Number of live births in Russia
Russia: Number of live births was 1.58 million births in 2018. ▼ Falling
Latest (2018)
1.58 million births
Change on year
down 5.1%
World rank
2nd
of 34 countries
All-time high
2.80 million births
in 1959
All-time low
1.21 million births
in 1999
Years of data
60
1959–2018
Number of live births in Russia, 1959–2018
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births.
Analysis
Russia recorded 1.58 million births for number of live births in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.1% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of live births in Russia peaked at 2.80 million births in 1959 and was at its lowest, 1.21 million births, in 1999.
That places Russia 2nd out of 34 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.
Number of live births in Russia, year by year
| Year | births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 2.80 million births | — |
| 1960 | 2.78 million births | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 2.66 million births | -4.3% |
| 1962 | 2.48 million births | -6.7% |
| 1963 | 2.33 million births | -6.1% |
| 1964 | 2.12 million births | -9.0% |
| 1965 | 1.99 million births | -6.2% |
| 1966 | 1.96 million births | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 1.85 million births | -5.5% |
| 1968 | 1.82 million births | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 1.85 million births | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 1.90 million births | +3.0% |
| 1971 | 1.97 million births | +3.7% |
| 1972 | 2.01 million births | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 1.99 million births | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 2.08 million births | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 2.11 million births | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 2.15 million births | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 2.16 million births | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 2.18 million births | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 2.18 million births | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 2.20 million births | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 2.24 million births | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 2.33 million births | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 2.48 million births | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 2.41 million births | -2.8% |
| 1985 | 2.38 million births | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 2.49 million births | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 2.50 million births | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 2.35 million births | -6.1% |
| 1989 | 2.16 million births | -8.0% |
| 1990 | 1.99 million births | -7.9% |
| 1991 | 1.79 million births | -9.8% |
| 1992 | 1.59 million births | -11.5% |
| 1993 | 1.38 million births | -13.1% |
| 1994 | 1.41 million births | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 1.36 million births | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 1.30 million births | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 1.26 million births | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 1.28 million births | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 1.21 million births | -5.3% |
| 2000 | 1.27 million births | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 1.31 million births | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 1.40 million births | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 1.48 million births | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 1.50 million births | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 1.46 million births | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 1.48 million births | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.61 million births | +8.8% |
| 2008 | 1.71 million births | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 1.76 million births | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 1.79 million births | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 1.80 million births | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.90 million births | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 1.90 million births | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 1.91 million births | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.91 million births | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.86 million births | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 1.66 million births | -10.5% |
| 2018 | 1.58 million births | -5.1% |
Russia compared with similar countries
- Russia's 1.58 million births is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 89,018 births, 17.7× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Russia's 1.58 million births is above the median for high income countries, which is 98,451 births, 16.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.80 million births | 2.80 million births | 2.80 million births | 1 |
| 1960s | 2.18 million births | 1.82 million births | 2.78 million births | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.07 million births | 1.90 million births | 2.18 million births | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.35 million births | 2.16 million births | 2.50 million births | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.46 million births | 1.21 million births | 1.99 million births | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.50 million births | 1.27 million births | 1.76 million births | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.81 million births | 1.58 million births | 1.91 million births | 9 |
Countries ranked near Russia
More population data for Russia
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.2412 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0822 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.8 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0822 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.86 million people (2100)
- Population density 7.72 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.2771 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.2976 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of live births in Russia?
- Number of live births in Russia was 1.58 million births in 2018, according to Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of live births recorded in Russia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.80 million births in 1959.
- What is the lowest number of live births recorded in Russia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 million births in 1999.
- How does Russia rank for number of live births?
- Russia ranks 2nd out of 34 countries with data for 2018.
- Is number of live births rising or falling in Russia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Russia data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of live births. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total number of live births recorded in a given year.