Population
Minsk occupies the 116th place among the large cities of the world by its population which makes over 1 million 797 thousand people. 18,5% of the total population of the country is concentrated in the city.

Table 1. «The population of area»
Table 2. «Manpower»
Table 3. «Distribution of the population by ownership patterns»

Transport corridors
Minsk is located in the crossing of the main roads that connect the Baltic area and Black Sea Area, Western and Eastern Europe.

Economics of the region
General characteristics
At present, 327 industrial enterprises are operating in the city; their production output made over 26,263 trillion roubles in 2008..

Table 4. «Indices of the main social and economic indicators»
Table 5. «The main industrial performances»
Table 6. «Indices of total production volume by branches of industry»
Table 7. «Indices of production volume in agriculture»
Table 8. «The main investments and construction indicators»

The industrial complex is based on the enterprises of: engineering industry and metalworking– 56.9%, power industry – 13.7%, food industry – 115%, light industry – 6.1%, forestry and woodworking industry – 2%, chemical and petrochemical– 0.8%, other – 9%. 54.4% of able-bodied population is employed in the state-owned enterprises, 44.1% - in private enterprises, 1.5% - in foreign companies.

Foreign economic activities in the region
Foreign trade indices for the city of Minsk

Table 9. «The main indices of foreign trade»
Table 10. «Foreign trade with certain countries outside CIS»
Table 11. «Foreign trade of the region with CIS member-countries»

Foreign trade indices for the city of Minsk
Sustainable development of the city’s economics depends, to great extent, on the state of foreign trade and export potential of the enterprises located in its territory. Minsk enterprises give 1/5 of the total volume of the industrial production of the country. Near 60% of this production are exported abroad. Share of Minsk in the total export volume of the Republic of Belarus makes about 30%. The volume of foreign trade in 2008 was USD 29,5 billions including USD 10,4 billions for export.

The main trade partners of the exporting organizations of Minsk outside CIS were Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Great Britain, which share made more than half of goods exported to foreign countries. Germany remains permanent and stable trade partner. Supplies to Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Denmark, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Finland, France, Czechia, Sweden, USA increase annually.

It is worth mention, that a considerable volume of export to some European countries is accounted for by growth of oil products delivery. From this it follows, that there is a need for strengthening other commodity positions.

Foreign investments
The capital of the Republic of Belarus – the city of Minsk – is a sufficiently attractive region for national and foreign investors. Role of the city in the economic life of this country cannot be overestimated. The city occupies only 0.1% of the Republic’s territory, with its population about 2 million people. 327 industrial enterprises are located in the city providing for about 23% of the total volume of industrial production in the Republic. Their products is exported to 107 countries of the world. The following factors, attractive for foreign investors, are worth mention regarding the city:

relatively stable social and macroeconomic situation;

high concentration of export-oriented industrial potential, well provided with scientific manpower and labour;

powerful construction complex of the city, with its own production of construction materials using advanced technologies;

proximity to European and Asian markets;

sufficiently high percentage of enterprises and organizations of communal property, that have undergone privatization and deprivation of the State of its property.

Some other factors may be added to the aforesaid: liberalization of exchange rate, adoption of the Investment Code of the Republic of Belarus, developed transport infrastructure, great number of medium-scale and small companies, etc.

The Minsk City Executive Committee implements the program of investment attraction to the city’s economics through tenders for the right to design and construct the projects in the territory of the city of Minsk, and auctions for land area rent. Such program started as early as 2002. The goal of such tenders and auctions was to ensure openness and transparency of decision making on ground areas allocation for building. Initially, such tenders were applied only to large commercial centers which included supermarkets. Later such approach extended to shared construction or reconstruction of communal property objects, placement of fast service projects, multi-level parking places. Since 2003, filling complexes with related service, projects for motor transport service points, objects of commerce, catering, consumer services, car parking, dwelling houses within the reconstructed territories, office buildings have been added to the projects, the right to which design and construction shall be granted through tenders. About 139 tenders and 7 auctions were held in the last year alone.

The main countries that invest in the city’s economics are Russia, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, Latvia, Cyprus, etc.