MINSK, 26 July (BelTA) – According to the latest data, the number of people who live in Belarus totaled 9.5 million as of 1 July 2016, BelTA learned from the Belarusian National Statistics Committee.
Migration into the country remains the key factor behind the rising population numbers in Belarus. In H1 2016 Belarus welcomed 4,621 migrants. Belarus has migration exchange mainly with the CIS countries. In January-June 2016 Belarus welcomed 7,728 people from these countries, with 87.4% of them coming from Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. Likewise, people who left Belarus mainly went to the CIS countries. Their share in the total number of people who moved out of Belarus amounted to 68.9%, with 72.1% moving to Russia.
In January-June 2016 natural population decline amounted to 3,031 people, down two times (or 3,047) as compared with the same period a year earlier. In H1 2016, 58,266 babies were born (up 3% or 1,718); 61,297 people died (down 2.1% or 1,329).
In H1 2016 there were 26,644 marriages and 16,459 divorces in Belarus.
