Low Fertility in Russia: Global Trend or a Special Case?

Yuri Frantsuz, University of Minnesota

This paper elaborates on several possible explanations of the lowest low fertility in Russia. Two kinds of comparisons are undertaken. First, the comparison of demographic trends and dynamics in Russia with the ones in Eastern and Western European countries. Second, the comparison of Russian fertility is made across time periods, with the emphasis on steepness of birth rates decline after the start of implementation of political and economic reforms in the nineties. Special emphasis is made on the many-fold impact of economic conditions on fertility dynamics.