Russia has moved to classify key demographic statistics following a dramatic collapse in its birth rate, which has plunged to levels not seen since the late 18th or early 19th century, according to a leading Russian demographer.

For decades, Russia has been experiencing a plunging birth rate and population decline, which appears to have worsened amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine—with high casualty rates and men fleeing the country to avoid being conscripted to fight.

Projections estimate that Russia's population will fall to about 132 million in the next two decades. The United Nations has predicted that in a worst-case scenario, by the start of the next century, Russia's population could almost halve to 83 million.

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[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 36 points 2 days ago

Authoritarians create environments hostile to growth rates. Anywhere the birth rate is cratered to sub-sustainable levels is infected with neoliberal oligarchy.

The key to leveling off birth rates to sustainable, non explosive levels is keeping people happy, which is impossible under authoritarians.

[–] Lucky_777@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago

Can't have kids if you're fighting on the front lines. Men leaving because of conscription. Women not wanting their future sons to die. All kinds of reasons.

The Earth loves to see this. Give her a damn breather from the humanity cancer.

[–] CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 20 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Projections estimate that Russia's population will fall to about 132 million in the next two decades.

That’s still a lot of cannon fodder

[–] thebestaquaman@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

How many of those 132 million will be fighting age men though? If nobody is born, it will take around 80 years for the population to go to zero, but only 40 years until there is no one below 40 left.

By all means, they'll still have plenty of cannon fodder 20 years from now, but far less than what they currently have.

[–] doo@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago

Fighting age, men, healthy or at least not late stage alcoholics or other drug addicts. And you need somebody to stay behind and work in the factories. And then even ruzzians have to maintain tooth-to-tail ratio, even if it's as low as 1:3.