Demographic development of Belarus: current state and main trends

Abstract

The article considers the main stages of demographic development in Belarus, as well as the evolution of the organizational framework for ensuring demographic security. It is determined that the main tool for ensuring demographic security is national demographic programs, the successful implementation of which has significantly reduced the volume of natural decline in the population of Belarus and stabilized the population of the country.It has been shown that the current state of the demographic situation in the Republic of Belarus is characterized by an increase in the natural decline in the population due to low fertility and high mortality, a deterioration in the age structure, and an aging population. The authors associate the onset of a new wave of depopulation with the transition of Belarus to a new type of reproduction of the population, for which it is natural to transform reproductive behavior towards a decrease in the norms of childhood, as well as with the entry into reproductive age of small cohorts of the 90s of the last century.The authors conclude that, despite the notable positive results of the last decade, the demographic outlook of the country remains very mixed. In this regard, in order to solve the whole set of demographic problems currently facing Belarus, it is necessary to create a new paradigm for the development of State demographic and migration policies that can prevent and mitigate demographic threats and contribute to the formation of a progressive type of population reproduction.