In July 1994, an around 10,405,000 people lived in Belarus, with additional populations of ethnic Belarusians living in Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Ethnic Belarusians in the West living primarily in Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, the United States, Canada, and Argentina numbered more than 1 million.

population of Belarus was 10,152,000; a 2001 estimate was 10,350,000, giving the nation a population density of 50 persons per sq km. The most famous demographic trend since the 1950s has been the steady migration of the population from the villages to urban centers, and the correspondent aging of the population remaining in the rural areas. In 1959 urban residents accounted for 31 % of the population; in 1979 they accounted for 55 %; and in 1999 they accounted for about 74 %. The most populated cities are Minsk, the capital and largest city; Homyel’; Mahilyow; Vitebsk; Hrodna; and Brest.