Trends, challenges and prospects for demographic security of the country discussed in Minsk
On March 18, 2025, the off-site meeting of the expert consultative council of the Presidium of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus was held in Minsk on the topic: “Demographic Security in the Republic of Belarus: Trends, Challenges, Prospects”. The focus was on strengthening the status of the family, increasing the birth rate, preserving public health and traditional family values.
During the meeting speakers noted that ensuring demographic security, including the development of human capital, family support, protection of motherhood, fatherhood and childhood, is one of the most important components of effective socio-economic development of any state, including Belarus.
Today, a large-scale set of measures to support families is being implemented in the country, including various benefits and paid leave to care for a child under 3 years of age, family capital assignment, benefits and guarantees in the field of labor relations, retirement benefits, provision of housing to large families on a priority basis, reduced-price or free meals in schools, benefits in paying for the use of textbooks and teaching materials, priority accommodation in university dormitories, tax and other benefits.
In 2024, in order to improve legislation regulating marriage and family relations, state protection of children and families in socially vulnerable situations, the Laws of Belarus “On the change of the Laws on the Regulation of Marriage and Family Relations” and “On the change of the Laws on State Benefits for Families Raising Children” were adopted, as well as decrees of the President of Belarus aimed at extending the family capital program until 2030 and expanding opportunities for early use of family capital funds.
Strengthening the status of the family and promoting traditional family values is a national priority for our country. Due to an effective state policy, Belarus is characterized by a high level of informed family planning and childbirth. According to the sociological research on the issues of family formation, stability of family relations and birth rate in changing socio-economic conditions, the majority of our country’s residents believe that there is nothing more important than motherhood and fatherhood, and the average Belarusian dreams of a family with two or three children. This is confirmed by the latest census: there are more large families in the country by 70% – more than 123 thousand, 80% of them with three children.
However, despite the high level of large families, approximately one third of Belarusian families do not realize their reproductive potential to the fullest extent. Firstly, it is connected with the change of life priorities of young people in favor of career and self-realization. Secondly, the average age of maternity and paternity in the republic is constantly increasing. In 2024, the age of a mother at the birth of her first child exceeded 27 years and has increased by more than three years in the last ten years.
At the same time, trends in recent years point to other persistent demographic risks, which are typical not only for Belarus, but also for other developing countries. These include both declining birth rates and aging of the population, migration processes, increasing numbers of injuries and accidental deaths, and changes in the structure of value orientations.
In this regard, the issue of ensuring demographic security continues to remain in the zone of increased attention and requires constant development of new solutions aimed at stabilizing and improving the demographic situation, increasing the birth rate, strengthening the institution of family and marriage. First of all, attention is needed to the coherence of actions to ensure demographic security of all participants involved in this task.
The development of human capital, strengthening the status of the family, and promoting of traditional family values are indispensable conditions for ensuring further sustainable development and prosperity of the Republic of Belarus, as well as for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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