Russia is facing a critical demographic crisis, with a significant decline in its domestic workforce and a low birth rate that continues to pose major challenges for the country’s future. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov highlighted the urgent need for an influx of migrants to address this issue, stating that migration is essential for the country's continued development. His remarks, made during an interview with RIA Novosti on Friday, underscored the magnitude of the demographic challenges that Russia is grappling with. Peskov pointed out, “We live in the largest country in the world, but there aren’t that many of us,” stressing the gap between Russia's vast landmass and its shrinking population, which poses a serious threat to its economic and social stability in the coming years.
These comments come at a time when Russia’s population crisis has gained increasing attention. Earlier this week, the Russian parliament passed controversial legislation aimed at combating the demographic decline. This new law, which bans “child-free propaganda,” is part of a broader effort by the government to encourage higher birth rates by promoting family values. Despite government incentives such as financial rewards, tax breaks, and mortgage subsidies for large families, the country’s birth rate remains critically low, with the fertility rate standing at just 1.41 births per woman. This is significantly below the replacement level of 2.0, which is necessary to maintain the population size over time. The government has expressed concern over the ongoing population decline, which it describes as “disastrous for the future of the nation.”
Several factors have contributed to Russia’s demographic troubles, including the legacy of Soviet-era demographic policies that prioritized quantity over quality in terms of population growth. Additionally, the country’s high COVID-19 death rates, coupled with a large number of people leaving the country in recent years, have further exacerbated the issue. One of the most significant factors contributing to the shrinking population is the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has driven hundreds of thousands of Russian men to flee the country to avoid conscription. This large-scale emigration, particularly of working-age men, has created a serious labor shortage in several sectors of the Russian economy, prompting the government to explore alternative sources of labor, primarily through immigration.
The need for migrants has become especially critical for key sectors of the Russian economy, such as construction, agriculture, and services, where there are labor shortages that cannot be easily filled by the domestic population. Laborers from Central Asia, particularly from countries like Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, have become an important source of workers to fill these gaps. However, anti-migrant sentiment remains a persistent issue within Russia. Many locals have expressed concerns about the increasing number of foreign workers in the country, citing fears over job competition and cultural integration. Peskov acknowledged this tension but reiterated the importance of migration for sustaining Russia’s economic momentum and completing important development projects. He emphasized that without migrants, Russia’s long-term growth would be jeopardized, and many ongoing infrastructure and economic projects would likely be delayed or unable to proceed at all.
The situation is worsening as Russia’s birth rates continue to plummet. According to official data from Rosstat, the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, the country experienced a 3.4% drop in births between January and September 2024 compared to the previous year, marking the lowest birth rate since the 1990s. This decline has raised alarm bells among policymakers, who fear that unless urgent measures are taken to reverse the trend, Russia will face severe economic and social consequences in the decades to come. Experts warn that the country is at a critical juncture, and if demographic challenges are not addressed, the effects on Russia's future workforce, economic productivity, and overall stability could be devastating.
