President Vladimir Putin has announced a series of measures aimed at increasing Russia's birth rate, which has fallen to an average of under 1.5 children per woman. Speaking to parliament on Wednesday, Putin described the situation as a 'very difficult demographic period' and pledged state funding to encourage more births.
The key proposal is to extend 'maternity capital' payments to families with a first child, whereas previously they were only available for second or subsequent children. The one-off payment is currently worth £5,800. Additional welfare benefits will be provided for children aged three to seven in low-income families, and free school meals will be introduced for the first four years of schooling.
Putin set a target to raise the birth rate to 1.7 within four years. Russia's current rate of 1.48 is below the EU average of 1.59, though higher than several European countries including Spain, Italy, Greece and Malta. The population currently stands at 147 million, but has struggled to recover from a dramatic decline in the 1990s, when the birth rate fell to 1.16.
Demographers have expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of financial incentives. Prof Evgeny Yakovlev noted that the maternity capital programme, introduced in 2007, initially succeeded in increasing the number of families with two children, but the birth rate began falling again from 2017. Anatoly Vishnevsky argued that 'the birth rate can be corrected solely by money is invalid', pointing to similar declining trends in all industrialised countries.
Putin's address also touched on his own political future. His fourth presidential term ends in 2024, and under the current constitution he would have to step down. He proposed a referendum on constitutional changes to give parliament greater powers to appoint the prime minister, potentially allowing him to remain in a powerful role.
