Latvia95% overlap · median age 43.8
- Slovakia95% overlap · median age 42.8
- Poland95% overlap · median age 43.0
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Belarus.
Use this chart in your work
Charts and tables may be reused with attribution. Please link to this page and credit the United Nations as the data source.
Embed the population pyramid
Cite this page
APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Belarus Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/belarus/
MLA
“Belarus Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/belarus/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Belarus Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/belarus/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Belarus in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Belarus's population in 2026 is projected at 8,937,018.
What is the median age in Belarus?
The projected median age in Belarus in 2026 is 41.8 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Belarus?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.23 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Belarus's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will decline by about 17%, from 8.9M to 7.5M.
What share of Belarus is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 18.9% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 27.5%.
How many babies are born in Belarus each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 61,280 births and 119,042 deaths in 2026, about 168 births a day. Deaths exceed births by 57,762.
What is life expectancy in Belarus for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 79.5 years for women and 70.1 years for men, a gap of 9.4 years in favour of women.
Does Belarus have more immigrants or emigrants?
Belarus is projected to lose about 3,608 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −72,639.
What is the sex ratio in Belarus?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 87.2 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.