The age group 15-29 made up 22 percent of the total population in 2012, with 31.6 million people. In 2011 this age group made up 23 percent of the population (32.4 million) and in 2009 – 24 percent (33.7 million), RIA Novosti reports citing the Federal State Statistics Service.
If this trend continues the number of young people in the age group 15-29 could go down to 25 million in only ten years time, says Sergey Belokonev of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs. “Given these circumstances, we must develop our country’s economy, and this, in turn, underlines the need for an active and energetic youth policy,” Belokonev added.
According to an official estimate for 1 April 2013, the population of Russia is 143,4 million The population hit a historic peak at almost 148,7 million in 1991, just before the breakup of the Soviet Union, but then began a decade-long decline, falling at a rate of about 0.5% per year due to declining birth rates, rising death rates and emigration.
Also the northern regions of Russia are experiencing a decline of the population. The population in the Murmansk region has dropped from 1.2 million in the Soviet period to 795 000 in March 2012. 243 000 of these are senior citizens.
