Belarus plans to raise the birth rate and increase life expectancy in the next five-year period. Prime Minister Alyaksandr Turchyn said this while presenting the first priority of the 2026–30 social and economic development program at the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly. It is devoted to demographic security and the development of human potential.
Within the framework of the first priority, it is planned over five years to increase the number of births per 1,000 people from 6.5 to 7, reduce mortality to 11.5 per mille, and extend average life expectancy to 76.5 years.
“Approaches to the payment of state benefits to families raising children will be modernized. To ensure the possibility of young mothers returning to work earlier, access to kindergartens for children under the age of two will be expanded. To comprehensively address issues related to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, it is planned to increase coverage by medical checkups to at least 90% of the adult population,” he said.
According to him, the task is to ensure the operation of at least three interdistrict centers of specialized medical care in each region. This will make it possible to improve access to medical services for patients regardless of their place of residence, as well as to create optimal conditions for early diagnosis of diseases. Plans include the construction and reconstruction of 83 healthcare facilities: more than 40 hospitals, about 19 polyclinics, and 18 specialized centers. The planned volume of investment is 7 billion Belarusian rubles.
To support a healthy lifestyle among the population and the development of professional sports, it is planned to build 72 sports facilities with a total investment of 1 billion Belarusian rubles, including 27 fitness and health centers and 10 swimming pools.
To implement the set objectives, three state programs are being formed: “Development of Demographic Potential,” “Health of the Nation,” and “Physical Culture and Sport.”