Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s population and life expectancy have been spiraling downards. The Hindustan Times has an article summarizing a soon to be released report by the Russian Health Minister on the health problems experienced in that nation. Here’s an excerpt:
The report shows that Russia’s population shrunk by more than half a million people in the first eight months of this year, the steepest drop ever during peacetime.
According to the study, Russians have been dying younger and having fewer children due to a post-Soviet cocktail of bad news, including rising rates of poverty, illness, stress, alcoholism, civil conflict and industrial accidents.
Experts say drug abuse and sexually-transmitted diseases are potent new factors in declining male life expectancy, which has plunged from 64 years in the 1980’s to less than 59 years today.
Other dire indicators include the news that Russian women currently have 1.17 children, far below the 2.5 kids per woman that would be required to maintain the population.
There is no question that the Russian government has severely mismanaged its transition from Communist dictatorship to democracy.
Source:
Russia may soon be empty of people. Fred Weir, Hindustan Times, October 25, 2000.