Russia's marriage decline defies Kremlin's traditional push

The Moscow Times portal reports on the declining trend of forming the basic social unit in the Russian Federation. Citizens do not want to take vows and put rings on their partner's hand in front of an official.

Since 2014, the number of marriages in Russia has been steadily declining. This decline may be related to the annexation of Crimea and the introduction of Western sanctions, which led to a decrease in real income.

The portal notes that from 2006 to 2013, the years for which reliable statistics are available, between 1.1 and 1.3 million marriages were conducted annually. In 2016, this number fell to 985,000.

Last year, only 945,000 couples took marriage vows. This is a trend that completely does not align with the Kremlin's program objectives.

There's a decrease in the number of births as well, with figures in 2023 being one-third lower than in 2014. Meanwhile, the government's expectations are quite different.

At the end of last year, Vladimir Putin urged citizens to form families with 7–8 children. This was meant to be a conscious return to the traditions of ancient Rus.

The dictator stated that having large families should become the norm and way of life for Russians. In January, Putin expanded his appeal by pointing out the necessity of forming families at the earliest possible age. In June, he emphasized that nothing is more important for the state than strengthening the family.

In response to concerns about a potential decline in population to levels noted in the late 19th century, the Kremlin initiated a national project called "Demography." The authorities hope that through significant investments, the fertility rate will rise to 1.6 children per woman by 2030.