Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Starts Census Amid Pandemic, Demographic Crisis

Russia's population statistics will be closely watched for signs of the human cost of the pandemic. Donat Sorokin / TASS

Russia on Friday launched a population census delayed several times by the coronavirus pandemic that has exacerbated the country's worsening demographic crisis.

Russia's population has been in near-constant decline since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, due to a low birth rate, an under-resourced healthcare system, and emigration.

The coronavirus pandemic, which has killed at least 400,000 people in Russia according to the national statistic agency Rosstat, has seriously aggravated the problem.

In 2020, the population shrank by 510,000 people — the sharpest decline in 15 years, Rosstat calculated.

It found that the population, which numbered 146.2 million as of January 1, declined by another 595,000 people by the end of August.

Russia has also seen its birth rate stagnate as the mortality rate spikes, Rosstat data shows.

The country is seeing falling birth rates because the generation becoming parents now were born in the 1990s, when the birthrate fell drastically due to economic uncertainties.

President Vladimir Putin, who has pointed to poverty as a key factor in limiting family size, has over the years announced a litany of financial incentives to encourage Russians to have more children to boost the population.

The census comes as Russia is seeing a surge in coronavirus infections.

This week the country set a pandemic high for both cases and deaths as Russia's jab drive stalls and a lack of strict restrictions allow the virus to spread unchecked.

To help limit the spread, much of the census will be conducted online, while workers will be regularly tested for the virus, Rosstat said.

Russia has conducted two previous census counts since the fall of the Soviet Union, in 2010 and 2002.

One of the only times Russia's population has grown in the years since the Soviet collapse was in 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine, adding more than 2.5 million people.

The census will run until November 14 and preliminary population figures are expected in April.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more