Page 84 - RusRPTAug24

improved. In total, annual federal budget expenditures on measures that can be classified as pro-natalist exceed 2 trillion rubles. A number of regions also spend their budgets on their own programs.
The record number of births in the post-Soviet history of Russia was recorded in 2014 (1.943 million), after which the indicator has been declining annually. In 2023, it fell to a historical minimum since 1999: last year, 1.264 million children were born in Russia. In the future, according to the average version of the demographic forecast of Rosstat, the birth rate in the Russian Federation will continue to decline and by 2027 will decrease to 1 million 140.4 thousand babies. An increase in this indicator is possible only from 2028, according to the agency's estimates.
For agricultural regions such as Bashkortostan and Dagestan, in addition to direct cash payments that already exist in one form or another, non-monetary forms of support may be in demand, such as the allocation of land plots. In industrial regions of the European part of Russia, the Volga region, Siberia and the Far East, birth rates could be supported by increased family incomes, especially through women's employment, affordable housing without a high credit burden and support for children's development (education, etc.).
This is a global trend. It has emerged as a result of the development of the digital economy. In post-industrial cities, residents have the opportunity to work, consume, and communicate without leaving their homes and, accordingly, without creating strong relationships “in the real world.” On average, in Russia, the share of single-person households increased from 22% to 32% in 2002–2020, in Moscow — from 27% to 52%, in St. Petersburg — from 24% to 49% (which, in particular, significantly affects the consumer market, construction, and the economy as a whole; see Kommersant of July 18 ). In other countries, the figures are similar: for example, in the United States, the share of single-person households more than doubled from 13% in 1960 to 28% in 2015. In the largest European economies, such as Germany, France, and Great Britain, it exceeded 30%, also increasing twofold or more over the same period. In Sweden and Norway, almost every second household currently consists of one person (46% and 45%, respectively). It can be assumed that in the future, especially given the stimulation of digitalization in the Russian Federation, the share of such households among Russians will continue to grow, and it does not yet seem possible to stop this process or make it compatible with childbearing. Thus, over any long-term horizon, the measures to support demography in agricultural and industrial regions proposed by CMASF will be of limited effectiveness.
Two thirds (66%) of Russians say they have at least one pet, with the population preferring cats to dogs, 49% vs 34%, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) published on the organization’s website.
84 RUSSIA Country Report August 2024 www.intellinews.com