Russia had Almost 600,000 More Deaths than Births in 2024 -- and that Doesn’t Include Losses in Ukraine, Rosstat Reports

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Feb. 22 – Russia’s population continued to decline in 2024, the result of fewer births – 1.2 million or 3.4 percent fewer than in 2023 – and more deaths – 1.8 million or 3.3 percent more than last year – and these figures from Rosstat, the Russian government’s statistical arm, do not include Russian deaths in Puti’s war in Ukraine.
    These trends reflect the declining number of women in the prime child-bearing cohort and the aging of the Russian population overall, experts say (newizv.ru/news/2025-02-22/rodilsya-poterpel-umer-rosstat-podschital-ubyl-naseleniya-v-god-semi-436013). But they are both an embarrassment and a challenge for the Kremlin.
    An embarrassment because they took place in what Moscow had declared “the Year of the Family” and a challenge because none of the policies the Kremlin is currently promoting, including restricting abortions and increasing maternal capital, is likely to overcome these trends anytime soon. Consequently, the Russian population will continue to fall.