Capital

Belarus

name: Minsk

geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: the origin of the name is disputed; Minsk may originally have been located 16 km to the southwest, on the banks of Menka River; remnants of a 10th-century settlement on the banks of the Menka have been found

Kirgisistan

name: Bishkek

geographic coordinates: 42 52 N, 74 36 E

time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: founded in 1868 as a Russian settlement on the site of a previously destroyed fortress named "Pishpek"; the name was retained and overtime became "Bishkek"

Citizenship

Belarus

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Belarus

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Kirgisistan

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kyrgyzstan

dual citizenship recognized: yes, but only if a mutual treaty on dual citizenship is in force

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Legal system

Belarus

civil law system; note - nearly all major codes (civil, civil procedure, criminal, criminal procedure, family, and labor) were revised and came into force in 1999 and 2000

Kirgisistan

civil law system, which includes features of French civil law and Russian Federation laws

Suffrage

Belarus

18 years of age; universal

Kirgisistan

18 years of age; universal

Area

Belarus

total: 207,600 sq km

land: 202,900 sq km

water: 4,700 sq km

Kirgisistan

total: 199,951 sq km

land: 191,801 sq km

water: 8,150 sq km

Land use

Belarus

agricultural land: 43.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 27.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 15.9% (2018 est.)

forest: 42.7% (2018 est.)

other: 13.6% (2018 est.)

Kirgisistan

agricultural land: 55.4% (2018 est.)

arable land: 6.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 48.3% (2018 est.)

forest: 5.1% (2018 est.)

other: 39.5% (2018 est.)

Location

Belarus

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Kirgisistan

Central Asia, west of China, south of Kazakhstan

Age structure

Belarus

0-14 years: 15.83% (male 764,281/female 721,632)

15-64 years: 66.81% (male 3,055,606/female 3,213,751)

65 years and over: 17.36% (2023 est.) (male 544,270/female 1,084,313)

Kirgisistan

0-14 years: 29.54% (male 928,876/female 879,729)

15-64 years: 63.86% (male 1,914,277/female 1,995,500)

65 years and over: 6.6% (2023 est.) (male 154,684/female 249,715)

Birth rate

Belarus

8.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Kirgisistan

19.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Belarus

13.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Kirgisistan

6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Belarus

Russian (official) 71.4%, Belarusian (official) 26%, other 0.3% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities), unspecified 2.3% (2009 est.)

major-language sample(s):
Книга фактов о мире – незаменимый источник базовой информации. (Russian)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Kirgisistan

Kyrgyz (official) 71.4%, Uzbek 14.4%, Russian (official) 9%, other 5.2% (2009 est.)

major-language sample(s):
Дүйнөлүк фактылар китеби, негизги маалыматтын маанилүү булагы. (Kyrgyz)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Belarus

total population: 74.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 69.6 years

female: 79.9 years

Kirgisistan

total population: 72.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 68.6 years

female: 77 years

Major urban areas - population

Belarus

2.057 million MINSK (capital) (2023)

Kirgisistan

1.105 million BISHKEK (capital) (2023)

Median age

Belarus

total: 41.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 39.1 years

female: 44.6 years

Kirgisistan

total: 28.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 26.7 years

female: 29.5 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Belarus

26.8 years (2019 est.)

Kirgisistan

22.6 years (2019 est.)

Net migration rate

Belarus

0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Kirgisistan

-4.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Belarus

a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

Kirgisistan

the vast majority of Kyrgyzstanis live in rural areas; densest population settlement is to the north in and around the capital, Bishkek, followed by Osh in the west; the least densely populated area is the east, southeast in the Tien Shan mountains

Population growth rate

Belarus

-0.39% (2023 est.)

Kirgisistan

0.82% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Belarus

1.45 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Kirgisistan

2.47 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Belarus

urban population: 80.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Kirgisistan

urban population: 37.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 2.05% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Belarus

4.7% of GDP (2021 est.)

Kirgisistan

6.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Belarus

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 15 years (2021)

Kirgisistan

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2021)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Belarus

2.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Kirgisistan

-3.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Belarus

6.7% (2021 est.)

Kirgisistan

3.1% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Belarus

4.95 million (2021 est.)

Kirgisistan

2.478 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Belarus

5% (2019 est.)

Kirgisistan

20.1% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate

Belarus

4.74% (2021 est.)

4.77% (2020 est.)

4.16% (2019 est.)

note: official registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers

Kirgisistan

9.1% (2021 est.)

8.71% (2020 est.)

6.92% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Belarus

33.24% of GDP (2019 est.)

37.1% of GDP (2018 est.)

39.88% of GDP (2017 est.)

Kirgisistan

72.23% of GDP (2020 est.)

54.23% of GDP (2019 est.)

51.66% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Belarus

9.46% (2021 est.)

5.55% (2020 est.)

5.6% (2019 est.)

Kirgisistan

11.91% (2021 est.)

6.33% (2020 est.)

1.13% (2019 est.)

Exports

Belarus

$49.425 billion (2021 est.)

$37.183 billion (2020 est.)

$41.975 billion (2019 est.)

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Kirgisistan

$3.35 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$2.435 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$3.108 billion (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

Belarus

Russia 42%, Ukraine 13%, United Kingdom 7% (2019)

Kirgisistan

United Kingdom 56%, Kazakhstan 13%, Russia 13%, Uzbekistan 5% (2019)

Imports

Belarus

$45.459 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$35.236 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$42.378 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Kirgisistan

$5.919 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$4.051 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$5.67 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Belarus

Russia 57%, China 7%, Poland 5%, Germany 5%, Ukraine 5% (2019)

Kirgisistan

China 53%, Russia 17%, Kazakhstan 7%, Uzbekistan 7%, Turkey 5% (2019)

Airports

Belarus

65 (2021)

Kirgisistan

28 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Belarus

total: 3,255,552 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 35 (2020 est.)

Kirgisistan

total: 289,000 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Belarus

total: 8.352 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 87% (2021 est.)

Kirgisistan

total: 5.07 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 78% (2021 est.)

Railways

Belarus

total: 5,528 km (2014)

standard gauge: 25 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

broad gauge: 5,503 km (2014) 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)

Kirgisistan

total: 424 km (2022)

broad gauge: 424 km (2018) 1.520-m gauge

Roadways

Belarus

total: 86,600 km (2017)

Kirgisistan

total: 34,000 km (2022)

Telephones - fixed lines

Belarus

total subscriptions: 4,332,754 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 45 (2021 est.)

Kirgisistan

total subscriptions: 300,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Belarus

total subscriptions: 11,760,087 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 123 (2021 est.)

Kirgisistan

total subscriptions: 8.5 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 130 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Belarus

2,500 km (2011) (major rivers are the west-flowing Western Dvina and Neman Rivers and the south-flowing Dnepr River and its tributaries, the Berezina, Sozh, and Pripyat Rivers)

Kirgisistan

576 km (2022)

Disputes - international

Belarus

Belarus-Latvia: boundary demarcated with Latvia

Belarus-Lithuania: boundary demarcated with Lithuania.

Belarus-Poland: as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland has implemented strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its border with Belarus.

Kirgisistan

Kyrgyzstan-China: a 2009 treaty settled a border dispute, with Kyrgyzstan receiving the Khan Tengri Peak and Kyrgyzstan ceding to China the Uzengi-Kush area

Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan: in January 2019, Kyrgyzstan ratified the 2017 agreement on the demarcation of the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border

Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan: as the last major Central Asian boundary dispute with lengthy undelimited sections, the lowland (NE part) of the Kyrgz-Tajik line seems intractable despite recent Kyrgyz-Uzbek compromises and agreements on delimitation and demarcation

Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan: delimitation of approximately 15% or 200 km of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes over enclaves and other areas; Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials signed an agreement in March 2021 on the final delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border; the accord included several land swaps that gave Kyrgyzstan more territory but was offset by Uzbekistan retaining use of reservoirs on Kyrgyz land; although a Kyrgyz official returned from the March 2021 meetings and said the decades-old border dispute was 100% resolved, his talks with residents in some affected areas showed that agreement had not been reached on all border segments