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Senior Russian official blames current population drop on societal upheaval in 1990s

Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said there is a population decline of 173,400 people in nine months of 2018

MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. Russia has seen a population loss of 173,400 people in nine months of 2018, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said at a "government hour" symposium held at the Federation Council (upper house).

"According to the latest official data, the birth rate has not exceeded 11 per 1,000 people in nine months of 2018, which was expected," she said, and went on to note that this was "linked to the demographic consequences of the 1990s. The death rate stands at 12.6 per 1,000 people. As a result, we register a population decline of 173,400 people in nine months," she said.

Thus, the decline in mortality rates is not enough to secure a natural increase of the population, Golikova added.

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