Russian Population Declines Sharply July 30, 1999
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's population fell during the first five months of the year, dropping by 346,700 people to about 146 million, the government said today.
The drop was much larger than in the same period last year, when the Russian population shrank by 191,600, the Statistics Agency said.
The increased decline was attributed to a rising death rate and a falling birth rate, as well as slumping immigration and increased emigration, according to the agency.
Deaths actually outstripped births by 396,000 people, the agency said.
Russia's population has been falling throughout this decade, an extremely rare development for an industrialized country not at war. Worsening economic conditions and alcoholism have been key factors, leading to a drastic drop in life expectancy for men.
The drop would be far greater if not for a steady flow of immigrants, mostly ethnic Russians leaving other former Soviet republics, over the past several years.
Though a census has not been done in several years, Russia's population is now estimated at about 146 million.
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