With only one pregnancy in three carried to term because of the prevalence of abortions, Russia’s birth rate has fallen to critical levels, women of child bearing age are having an average of 1.3...

With only one pregnancy in three carried to term because of the prevalence of abortions, Russia’s birth rate has fallen to critical levels, women of child bearing age are having an average of 1.3 children each, lower than the normal level of 2.3 and closer to the critical floor of 1.1. In the 1990s, Russia’s population had decreased by close to 2% with 2.8 million fewer people, according to official figures. Deaths far outpace births by a ratio of 14.7 in 1,000 compared to 8.4. Only 1.2 million children are born each year in Russia, well below the 2 million needed to keep the population at existing levels.