MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. The natural population decline in Russia from January to December 2023 decreased by 17.41% compared to the same period last year and totaled 495,300 people, the Federal Statistics Service (Rosstat) said on its website.

According to the agency, over the 12 months of 2023, 1.265 million children were born, 1.306 million people died, 946,000 marriages and 683,600 divorces were registered.

As Rosstat reported, in 2023, mortality decreased by 7.64%, while the birth rate fell by 3.2%.

In December 2023, 102,500 children were born, 159,000 people died, 77,000 marriages and 58,900 divorces were registered.