Who Does Belarus Trade With?

Belarus has trade relations with many countries around the world, including Russia, the EAEU, CIS countries, China, and members of the European Union. In 2022, Belarus traded with 157 countries, exporting goods such as potassic fertilizers, refined petroleum, rapeseed oil, sawn wood, and tractors, and importing goods such as cars, packaged medicaments, light rubberized knitted fabric, and video displays. The country's economy is highly centralized, with a focus on full employment and a dominant public sector, and has been described as a welfare state or market socialist.

Russia is Belarus's main trade partner

In the first half of 2019, Russia accounted for 40.3% of Belarus's total exports and about 55.6% of its imports. Russia is also a significant trade partner for services, with about 35% of Belarus's service exports and 37% of its service imports in the first half of 2019.

The European Union is Belarus's second-largest trade partner, accounting for 19.9% of the country's overall trade in goods in 2021. The EU's main exports to Belarus are machinery (31.2% of total exports), chemicals (15.4%), and transport equipment (12.3%). Belarus's exports to the EU are mainly wood (23.2%), mineral products (21.6%), and base metals (15.3%).

Belarus also maintains trade relations with many other countries worldwide, including China, Ukraine, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Lithuania. In 2022, Belarus traded with 157 countries and exported a total of $10.4 billion worth of goods, making it the 100th largest exporter in the world.

The EU is Belarus's second-largest trade partner

Belarus trades with many countries worldwide, and in 2022, it traded with 157 countries. The country's main trade partners are Russia, China, and other EAEU and CIS countries. The EU is Belarus's second-largest trade partner, and in H1 2019, it accounted for 27.1% of exports and one-fifth of imports. The main EU importers are Great Britain, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Latvia, Belgium, and Norway.

The EU-Belarus bilateral trade in goods declined in 2020 by 7.3%, mainly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in 2021, bilateral trade increased by 27%, reaching €12.9 billion. Belarus's exports to the EU include wood, mineral products, and base metals, while the EU's exports to Belarus consist of machinery, chemicals, and transport equipment.

Belarus's exports to the EU are subject to import tariffs due to Belarus's violations of the core principles of the International Labour Organisation. The EU has imposed sanctions on Belarus and restricted trade due to its involvement in Russia's military invasion of Ukraine and its lack of commitment to democracy and civil rights. Despite these challenges, the EU remains Belarus's second-largest trade partner, and the two continue to have a significant economic relationship.

In addition to its trade with the EU, Belarus has a diverse range of trading partners worldwide. The country exports a wide range of commodities, including oil products, potash fertilizers, trucks, cars, metal products, tractors, tyres, dairy and meat products, and timber. Its imports consist primarily of energy resources, raw materials, and manufacturing equipment. Belarus's trade partners reflect its diverse economic activities and its position as a significant player in the global economy.

Belarus exports potassic fertilizers, refined petroleum, rapeseed oil, sawn wood, and tractors

Belarus has a variety of trade partners across the world, with its major partners being the Russian Federation, EAEU and CIS countries. In 2022, Belarus traded with 157 countries. The country is also working to expand its presence in the markets of Asia, Africa, America and Oceania.

Belarus exports a range of goods, including potassic fertilizers, refined petroleum, rapeseed oil, sawn wood, and tractors. In 2022, Belarus exported $797 million worth of refined petroleum, making it the 70th largest exporter of this product in the world. The main destinations for these exports are Ukraine, Turkey, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Belarus also has a significant tractor manufacturing industry, with tractors exported to over 100 countries, including the United States and Canada. The Minsk Tractor Works in Minsk has produced around 3 million tractors since 1948.

Rapeseed oil is another important export for Belarus, with the country receiving shipments of rapeseed from the Ukrainian region of Kherson. The Belarusian Investigative Center has published an investigation into companies that export agricultural products from occupied territories of Ukraine to Belarus.

In terms of wood exports, in 2021, the top partner countries for Belarus were the Russian Federation, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Germany.

Belarus's imports include cars, packaged medicaments, light rubberized knitted fabric, and video displays

Belarus maintains trade relations with many countries of the world, with trade links to 157 countries in 2022. Its major trading partners include the Russian Federation, EAEU and CIS countries, with an increasingly vibrant relationship with China. Belarus is also working to expand its presence in the markets of Asia, Africa, America and Oceania.

Belaruss' imports include cars, packaged medicaments, light rubberized knitted fabric, and video displays. In 2022, Belarus imported $1.87 billion worth of cars, making it the 58th largest importer of cars in the world. The primary sources of these imports are Germany ($647 million), Lithuania ($597 million), China ($331 million), Poland ($229 million) and the United States ($9.03 million). Belarus also imports packaged medicaments, primarily from China, as well as from Poland, Germany, Lithuania and Turkey. In 2021, Russia imported packaged medicaments from Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and India. Belarus also imports light rubberized knitted fabric, with imports of $318 million in 2022, mostly from China, which is the world's largest exporter of this product. Other sources of light rubberized knitted fabric for Belarus include Turkey, South Korea, the United States and Italy. In 2022, Belarus imported $292 million worth of video displays.

Belarus has trade relations with more than 150 countries

The main exports from Belarus include oil products, potash fertilizers, trucks and cars, metal products, tractors, tires, dairy and meat products, and timber. The country has a diverse range of export commodities, with a focus on wide assortment. The Belarusian export market has seen dynamic growth, with exports increasing by $10.4 billion from 2017 to 2022.

In terms of imports, Belarus relies heavily on energy resources such as oil and natural gas, as well as raw materials and components like metals and machine parts. The country's import market is primarily supplied by Russia, the EU, and other EAEU member states such as Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

Belarus has a vibrant cooperation with China, which is its top export destination. Positive dynamics are also observed with traditional partners in Latin America, including Brazil, Cuba, and Ecuador, and in Asia, with notable mentions being China, India, Vietnam, Israel, South Korea, and Japan. The country is actively working to expand its presence in the markets of Asia, Africa, America, and Oceania.

The Belarusian economy is an upper-middle-income mixed economy, with a focus on centralised political and economic controls by the state. It has been described as a welfare state or market socialist, and it is the world's 74th-largest economy by GDP. The country has a highly efficient health system, a low infant mortality rate, and a high literacy rate.

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