Current status
Unlike many other ethnic minorities in Belarus, such as Roma and Jews, Ukrainians do not face significant discrimination, and multiple members of the government, including President Alexander Lukashenko, are ethnic Ukrainians. The Ukrainian population has multiple organisations dedicated to assistance of the ethnic Ukrainian community (including Ukrainian House and Brest Prosvita ), most of which are primarily based in Brest Region (known in Ukrainian as Beresteishchyna).
Population
Historically, Ukrainians made up a large population of the Belarusian population; in the 1897 census, there were 362,800 Ukrainians in Grodno Governorate, making up 22.9% of the total population of the time. In Kobrinsky and Brestsky Uyezds, Ukrainians made up the majority of the population, at 79.6% and 64.4% of the population, respectively. [3]
In 2009, Ukrainians made up 1.7% of the total population of Belarus, with 158,723 people. The population is primarily located in southern Belarus, and concentrated particularly in Brest Region, but substantial populations exist in all regions of the country. The region with the lowest Ukrainian population is Vitebsk Region, where Ukrainians make up 1.18% of the population. [1]
| Region | Ukrainian population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Brest | 40,046 | 2.86% |
| Gomel | 30,920 | 2.15% |
| Grodno | 14,983 | 1.40% |
| Minsk | 17,745 | 1.25% |
| Minsk (city) | 27,362 | 1.49% |
| Mogilev | 13,110 | 1.19% |
| Vitebsk | 14,557 | 1.18% |
| Total | 158,723 | 1.67% |
Language
Per the 2009 census, many Ukrainians in Belarus have continued to use the Ukrainian language, unlike many other groups such as Lipka Tatars - 29.2% of the total Ukrainian Belarusian population uses it. However, at the same time, a trend of russification has developed among the Ukrainian population; 61.2% of all Ukrainians use the Russian language. By comparison, very few have been inclined to speak the Belarusian language, with only 7.9% of the total Ukrainian population speaking it.
| Region | Belarusian | Russian | Ukrainian | Other/no information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brest | 7.9% | 51.5% | 39.3% | 1.3% |
| Gomel | 9.1% | 62.5% | 26.7% | 1.7% |
| Grodno | 11.2% | 64.0% | 23.4% | 1.4% |
| Minsk | 8.8% | 60.8% | 28.7% | 1.7% |
| Minsk (city) | 5.4% | 67.9% | 23.8% | 2.9% |
| Mogilev | 7.5% | 65.0% | 26.2% | 1.3% |
| Vitebsk | 5.8% | 66.7% | 26.5% | 1.0% |
| Total | 7.9% | 61.2% | 29.2% | 1.7% |
