In some parts of Russia, who become pregnant are being paid more than 100,000 roubles (nearly 瞿900) for giving birth and raising their babies.
This new measure, introduced in the past few months across , is part of , widening the policy adopted in March 2025 which only applied to adult women. It is designed to address the dramatic decline in the countrys birthrate.
In 2023 substantially below 2.05, which is the level required to maintain a population at its current size.
Paying teenage girls to have babies while they are still in school is controversial in Russia. According to a by the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre, 43% of Russians approve of the policy, while 40% are opposed to it. But it indicates the high priority that the state places on increasing the number of children being born.
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, regards a large population as one of , along with control over a vast (and growing) territory and a powerful military. Paradoxically, though, his efforts to increase the physical size of Russia by attacking Ukraine and illegally annexing its territory have also been disastrous in terms of shrinking Russias population.
The number of Russian soldiers killed in the war has reached , while the war sparked of some of the most highly educated Russians. Many of them are young men fleeing military service who could have been fathers to the next generation of Russian citizens.
But while Russia’s demographic situation is extreme, . It is estimated that by 2050 more than three quarters of the worlds countries will have such low fertility rates that they will not be able to sustain their populations.
It’s not only Russia
Putin is not the only world leader to introduce policies designed to encourage women to have more babies. Viktor Orban’s government in Hungary is , such as generous tax breaks and subsidised mortgages, to those who have three or more children.
Poland makes a of 500 zoty (瞿101) per child to families with two or more children. But theres some evidence this has not prompted higher-income Polish women to have more children, as they might have to sacrifice higher earnings and career advancement to have another child.
In the United States, Donald Trump is women US$5,000 (瞿3,682) to have a baby, tied to a wider Maga movement push, supported by Elon Musk and others, to encourage women to have larger families.
Reversing demographic trends , because the reasons that individuals and couples have for becoming parents are also complex. Personal preferences and aspirations, beliefs about their ability to provide for children, as well as societal norms and cultural and religious values all play a part in these decisions.
As a result, the impact of “pronatalist” policies has been mixed. No country has found an easy way to .
One country seeking to address population decline with policies, other than encouraging women to have more babies is , which now allows an easier pathway to citizenship for migrants, including those who entered the country illegally. Madrids embrace of immigrants is being credited for its current economic boom.
