Russia's rural fertility rate falls to lowest level since Soviet period, official data shows
The average fertility rate in rural areas of Russia fell to its lowest level since Soviet times last year, independent outlet RusNews reported on Thursday, citing data from state statistics agency Rosstat.
The country’s rural total fertility rate (TFR) stood at 1.464 in 2025. For comparison, the rural TFR was 2.6 in 1990, and its most recent peak came in 2014, when it reached 2.272.
The highest rural TFRs last year were recorded in the Nenets Autonomous District, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, and the Republic of Tuva. The lowest were seen in the Leningrad region, occupied Sevastopol, and Mordovia.
Russia's overall fertility rate in 2025 stood at 1.361, compared with 1.327 among the urban population. The rural rate saw the steepest year-on-year decline, falling by 0.06 compared with 2024.
Experts note that rural areas have ceased to be the main driver of population replacement, as young people leave for cities in search of better-paying jobs and stronger infrastructure. The closure of maternity hospitals in rural areas and the concentration of quality healthcare in larger urban centers further distort the statistics: women are increasingly travelling to cities to give birth.