State support of large families is an investment in the future of Belarus.

        Taking care about children and stimulating the population growth are vital for the preservation of the country, head of the department for the human population, gender and family policy of the Labor and Social Security Ministry of Belarus Vera Labkovich told a press conference.
      According to the 2009 census, there were 1,200,477 families with minor children in Belarus. They accounted for 47% of the total number of families in the country. The share of large families was at 5.2%. Last year almost half of births were given to second, third and subsequent children.
       Belarusian laws envisage a range of preferences and legal guarantees in order to create favorable conditions for upbringing children in large families. The most significant among them is state support in housing construction (renovations). There are preferences in the education sector. Belarus also provides tax, labor, pension and other preferences. According to Vera Labkovich, one-parent families with a disabled child, families with two and more disabled children as well as families with twins and more children are eligible for free babysitting services.