When commenting on Russia's social and economic situation in January-August 2004, Irina Zbarskaya, the head of the census and demographics department at the Russian Statistics Committee, said the death rate in the country had declined a little since the end of last year. However, life expectancy remains low compared to economically developed countries: 58 for men and 72 for women. These figures will grow significantly only after 2008-2010, Zbarskaya believes.
According to international standards, old people are those aged above 65. In Russia, this means 13% of the population, compared with 17% in Spain and Sweden. The nation's aging may be slowed down by two factors: a surge in birth rates and an influx of immigrants of a childbearing age. Neither has happened so far. Immigration is decreasing, and today immigrants compensate natural population loss by just over 2%. This year, however, 47 regions have registered an increase in birth rates. Yet demographers believe that this will not carry on for long. This increase is most likely due to so-called postponed births, when parents delay starting a family for some considerations, most often, economic ones.
