Press releases

17 Sep 2026

Belstat: Belarus is among Europe’s top ten forested states

An archive photo

MINSK, 17 September (BelTA) – The National Statistical Committee of Belarus (Belstat) has presented a review for Forest Workers’ Day marked in Belarus on the third Sunday of September (20 September in 2026), BelTA has learned.

Belarus is among the top ten forested states of Europe: 40.5% of the country’s territory is covered by forest. In 2025, the forested area amounted to 8,402,900 hectares, which is 26,600 hectares more than in 2024.

Of the country’s total forested area, 1,364,700 hectares fall to nature reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and natural monuments.

In 2025, there were 0.9 hectares of forested land per Belarusian.

As of 1 January 2026, forest cover stood at 46.9% in Gomel Oblast, 42.4% in Vitebsk Oblast, 39.6% in Mogilev Oblast, 38.6% in Minsk Oblast, 36.8% in Brest Oblast and 36.2% in Grodno Oblast.

The area of reforestation and afforestation in 2025 amounted to 38,200 hectares, of which 76.4% was planting and sowing of forests. In nurseries, 125 hectares were sown with seeds of tree and shrub species, of which 29.1% were improved seeds.

In 2025, 36,700 people were employed in forestry and logging. The average age of workers is 44. The sector is predominantly male: women account for only 18.7% of the total. The distribution by level of education is as follows: 23.9% of workers have higher education, 23% secondary specialized education, 32.1% vocational-technical education, and 21% secondary and basic education.

As of 1 January 2026, the country had 114 legal entities operating in forestry. The nominal accrued average monthly wage in forestry and logging reached Br2,493.8 in January-July 2026, 9.4% higher than in the same period of 2025.

The country’s forest resources made it possible to harvest 24,093,100 cubic meters of commercial timber, 3,700 tonnes of resin and 12,400 tonnes of birch sap in 2025. A total of 38.2 tonnes of seeds of tree and shrub species were also collected, almost half of them, 49.4%, being seeds of English oak.