title: A real threat to the nation's future.
abstract: The seriousness of the current demographic situation in Russia is reviewed, with the focus on the deteriorating health of the nation's children. The author notes that "a drastically diminished level of reproduction of the population has taken shape in Russia, one in which every generation of children born is smaller in number than the generation of its parents and cannot make up for the loss in population. Such reproduction is characteristic only of Russia, and it is extremely persistent. In 1994, the true coefficient of reproduction of the population fell to figures that are catastrophic in terms of demographic consequences--0.651. Moreover, among the urban population the figure is even lower--0.570. Such an unprecedented low level of reproduction has never before been recorded either in our country or in other countries of the world, even during wartime."
mesh_terms: D002669:Child Welfare; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D005060:Europe; D005061:Europe, Eastern; D006262:Health; D011153:Population; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012098:Reproduction; D012426:Russia
keywords: Child Health; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Eastern Europe; Europe; Health; Population; Population Decrease; Population Dynamics; Reproduction; Russia