Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted demographic challenges as one of the key issues facing Russia and a matter of grave concern for many developed countries during his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on Thursday.

In response to a question from Maxim Dolgov of Readovka, Putin emphasized that declining birth rates are not only a significant issue for Russia but also for many countries globally.

“This is an extremely important matter. In fact, this is one of the key issues for Russia, and not only for our country. You were right to say that demography has become a matter of grave concern not only for Russia but also for many countries around the world,” Putin stated.

He noted that other developed countries face similar challenges. For instance, Norway’s figures roughly match those of Russia, while Finland, Spain, and Japan have even lower birth rates. South Korea has one of the lowest rates in the world, Putin added.

“This is terrible. We have a slightly better situation in Russia, but to reach the replacement fertility rate, we need 2.1 children per woman, and at least 2.3 for our population to grow,” he explained.

The Russian leader traced the roots of the demographic crisis in Russia to two significant historical events: World War II and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Both led to sharp declines in birth rates, with their impacts converging and affecting subsequent generations. While the Soviet Union once achieved a replacement-level fertility rate of 2.0, modern Russia has fallen from a recent peak of 1.7 and currently stands at 1.41 children per woman.

“The number of women of reproductive age has decreased by 30%. We need more girls, young women,” Putin added.

“We are developing a system that encompasses healthcare, childhood, and maternity, and we will continue to do everything to improve these programs,” Putin said, outlining the measures taken by the Russian government to reverse the trend.

These measures include a comprehensive program that provides financial benefits for families with children from pregnancy until the child turns 18, currently benefiting over 10 million children and 320,000 pregnant women. The government also offers maternity capital, which Putin called “a unique tool that no other country provides,” and maintains lower mortgage rates for families with children. Families with a third child receive an additional bonus to help pay off their mortgages.

“We are doing a lot, but it is perfectly clear that these measures are not enough… We will be able to say that ‘yes, we are doing something useful’ only when we can overturn this trend,” Putin said, stressing the importance of continuous improvement and calling on regional leaders to prioritize demographic policies.

“This is what your working day should begin with and end with, because it is a challenge for many countries, Russia included,” he stated. “Population is what makes a country. United territory is good, but it must be populated by the citizens of this country.”

Statistics from Rosstat reveal a significant decline: in 2023, just over 1.2 million children were born in Russia, the lowest figure since 1999 and one-third fewer than in 2014.

This reduction in birth rates has coincided with a decline in the number of marriages. Russia’s divorce rate has reached unprecedented levels, with eight out of ten marriages ending in separation in 2024, according to Elena Mikhailova, an adviser to the director general of the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM). This ratio places Russia third globally for divorce rates, Mikhailova reported at a press conference on Wednesday.