Entire Villages Are Disappearing From The Map Of Belarus
- 30.09.2026, 13:36
During Lukashenko's time in office: minus 1,701.
Belarus’s population is declining, and the rural population is shrinking particularly rapidly. Every year, entire villages and hamlets disappear from the map of Belarus. The most recent village to be “abolished” is Pirevichi, located between Zhlobin and Svetlogorsk, according to "Belsat" reports.
On September 23, the so-called Zhlobin District Council of Deputies passed a resolution to liquidate the village of Pirevichi, part of the Dobroshchansky Rural Council in the Zhlobin District of the Gomel Region. The decision was published on September 29 and has taken effect.
According to the state-run newspaper “SB. Belarus Today,” as of 2004, this village—built about a century ago—had only two residents and a single household.
The name Pirevichi will not disappear—there is an agricultural town of the same name nearby, which serves as the center of the Pirevichi Village Council.
Pirevichi is the 19th village in Belarus to be abolished since the beginning of the year, according to Blizko.by. Of these, two are in the Gomel Region, one each in the Brest and Mogilev Regions, and 15 in the Vitebsk Region—9 of which are in the Sharkovshchina District.
Currently, Belarus has the capital as a separate regional-level administrative unit, 6 regions, and 118 districts. According to data from the National Cadastral Agency, these include:
10 cities of regional subordination,
104 district-level cities,
27 urban-type settlements within districts,
52 urban-type settlements within rural councils,
22,973 other types of rural settlements.
According to data from the National Statistical Committee:
20 years ago, there were 23,863 rural settlements in Belarus,
15 years ago—23,467,
10 years ago—23,201,
5 years ago—23,050.
In 1991, when Belarus gained independence, there were 23,615 rural settlements in the country. In 1994, the number suddenly rose to 24,674, but then began to decline again. It is possible that Soviet registries were being standardized during the drafting of the law “On Administrative-Territorial Division.”
In other words, since gaining independence, at least 642 villages have disappeared in Belarus—or as many as 1,701, if counted from 1994 onward and according to the National Statistical Committee.
The current rate at which villages are disappearing is fairly typical: in the past, there have been even more extensive “cleanups” of abandoned villages. For example, 138 rural settlements disappeared in 2014.
Belarus’s population continues to decline, with the rural population shrinking particularly rapidly. For example:
35 years ago, there were 3,384,737 people living in rural areas in Belarus. They accounted for 33.2% of Belarus’s population.
Fifteen years ago, there were 2,388,025 rural residents, or 24.9% of the total population.
Ten years ago, there were 2,201,940, or 22.4%.
Five years ago, there were 2,069,325, or 22.1%.
As of the beginning of 2026, there were 1,898,771 remaining—less than 21%.