The number of marriages registered in Russia this September dropped to its lowest point in 18 years, with nearly 92,000 unions recorded—a 16% decline compared to the same month last year, according to data from the state statistics agency, Rosstat.
This marks the lowest September marriage rate since 2006, reflecting a persistent downward trend despite President Vladimir Putin’s calls for women to start families earlier and have more children. September’s figures are the latest marriage statistics published by Rosstat.
Amid declining birthrates and rising mortality, the Russian government continues to grapple with a worsening demographic crisis. Efforts to counteract this trend have included financial incentives for families and the promotion of “traditional” family values.
The only other September in recent history with fewer than 100,000 marriages occurred in 2020 during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, when 95,794 marriages were recorded.
Between January and May 2024, monthly marriage figures ranged from 41,000 to 65,000, surpassing 90,000 only during the summer months of June through September.
In total, Russia recorded 689,761 marriages in the first nine months of 2024, a decrease from 724,271 during the same period in 2023. Last year, approximately 950,000 marriages were registered nationwide, with year-over-year declines reported across all regions.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
