Russia’s population could decrease by half by the end of this century, a new United Nations demographic report has said.
Russia has grappled with stagnating population growth in recent years despite the government’s efforts to reverse the trend as the country’s population ages and fewer people have children. In 2018, Russia’s population declined for the first time in a decade to 146.8 million, while its migration numbers hit a record low.
According to the UN’s “pessimistic” forecast, Russia’s population will fall to 124.6 million by 2050 and to 83.7 million by 2100.
The UN’s “optimistic” forecast said that Russia’s population could also increase to 147.2 million by 2050. The UN’s “average” estimate said that Russia’s population would drop to 135.8 million by that year.
In his 2018 election campaign, President Vladimir Putin pledged to spend $8.6 billion over the next three years on programs including mortgage subsidies and payouts to families to encourage procreation.