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Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin

Putin alarmed by Russia's low birth rate, points out global trend for less babies

As examples, the head of state cited Finland, Norway, and Spain, where the birth rate is even lower than in Russia

MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. The birth rate in Russia is insufficient, mirroring global trends, said Russian President Vladimir Putin at his combined Q&A session and annual press conference with journalists.

The head of state called the demographic problem "extremely important" and one of the key issues facing the world, not only Russia.

"In the Soviet Union, the birth rate [total fertility rate] was approximately 2%. What is the birth rate? This is the number of children per woman. At a certain point, several years ago, we reached about 1.7%. Unfortunately, it has dropped to 1.41%. Is this a lot or a little? Clearly, it’s very low. But other countries in our region are facing the same situation," the President said.

As examples, the head of state cited Finland, Norway, and Spain, where the birth rate is even lower than in Russia.

"In many other countries it is lower. In some developed countries, say, in Japan, it is lower still.

In South Korea it is 0.7%, which is alarming. So, we’re doing a bit better," Putin noted.

To ensure population replacement, the birth rate must be raised to at least 2.1% and in order to achieve population growth the number must reach 2.3%, the head of state said.

"I have already spoken many times about what happened in previous decades. We had a sharp decline in the birth rate during the Great Patriotic War, in 1943-1944, and then after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the same thing happened, the same result as after the war. A sharp decline in the birth rate," he recalled.

As smaller generations reach childbearing age, they have fewer children, and the cycle continues, Putin explained.

"And then these two trends of falling birth rates converged, both during the Great Patriotic War and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It's like a sine wave, everything continues. And for us, this is a difficult test," Putin summed up.

Earlier, the President ordered that the total fertility rate in the country be increased to 1.6 by 2030. In Russia, in 2023, the indicator fell to 1.41, while in 2022 it was 1.42. Also, the total fertility rate in rural areas has fallen by almost a third since 2013 - from 2.227 to 1.575 in 2023.

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Russia's domestic policy

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