this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
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Russia has moved to classify key demographic statistics following a dramatic collapse in its birth rate, which has plunged to levels not seen since the late 18th or early 19th century, according to a leading Russian demographer.

For decades, Russia has been experiencing a plunging birth rate and population decline, which appears to have worsened amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine—with high casualty rates and men fleeing the country to avoid being conscripted to fight.

Projections estimate that Russia's population will fall to about 132 million in the next two decades. The United Nations has predicted that in a worst-case scenario, by the start of the next century, Russia's population could almost halve to 83 million.

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[–] [email protected] 174 points 1 week ago (8 children)

It amuses me that world leaders pretend to be surprised by declining birth rates. They know perfectly well that it’s because of their and/or their neighbors policies. The environment is being poisoned, and possibly destroyed. People are reluctant to bring a child into this world, and I think they’re right to be.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

And even ones that want kids take one look at the economy and their bank accounts, and decide to wait until both look better, because they want to be able to afford the kids a happy childhood. The worst thing for population growth is giving people the ability to choose when, if ever, to get kids, and an environment they don't want to have them in.

Two ways to fix that issue. Which one is used tells a lot.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 week ago (9 children)

also, people don't got the space or the time to fuck

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 week ago

But it's unthinkable for these leaders to change the policies that gave them the power and wealth they desire, so they're gonna run with it until it falls apart, no matter the cost for everyone else.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago

"Nooooo! Keep pumping out babies to feed to the capitalism meat grinder!!"

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[–] [email protected] 114 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (15 children)

…Wow.

So what’s the tankie angle to this? From that perspective, the war is objectively awful for Russia, even if all the stated war goals are true.

[–] [email protected] 83 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The beloved and benevolent putin is merely protecting the country from the overpopulation seen in the west.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 week ago (3 children)

There's no overpopulation in the west. Fertility rates are too low to maintain the current population.

[–] [email protected] 77 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Well, they didn't say the angle had to be factual.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago

You got that right!

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[–] [email protected] 59 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

The tankie angle is that it’s NATO’s fault. Would never have happened if mean old west hadn’t invaded Ukraine and genocided Russian-speakers who are ethnically and linguistically identical to Ukrainians but also totally different and superior but also must be defended by daddy Vladdy.

And also Ukraine is an inseparable part of Russia, especially Crimea. Khrushchev was only kidding when he gave Crimea to Ukraine, which isn’t a real country.

And the west totally broke its verbal promise that no one’s ever heard to never allow another country into NATO. But The Budapest Memorandum wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. For some reason.

You just don’t understand Russian history. Russia has a very long memory. When it comes to grievances. Theirs.

You’re just russophobic.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I don't think I've ever gotten one of them to even acknowledge the Budapest memorandum.

Though I do like to point out that they're the biggest western chauvinists ever if they genuinely think NATO somehow forced putin into emptying Russia's soviet stocks of vehicles and ammo in the most disastrous invasion in recent history.

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[–] [email protected] 48 points 1 week ago

So what’s the tankie angle to this?

“Sure this news is bad, but what about this non sequitur?”

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago (2 children)

"see! Putin is pro environment! Less people is better!"

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago

Ah, the Genghis Khan defence. Bold move!

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Tf does tankie even mean at this point? As a communist, I'm not on the side of any state, I'm on the side of the people dying needlessly in both countries. Anyone who identifies themselves as a communist and has more than 2 brain cells should know that this isn't a football match where you root for your favorite team. Aside from the fact that russia isn't the USSR anymore anyway, it's just another capitalist country. Both governments suck but the Ukrainian one wasn't at fault for this war at all.

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[–] [email protected] 91 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

step 1: send your men to a pointless war
step 2: potential mothers realize their sons would only be meat in the meat grinder
step 3: nobody wants to have children anymore
step 4: be confused??

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Don’t forget removing any relief for people having kids. And dissolve their quality of life. That always goes over so well in completely diminishing any chance of population growth. Just ask Kim jung un

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago

step1.5; men fleeing to other countries to avoid war.

[–] [email protected] 78 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Kinda rough to have babies if most of your men are being turned into fertilizer.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 week ago

Russian meat to sunflower oil pipeline

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My vaginas baking equipment would shrivel up too if Putin was my leader. Much like it's reaction to Americans leadership.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 week ago (4 children)

People who think Russia will last. Have no idea how bad drug abuse is in that country.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago (2 children)

alcoholism is actually thier favorite pass time.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Even russian women don't like russians.

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

It's the Russian resistance's long game: in 10 years, there won't be enough young people left to send to die at the front, so the war will naturally peter out.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 week ago
[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 week ago

Looks like death rates are up though.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

No one wants to live in putins world

Shit i mean meow

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 week ago

No one wants their children to grow up in a corrupt Oligarchy.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

That's not unique to Russia. Birth rates in developed nations have been plummeting across the board. The only reason the US was escaping it and hanging out around replacement was because of immigration, and, well, I don't know if you've been keeping up with the news lately, but it seems like that's going to change.

There's lots of reasons driving demographic collapse, but I don't think war is one of them. South Korea is usually heralded as the shining example of demographic collapse because their birth rate is the worst by far, and it generally seems to be the case that as economies becomes more "advanced", women have less time and supports to focus on motherhood, and so just choose not to have kids. I put advanced in scare quotes because it seems to me that a truly advanced economy wouldn't footgun itself with rapid demographic collapse. Not to say that the trend shouldn't be towards a smaller population that will tax the Earth's resources less, but the way to get there safely for civilization isn't by falling off a cliff.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 week ago

Other countries also have the problems with the birth rates, but Putin is accelerating that. Murdering and crippling his young men in a senseless war. Keeping millions of men in the army away from home, far away from their girlfriends. Pushing people to leave the country, if they can. The problem might be there without Putin, but the war is making it so much worse

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Russia has a unique problem, and it is war. Just not the war in Ukraine by itself.

WWII was absolutely devastating to the Soviet Union's population. Tons of "excess females", which means there were so many men killed that women could not find a husband. The baby boom did not happen there; kinda the opposite. This affects both modern Russia and Ukraine.

Every 20 years or so, there is an "echo" of that loss in their population pyramid. It's a drop in ~~birth rates~~ new births from a relative lack of young adults starting families for part of the cycle. The echo reduces with each cycle, of course, but one of them is hitting right now. Putin is now amplifying that echo by having another war with such high losses.

Edit: clarified some wording.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 week ago (4 children)

If AI and robots will take over so many jobs, why is a declining birthrate a bad thing, in the long term?

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Because current society is built on the assumption that around 4 workers will support 1 person with social benefits like retirement money, healtcare or unemployment benefits. Robots are already used in many factories but don't pay any of those. The robots will produce goods cheaper than humans, however corporations will own the robots, and still charge you the same price for the goods while receiving a larger margin.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (6 children)

Fewer Russians is excellent news, not every culture needs to stick around forever.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 week ago (1 children)

We should be wary of making blanket statements like that. That way fascism lies. The only thing that's horribly wrong with Russian "culture" at the moment is the desire to subjugate Ukraine, and by extension, any desire to do the same to other countries once that's done.

Everyone in Russia who doesn't share that particular world view is keeping their head down - or, as this article implies, refusing to breed with those of that world view. Or else, for reasons related to the fact that those of that world view exist.

Should they rise up and topple the oligarchy? Easier said than done. It takes courage the average person (Russian or otherwise) doesn't have. And Putin is skilled at making people and their families suffer if they step out of line.

All the other problems Russia has exist at least in part in other countries not allied with them. Should those countries also pack up and die?

This isn't Russia apology. I firmly believe they need to quit this needless war, bring their troops home and stay the heck out of Ukraine until trust can be regained. That might take centuries but the first step is an easy one.

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