Russia's population continues to fall

Russia’s population dropped by nearly 800,000 last year, the Russian statistics agency said, as the country continued a trend that some demographers have labelled a population crisis.

The Federal State Statistics Service said in a report released today in Moscow that the population dropped by 0.5% – 790,100 – to 143.4 million people as of January 1. In 2003 Russia’s population dropped by 0.6%, or more than 800,000.

The service recorded a slight increase in births last year – just over 1% to 1,508,000 – while deaths deceased by 0.9% to 2,298,100, trends that could be attributed in part to the country’s relative economic revival over the past few years.

Russia’s population, which is the largest in Europe, has been declining steadily since 1992.

Increased poverty, alcoholism, out-migration and degradation of the health care system have been blamed for reducing birth rates and life expectancy since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

In a report last year, the UN Development Programme urged Russian officials to pay attention to the country’s demographic crisis. The report forecast that the population could shrink by one-and-a-half times by mid-century if the state fails to provide better medical and social care for its citizens.

The statistics agency also said average per capita income as of January was 5,353 roubles, an increase of 2.4% from the previous January.