A few words about our position on a very important issue
Demography: What was, is, and will be
The state is made up of people, and people begin with the birth of children. Our children are our future; without children, there is no future, no state. A population's ability to bear children is determined by economic conditions, traditions, and the prevailing social attitudes.
In 2024, it was recorded in Russia historical The birth rate has reached a low point, which was last seen in 1999 after the default. In December 2025, during his "Year in Review" speech, the Russian president set the goal of increasing the fertility rate to two children per woman, emphasizing that childbearing should become a social norm and a "fashionable" phenomenon. He appealed to cultural figures and media representatives to promote motherhood and fatherhood through creative projects.
In June 2025, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', in an interview with Kommersant, called for investment in the birth of children, their upbringing, and development. He believed that society was showing signs of distress: people were abandoning marriage and childbearing. Investments would bear fruit.
In November 2017, the president announced a "reset" of the country's demographic policy, extending the law on maternity capital and proposing the introduction of monthly payments for young families starting in 2018 upon the birth of their first child, up until the child reaches eighteen months. Starting January 1, 2020, families whose per capita income was less than twice the regional subsistence minimum will be eligible for the monthly payment for their first and second child; the average amount is 12,000 rubles.
A family mortgage program has been introduced, with a 6% interest rate. The one-time childbirth benefit, effective February 1, 2026, has increased to 28,450.45 rubles, and the maternity capital amount will increase by the inflation rate of 5,6% and will amount to: 728,900 rubles for the first child; 963,200 rubles for the second child, if the family did not receive the payment for the first child; and 234,300 rubles, if the family previously received the payment for the first child.
The introduction of maternity capital in 2007 played a role – at its peak in 2014–2015, just under two million children were born annually, leading to positive population growth in 2012–2015. The total fertility rate rose to 1,776 children per woman (1,75 in 2014). However, demographic decline has since 2020 accelerated at the same rate as in the early 2000s.
The gains were lost due to policy inconsistency. There were rumors of the program's cancellation after 2016, but it was only extended in December 2015. After 2014, a period of declining incomes began due to the difficult economic situation following the imposition of sanctions, which had an additional effect. Those born in the 90s should now be giving birth, but amid shock therapy and constant crises during this time, a demographic trough has emerged. As of July 2025, the number of women of reproductive age in Russia was 34 million. However, according to forecasts, by 2030 this number will decline to 33,2 million, and by 2046, to 27,4 million.
The consequences of a liberal, raw materials-based economy are clear: natural population decline (the excess of deaths over births) in 2024 was 596,2, up 20,4% from 495,3 in 2023. Meanwhile, Rosstat has classified birth and death rate data in Russia since March 2025, amid a record demographic decline. All of this is depicted in the diagram below.
According to UN forecasts (2018), Russia's population will decline by 12 million people by 2050, despite the country's leadership's efforts to improve demographic indicators. Russia's population in 2018 was 144 million, meaning it will be 132,7 million in 32 years. Calculating the average annual decline: 12 million people / 32 years = 375 per year. However, the facts suggest that the decline, currently around 0,5 million people per year, will not decline unless drastic measures are taken. Of course, they will import Asians and probably Africans, and we will end up like the US and Europe. Labor migration from India is already being planned.
On the difference between the average salary and its value for the majority of the population
Children require certain expenses. The fundamental problem with statistics has long been known, and it's one that trade union leader Anatoly Baranov of New Labor puts it this way: "I ate chicken for dinner, and you went to bed hungry, but on average, you and I ate half a chicken each..."
According to the NAFI Analytical Center (2020), almost half of young and middle-aged Russians (aged 18 to 45 – 46% of respondents) do not want to have children, citing financial instability or a lack of desire. The most common reasons are a difficult financial situation (24%), lack of a partner (15%), and poor housing conditions (12%). But the most disastrous estimate is the additional monthly income required to encourage Russians to have a child: 58 rubles. Compare this to child benefits and wage levels.
According to Rosstat, in October 2025, the nominal accrued wage of workers across all sectors of the Russian economy amounted to 99,707 rubles. However, according to Kommersant's publication "The Rich Recalculated for Taxes" (October 2024), experts from the Higher School of Economics estimated that the incomes of "...the majority of the population—those earning up to 40,000, 40,000–60,000, and 60,000–80,000 rubles... [are] 66%, 18%, and 8%... respectively." Based on these data, the average salary for 92% of the population can be estimated at approximately 44,500 rubles per month.
The most interesting group, "up to 40,000," includes those 20-30,000, and the relative weighting is unknown. Therefore, our estimate is significantly overstated! Meanwhile, our food prices are comparable to those in the US, while technology, cars, and clothing are cheaper there. However, the average monthly salary in the US in 2025 will be $5,783 before taxes (about $69,400 per year).
According to Rosstat, the poverty rate in Russia decreased to 7,4% in the second quarter of 2025 from 8,5% in the second quarter of 2024. At the same time, the number of people with incomes below the subsistence level decreased to 10,8 million in the second quarter of 2025 from 12,4 million in the second quarter of 2024.
However, according to recent calculations by Moscow State University (2023), in reality, about 60% of the Russian population is poor, including: the extremely poor (7,7%)—those who barely have enough to eat; the destitute (those who have trouble buying clothes)—16,0%; and those who have trouble buying household appliances—40,4%. The overall poverty estimate is about 64,1%. But what do we want? After all, Russia doesn't produce like Europe and China; it's squandering its natural capital, exporting not high-value-added goods but resources and grain that require processing. To become a buyer and earn a high salary, you have to be a producer.
It's well known that the lower the share of food expenditure, the higher the standard of living in a country. For example, in the UK it's 10,6%, in Germany – 11,7%. Our citizens spend almost a third – 29,7%. According to RIA Novosti analysts News", Russia ranks 31st out of 40 countries in this indicator among other countries in the world.
For a correct assessment in statistics, it is necessary to introduce the concept not of the average salary, or even the median, but to consider the average salary of the main part of the population - for example, its 80-90%, calculated without taking into account the salary of the most affluent 10-20% group.
What is the reason for this? The main problem is the very slow average growth rate of the Russian economy. Although it increased after the Second World War, it has now fallen again. Russia's average economic growth rate from 1992 to 2023 was only 0.89%. Over the same period, China, whose GDP in 1980 was only (!) 39% of Russia's, is already catching up with the United States. According to Chinese President Xi Jinping's statement in 2018, over the past 40 years, China's GDP has grown by an average of 9,5% annually at comparable prices. Meanwhile, the average economic growth rate of the RSFSR as part of the USSR from 1950 to 1990 was 6.6% (!), and in the 30s, it was around 14! The average global economic growth rate for a sample of 250 countries for the period 2013-2021 was 2.5%.
Mortgages and fertility
As the demographic decline shows, existing measures to stimulate the birth rate—maternity capital and child benefits—have exhausted their potential. The main problem facing young families is housing. It's no wonder the birth rate increased after the introduction of maternity capital in 2007.
Even a preferential mortgage at a 6% rate will drain a young family's resources. Out of a sum of 8 million rubles, that's 40 rubles for the first month—a considerable sum. Mortgages are the preserve of the middle class, and as calculations of the true average wage in our country have shown, they cannot become a "popular" option. According to the Central Bank, at the end of the second quarter of 2025, the number of mortgage borrowers in Russia was approximately 10 million.
Maternity capital hasn't kept pace with rising housing prices. The amount of maternity capital could be recalculated by linking it to the regional cost of a room per child born or a corresponding share of the cost of a detached house. Another option is to provide free housing, similar to the Soviet system. For example, if you have two children, you'll receive a two-room apartment; if you have three, you'll receive a three-room apartment (except for families of ethnic migrants from Central Asia).
The Mystery of "Lonely Hearts" and "Hidden Unemployment"
The latest 2021 census identified 27,6 million single-person households (!). This household composition accounted for the largest share of all household types, accounting for 41,8% of the 66,1 million households. Since 2002, the share of single-person households has almost doubled, from 22,3% in 2002.
All of this is a sign of a serious civilizational, social, economic, and, obviously, spiritual and moral crisis. According to NAFI estimates (2019), more than 7 million elderly people live alone in Russia.
Both the president and the patriarch said the right things. Beyond economic factors, traditions and social attitudes are important here; they worked so well in the USSR. Now, they simply don't exist because the "invisible hand of the market" couldn't create them: it's a matter of state policy. First, there were no employment problems in the USSR, and rented housing—ZhSKs—was much more affordable. A two-room apartment cost 8,000 rubles, while the average monthly salary was around 200 rubles. Second, there was a tax on childless people, and most young people started families between the ages of 25 and 30. There was an unspoken understanding that without a family and children, a Soviet citizen was not "in good shape." Therefore, before the "surge to the market," Russia's population grew at a rate of 800,000 people per year.
It is possible that a significant portion of these isolated farms, besides the egoists, are most likely losers, those who did not fit into the market.
Now let's talk about another factor affecting fertility: employment rates. Official unemployment figures are at a historic low. According to Rosstat, the unemployment rate in Russia in August 2025 was 2,1% of the economically active population. The total number of unemployed in Russia in August 2025 was 1,592 million.
However, according to the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR), hidden unemployment has begun to rise in Russia. By mid-July, the share of employees working in this "reduced" mode had risen to 14,4% of the average headcount, up from 9,1% the previous month. By the end of 2025, 254 employees were underemployed, on layoffs, or at risk of dismissal.
Ilya Mosyagin, assistant to a State Duma deputy and senior lecturer at the Institute of International Economic Relations, predicted the same thing for Gazeta.Ru:
The current trend is highly likely to continue into 2026. This is indicated by slowing economic growth, high credit costs, and weak consumer demand. In this situation, companies prefer to retain staff while waiting for the economic situation to improve and are switching to part-time work arrangements. If current economic policies are maintained, the number of Russians working part-time could increase to 4-5 million.
People don't have children because they're not always in demand in a highly competitive market. What can happen in a country that destroyed its own industry in the 90s and relies heavily on Chinese imports? Look at Trump: he imposes tariffs and encourages local production.
What's the current life plan? Move to Moscow, get an office job, take out a mortgage, buy a car on credit to get around until my mortgage is paid. Family, kids? Yeah, weekend get-togethers. A sterile cohabitation with a "partner."
Unfortunately, during the liberal era, many films were made that degraded family values, but not many that defended them. Let's give the floor to the late priest Dmitry Smirnov, who raised this issue many times:
I would invite all the TV channel CEOs and say, "From now on, we will not have a single film that shows the destruction of the family... You will find the best, strongest, and most wonderful families and you will tell stories about them. You will talk about the love of children for their parents, of grandfathers for their grandchildren, and you will not show a single program that destroys the family. Never." Then, to the Minister of Education: "...family education will be your core subject in schools. You will explain why humanity consists of men and women, why God created it, what the meaning of this is. You will invite fathers of large families to schools."
Not everyone realizes that we're all going to get old. After 50, a good job will be rare, after 55 you might not find one, and retirement is 65; and in old age, those who haven't started a family face the gray loneliness of life. You can work for a company as long as you want, but when you get fired, no one will remember you. Our only need is our family.
As A. Prokhanov (2023) believes:
The immeasurable wealth of some, few in number, unscrupulous, and cruel. And the abject poverty of others, living in abject misery. In this unjust possession of Russian forests, gas, oil, mineral resources, Russian land, water, and heaven, lies a threat.
Sergei Mironov and many others believe that the Central Bank's elevated key rate is creating problems for our development and growth, but the Central Bank's policy is unsinkable. Many economic challenges posed back in the 2000s still lack adequate solutions. All current problems stem from the "invisible hand of the market," the collapse of the USSR, and, most importantly, our pro-Western orientation since Perestroika. Either we change our economic and governmental model, or Russia and Russians will cease to exist.
Links:
Demographic crisis
Russians talk about the barriers that prevent them from having children.
The rich were recounted for taxes
Moscow State University economists have proposed new criteria for defining poverty and the middle class.
Information