ICT (Belarusian market)

2024: The share of ICT in the GDP of Belarus for the year increased from 4.5% to 4.9 %

At the end of 2024, the share of information and communication technologies GDP Belarus in reached 4.9%. For comparison, a year earlier this figure was 4.5%. This is stated in the materials with which TAdviser I got acquainted in early March 2025.

In Belarus, the active development of the ICT sector continues. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in 2024 89.5% of the country's population uses the Internet and the same share of households have a connection to the Network. 98.8 percent coverage of 3G and 4G/LTE cellular networks is provided, and the number of mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 residents is 65.2. The average mobile Internet traffic per subscription reaches 143.5 GB, fixed broadband - 1502 GB. The cost of the mobile and voice package is 1.6% of the gross national income per capita, fixed broadband internet access - 0.7%.

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Фото: Unsplash

According to the Ministry of Communications and Informatization of Belarus, as of January 1, 2025, the total number of cellular subscribers in the republic amounted to 11.88 million. The penetration rate of these services reached 129.7 connections per 100 residents. The development of 3G and 4G cellular networks ensures a stable growth of mobile broadband Internet access subscribers: their number in 2024 amounted to 9.74 million with a penetration of services of 106.38 units per 100 residents.

In 2024, more than 2.3 thousand base stations of cellular communication were put into operation in Belarus, and their total number increased by 7% and exceeded 40 thousand. Work has begun on the design and construction of 400 cell towers in the sparsely populated countryside, of which 100 are scheduled to be commissioned in 2025.

The ITU ICT Development Index (IDI) in Belarus rose from 86.9 in 2023 to 88.5 in 2024. This indicator reflects progress towards the implementation of the concept of universal and significant connections, defined as the possibility of equal Internet access for everyone, at an affordable price, anywhere and at any time. In 2024, Belarus improved results in seven out of nine indicators, while in two indicators - the cost of a basket of fixed broadband Internet access and the number of people with a mobile phone - the country showed the maximum value (100%).

In 2024, the Digital Project Showcase became available for all categories of users in Belarus - a platform on which information about information systems, information resources and IT solutions is combined. According to the Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the country, this platform contains information about more than 120 digital projects of residents of the High-Tech Park: they cover such areas as the banking sector and financial services, public administration, industry, housing and communal services, communications and telecommunications, trade and advertising, health care, transport and logistics.

New state programs and their projects will be conducted in a specialized information system created by order of the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Communications and Informatization within the framework of the State Program "Digital Development of Belarus" for 2021-2025. The project involves the automation of part of the manual work of employees. The system is expected to improve the quality of monitoring, free up resources for deeper analytics of the development of social and economic processes, as well as allow for prompt response and management decisions.^[1][2]

2020

Belstat: ICT companies are the most "surviving" in Belarus

In September 2021, the National Statistical Committee of Belarus (Belstat) published a report on business demography. It provides statistical indicators of activity, "fertility," "survival," "mortality" and business growth.

According to the statistics presented, in 2015, more than 300 new companies representing the information and communication technology (ICT) industry appeared in the country. In 2020, over 200 companies "survived." The "survival" rate of such a business is estimated at 60.8%, which was the highest among other industries.

For comparison, the "survival rate" of industrial enterprises, as well as organizations specializing in professional, scientific and technical activities, was 57.7% and 57.2%, respectively, and this is the best results after the ICT business.

The level of "survival" of enterprises is determined by the percentage of the number of "born" and "survivors" in all subsequent years of enterprises to the number of "born." "Surviving" enterprise refers to a company that maintains a state of activity in the year of "birth" and in subsequent years.

By the end of 2020, there were about 105 thousand working companies from the ICT industry in Belarus. Their share in the total number of enterprises turned out to be equal to 4%.

As statistics show, in 2020, a decline in the registration of new companies was recorded in Belarus. If in 2019 9293 new enterprises appeared in the country, then in 2020 - 7153. The decline was also recorded among active enterprises. In 2019, there were 106,916 such units, and in 2020 - 104 877. At the same time, there is no data on "dead" enterprises for 2020 in the statistical bulletin. Therefore, it cannot be understood whether the mortality rate of enterprises exceeded their birth rate in the pandemic (COVID-19) year.^[3]

Increase in the number of unprofitable ICT companies by 2 times (up to 23), their total losses - 50 million Belarusian rubles

According to the National Statistical Committee of Belarus (Belstat), in 2020, 23 unprofitable companies operating in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector were registered in the country. In 2019, the number of such firms was measured 11.

If the number of unprofitable ICT companies in Belarus has doubled, then their total losses - four times, to 50 million Belarusian rubles at the end of 2020.

In terms of total net profit of companies, the ICT industry was in second place after the manufacturing industry. In 2020, the total net profit of Belarusian ICT companies increased by 36% and amounted to about 1.88 billion Belarusian rubles. The indicator of manufacturing enterprises is 2.78 billion rubles.

According to the National Statistics Committee, the number of unprofitable organizations in 2020 compared to 2019 increased from 935 to 1040 (by 11.2%), their share - from 13.6 to 15.1%. The net profit of organizations as of January 1, 2021 amounted to 6 billion 104.1 million rubles (a decrease of 42.6%).

According to the publication Dev.by, the data of official statistics do not fully reflect the financial situation in the "information and communications sector," including in IT companies. Belstat's calculations take into account the indicators of only part of the large companies of the High Technology Park (HTP). More complete information about the total profit directly of IT companies with offices in Belarus ( excluding communications) will not appear until May. Similar information on HTP residents, taking into account startups, will appear even later. By February 18, 2021, only the total net profit for IT companies for 2019 is known - 571 million Belarusian rubles, according to the publication.

In 2020, against the background of the political crisis in Belarus, part of the IT-Business was transferred to other countries. The impact of this relocation on the economy by February 18, 2021 has not been calculated. The export of telecommunications, computer and information services only five years earlier grew 2.5 times to a third of the total export of services in the country.^[4]

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