In Belarus, almost 85% of young people live in cities. This is stated in a review prepared by the National Statistical Committee for Youth Day, according to BELTA.
In Belarus, almost 85% of young people live in cities. This is stated in a review prepared by the National Statistical Committee for Youth Day, according to BELTA.
As of January 1, the youth population in the republic was 1,921.1 thousand, including 985.2 thousand young men and 935.9 thousand young women. 1,628.2 thousand (84.8%) live in cities, and 292.9 thousand people (15.2%) live in rural areas. The largest number of young people are in Minsk (492.2 thousand), Gomel region (273.1 thousand), and Brest region (267.3 thousand).
At the beginning of 2018, young people accounted for 21.9% of the total number of employees in organizations. In the IT sector, every second employee is under 31 years old, and in industry, every fifth employee is under 31. Among construction workers, young people make up 22.4% of the workforce, and in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, they account for 18.3%. Other "youth-dominated" activities include accommodation and food service activities (38.8% of employees are young people), wholesale and retail trade, and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (31.3%), financial and insurance activities (27.5%), and creative, sports, entertainment, and recreation activities (24.6%).
A significant portion of young people are students in secondary vocational and higher education. In Belarus, the system of secondary vocational and higher education provides training for a wide range of specialists ready to work effectively in the modern world.
Regarding marriage, among young people, women predominantly start families between the ages of 20-25 (57.7%), while the majority of young men do so between the ages of 25-30 (60.3%). In 2017, young women gave birth to 66,000 children, with firstborns accounting for more than half (52.6%), second children for 35.8%, third children for 9.1%, and fourth and subsequent children for 2.5%. The overwhelming majority of children (88.5%) were born to young mothers who were in registered marriages, which indicates an increase in the prestige of family among young people.
According to a sample survey of households on living standards, young people are active internet users - in 2017, the share of users aged 14-30 was 98.5%. Among young people living in cities and urban-type settlements, 99.3% use the internet, while among rural youth, this figure is 95.1%. For most young people, the internet is essential for searching for information, watching and downloading movies, listening to and downloading music, and communicating on social networks.
Every year, on the last Sunday of June, Belarus celebrates Youth Day.