DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS….

Russia is aging and dying. Thirty-eight percent of Russia’s population is pensioners, although many continue to seek work. According to the State Statistics Committee, deaths in Russia in 2000 exceeded births by about 930,000, the largest gap since 1992. The committee projects that Russia’s population will fall from around 144 million to around 133 million over the next fifteen years. Life expectancy for females born in 2001 is about 70 years, but for males it is only 60, the committee said. Last year, men of working age died at four times the rate of women in the same age group. Two-thirds of the deaths were attributable to murder, suicide, accidents, alcohol poisoning, or other preventable traumas.