02 December 2003 18:19
Russian census indicates no likelihood of imminent rise in birth rate
Yekaterinburg, 2 December: Every woman in Russia would have to have at least five children to keep the population
figure at its current level. At present the birth rate is an average 1.5 children per woman, [First] Deputy Chairman of
the Russian State Statistics Committee Aleksandr Surinov said at the TASS-Ural regional news centre where he was summing
up the results of the all-Russia population census.
"It's impossible to increase the birth rate so drastically since women's focus on motherhood has
changed and the institution of the family itself is changing," Surinov said. According to the census results, up to
30 per cent of children are born to unmarried parents. More than 3m couples are cohabiting. [Passage omitted]
[ITAR-TASS news agency] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
