Belarus (Republic of Belarus)

Belarus Republic of Belarus
Status	Independent State
Capital	Minsk
Land Area	202 910km21
Location	Europe
Population	9.5m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	71.46yrs (2017)3
GNI	$15 629 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	BY, BLR, 1125
Internet Domain	.by6
Currency	Ruble (BYR)7
Telephone	+3758

1. Overview
2. Belarus National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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1. Overview

#russia

“After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion remain in place.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Belarus allows the chance to visit a Europe with minimal advertising, no litter or graffiti and a generous people who relish life´s simple pleasures. Eastern Europe´s outcast, Belarus lies at the edge of the region and seems determined to avoid integration with the rest of the continent at all costs. Belarus, widely billed as `the last dictatorship in Europe´, is to the uninitiated a country deeply in thrall to the USSR circa 1974. This is the land of Soviet-style architecture, state-run media and a centralised economy that ensures every supermarket carries the same bland assortment of goods. Despite the hardships, Belarusians still find reasons to be cheerful: traditional folk singing and dancing features prominently on the calendar.

Outside the monumental Stalinist capital of Minsk, Belarus offers a simple yet pleasing landscape of cornflower fields, thick forests and picturesque villages. The country also offers two excellent national parks and is home to Europe´s largest mammal, the zoobr (or European bison). While travellers will always be subject to curiosity, they´ll also be on the receiving end of warm hospitality and genuine welcome.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Belarus National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
49	Russia	49
50	Romania	50
51	Kuwait	51
52	Belarus	52
53	Oman	52
54	Barbados	54
55	Uruguay	54
56	Kazakhstan	56
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
88	Jordan	54.7
89	Dominican Rep.	54.5
90	Vietnam	54.5
91	Belarus	54.4
92	San Marino	54.3
93	Bolivia	54.2
94	Azerbaijan	54.0
95	Oman	54.0
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#Belarus #birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
140	Russia	29.5
141	Georgia	29.7
142	Montenegro	30.0
143	Belarus	30.3
144	Ukraine	30.8
145	Australia	31.3
146	Slovakia	31.6
147	Albania	31.8
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
29	Lesotho	20.5%
30	El Salvador	20.5%
31	Micronesia	19.7%
32	Belarus	18.4%
33	Eritrea	18.0%
34	Croatia	17.1%
35	Liechtenstein	17.1%
36	Cyprus	17.0%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
84	Kazakhstan	2.52
85	Ukraine	1.48
86	Nicaragua	2.52
87	Belarus	1.47
88	Slovenia	1.47
89	Italy	1.47
90	Cyprus	1.46
91	Moldova	1.46
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
42	Grenada	12.1%
43	Ukraine	11.6%
44	Moldova	11.4%
45	Belarus	11.4%
46	Iceland	11.3%
47	UK	11.2%
48	Ivory Coast	11.2%
49	Barbados	10.9%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
105	Bangladesh	71.99
106	Libya	71.76
107	Moldova	71.73
108	Belarus	71.46
109	Egypt	71.33
110	Suriname	71.28
111	Ukraine	71.13
112	Azerbaijan	70.90
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
85	Hungary	9.9m
86	Serbia	9.8m
87	Somalia	9.8m
88	Belarus	9.5m
89	Sweden	9.5m
90	Azerbaijan	9.4m
91	Benin	9.4m
92	Burundi	8.7m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Belarus's population is predicted to fall to 8 883 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an incresingly ageing population must be cared for by fewer and fewer workers. Economic stability can be maintained by increasing foreign workers from younger countries. This country has a fertility rate of 1.47. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#Belarus #equality #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

Belarus is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Belarus comes in the best 20 for the year from which women could participate in democracy₁₈. It does better than average when it comes to opposing gender inequality₁₉ (but high for Europe), commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₀ (but amongst the worst in Europe), its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₁ (but amongst the worst in Europe) and in LGBT equality₂₂ (but one of the lowest in Europe). Belarus does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average for fighting anti-semitic opinions₂₃, its Global Peace Index rating₂₄, fighting corruption₂₅ (one of the lowest in Europe) and in supporting press freedom₂₆ (the worst in Europe). And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 in terms of eliminating modern slavery₂₇ (one of the worst in Europe).

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights, Equality and Freedom in Belarus

5. Peace Versus Instability

#Belarus #human_development #peace #politics

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)28
Pos.		Lower is better Rank28
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
129	Dominican Rep.	129
130	Papua New Guinea	130
131	Syria	131
132	Belarus	132
133	Portugal	133
134	El Salvador	134
135	Macedonia	135
136	Armenia	136
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)28
Pos.		Lower is better Rank28
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
89	India	89
90	Cameroon	90
91	Venezuela	91
92	Belarus	92
93	Ghana	93
94	Qatar	94
95	Peru	95
96	Gabon	96
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)24
Pos.		Lower is better24
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
105	Saudi Arabia	2.18
106	Haiti	2.18
107	Cambodia	2.21
108	Belarus	2.21
109	Uzbekistan	2.22
110	El Salvador	2.22
111	Egypt	2.22
112	Jamaica	2.22
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₄. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₄ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₄.

6. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Religiosity (2009)29
Pos.		Lower is better %29
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
7	France	30
8	Vietnam	30
9	Russia	34
10	Belarus	34
11	Latvia	39
12	Luxembourg	39
13	Hungary	39
14	Albania	39
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)30
Pos.		Higher is better %30
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
27	Austria	18
28	Slovakia	17
29	Switzerland	17
30	Belarus	17
31	Greece	16
32	Iceland	16
33	Spain	15
34	Israel	15
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₁:

Christian	71.2%
Muslim	0.2%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	28.6%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 71.8% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 34% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)₃₂.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#Belarus #internet #it_security #politics #the_internet

Freedom On The Internet (2012)33
Pos.		Lower is better33
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
	...
34	Egypt	59
35	Thailand	61
36	Pakistan	63
37	Belarus	69
38	Bahrain	71
39	Saudi Arabia	71
40	Vietnam	73
41	Ethiopia	75
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

Internet Users (2016)34
Pos.		Higher is better34
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
75	Montenegro	62%
76	Bosnia & Herzegovina	62%
77	Azerbaijan	61%
78	Belarus	61%
79	St Vincent & Grenadines	60%
80	St Lucia	59%
81	Bulgaria	59%
82	Turkey	58%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)35
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio35
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
92	Cameroon	0.0
93	Kyrgyzstan	0.0
94	Cambodia	0.0
95	Belarus	0.0
96	Azerbaijan	0.0
97	Angola	0.0
98	Armenia	0.0
99	Cape Verde	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

IT Security (2013)36
Pos.		Lower is better36
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
	...
52	Nigeria	1.18
53	Mauritania	1.19
54	Azerbaijan	1.21
55	Belarus	1.22
56	Armenia	1.22
57	Malawi	1.23
58	Turkmenistan	1.23
59	Kazakhstan	1.23
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #Belarus #genetics #health #mental_health #obesity #organ_donation #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #UK

Belarus is a pretty unhealthy country. Belarus comes in the best 20 when it comes to number of organ donors₃₇. It does better than average in terms of its adolescent birth rate₁₉ (but bad for Europe) and in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₂₈ (but high for Europe). Belarus does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₈, its immunizations take-up₃₉ (one of the lowest in Europe) and in its alcohol consumption rate₄₀. It falls into the worst 20 in terms of its suicide rate₄₁ (one of the highest in Europe). And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom in its smoking rate₄₂. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)40
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita40
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
160	Uruguay	10.8
161	Cyprus	10.8
162	Serbia	11.1
163	Belarus	11.2
164	Andorra	11.3
165	Equatorial Guinea	11.3
166	Hungary	11.4
167	UK	11.5
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₄₃ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₄₄ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₄₅ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₄₆. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₄₇. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Organ Donors (At Death) (2017)37
Pos.		Higher is better pmp37
1	Spain	46.9048
2	Portugal	34.0148
3	Belgium	33.6248
	...
9	Czechia	25.51
10	Austria	24.7048
11	UK	23.0549
12	Belarus	22.10
13	Norway	22.06
14	Canada	21.91
15	Finland	21.41
16	Slovenia	20.87
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)28
Pos.		Lower is better Rank28
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
64	Lithuania	64
65	Cambodia	65
66	Georgia	66
67	Belarus	67
68	Brunei	68
69	Paraguay	69
70	Latvia	70
71	Liberia	71
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)38
Pos.		Lower is better %38
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
132	Cyprus	59.1
133	Iceland	59.1
134	Montenegro	59.4
135	Belarus	59.4
136	France	59.5
137	Belgium	59.5
138	Lithuania	59.6
139	Croatia	59.6
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₅₀. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₁. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₁ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₂ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₃. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₅₄. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₅₅.

Smoking Rates (2014)42
Pos.		Lower is better42
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
175	Luxembourg	2 284
176	Belgium	2 353
177	Slovenia	2 637
178	Russia	2 690
179	Macedonia	2 732
180	Lebanon	3 023
181	Belarus	3 831
182	Montenegro	4 125
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)41
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k41
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
84	Japan	49.4
85	Hungary	50.6
86	Kazakhstan	52.4
87	Guyana	52.4
88	Belarus	57.5
89	S. Korea	62
90	Russia	63.4
91	Lithuania	71.7
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. Children's Health

#Belarus #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)19
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100019
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
57	Macedonia	17.6
58	Uzbekistan	17.7
59	Hungary	18.0
60	Belarus	18.2
61	Serbia	19.0
62	Slovakia	20.2
63	Brunei	21.0
64	Bhutan	21.4
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)39
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %39
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
138	Namibia	86.5
139	Dominican Rep.	86.3
140	Panama	86.1
141	Belarus	85.3
142	Canada	85.2
143	Guatemala	85.2
144	Togo	84.3
145	Zambia	84.2
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries