OREANDA-NEWS The total fertility rate in Russia in 2018 was 1.58. This is the minimum value for the last 10 years. The demographic decline encompassed more than half of the subjects of the Russian Federation.

According to Rosstat, the actual birth rate in the country turned out to be lower than that planned in the national project “Demography”. At the end of last year, the total fertility rate grew in only seven regions.

Experts believe that this situation has developed because the number of women in the so-called reproductive age has decreased (20-29 years old). In addition, there is a tendency to postpone the birth of the first child due to economic instability.

In the first quarter of 2019, the birth rate decreased by 9.1%. In January-March, 355.3 thousand people were born, 462 thousand Russians died, according to Izvestia.