In 2021, 25,000 Russian Children were Born to Women between 12 and 18, Rosstat Reports

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Jan. 6 -- Calls by Russian politicians for women in their country to begin having children earlier and to have more of them build on a trend the Russian statistical agency, Rosstat, reported three years ago. In 2021, the last year for which data is available, 25,000 babies were born in Russia to women aged between 12 and 18.

            That figure, reported at rosstat.gov.ru/compendium/document/13269 and discussed at newizv.ru/news/2024-01-05/mama-v-14-let-v-rossii-poyavlyaetsya-vse-bolshe-nesovershennoletnih-rozhenits-425874, is cheering some who see it as an indication that Russia can overcome its demographic problems but worrying others because many of these young mothers do not get married and start families.

            And demographers like independent scholar Aleksey Raksha warn that such early births may do little to help boost the overall birthrate, given that the average age when women give birth to their first child does not necessarily have the impact on the overall birthrate that many expect.

            Russian women today on average have their first child at 29 but are less likely to have second or third children than those who are older when they are first time mothers.