Russia’s Population Decline: A Growing National Crisis
Russia is facing a serious population decline, which has become one of the country’s biggest challenges in recent years. In 2024, only 1.22 million babies were born, the lowest number since 1999. Meanwhile, the number of deaths remained higher, accelerating the trend of natural population decrease.
Why Are Fewer Babies Being Born in Russia?
Experts point to several major reasons behind this decline — economic difficulties, financial insecurity, housing problems, and the rise in women’s education and employment levels.
Modern Russian women are more educated and career-oriented than ever before. Many couples are uncertain about the future and concerned about the high costs of raising and educating children. As a result, more people are choosing to have fewer children or to delay parenthood altogether.
This shrinking birth rate poses social, economic, and even defense-related challenges. The workforce is getting smaller, the elderly population is increasing, and fewer young people are available for military service — all of which could impact the country’s long-term stability.
Government Measures to Address the Crisis
To tackle this issue, the Russian government has introduced several family-support programs, including financial assistance for new parents, housing subsidies, maternity benefits, and extended parental leave. However, despite these efforts, the population trend has not improved significantly.
Recently, authorities have announced a controversial and unusual policy — after 10 p.m., electricity and internet services will be temporarily suspended so that couples can spend more time together “offline.” The idea behind this move is to strengthen family bonds and encourage people to focus more on real relationships rather than virtual ones.
Public Reaction and Expert Opinions
The policy has received mixed reactions. Some people see it as an invasion of privacy or an unrealistic measure, while others consider it a creative way to revive family life.
However, demographers and sociologists argue that symbolic actions like this are not enough. Russia needs long-term strategies that ensure economic stability, affordable housing, and stronger family-support systems to help young people feel secure about starting families.