Important to maintain demographic trend, ensure Russian population growth to 145 mln by 2025 – Medvedev

(Interfax – January 31, 2013)

Russia is capable of increasing its population to 145 million by 2025, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at an expanded government meeting on Thursday.

“It is important to maintain the recent upward demographic trend, and ensure sustainable growth in the birth rate, lower the mortality rate and increase life expectancy to 74 years. All that will create conditions for increasing the Russian population to 145 million by 2025,” Medvedev said.

Russia “has a public demand for a totally new level of education, healthcare, culture and social protection,” the prime minister said.

Financing of social affairs has grown significantly over the past decade, “but money is not everything: we also need structural technological modernization and new standards of services” to meet individual needs, he said.

Mothers in Russian regions hit by the demographic crisis will enjoy monthly allowances for giving birth to their third and subsequent children from 2013, Medvedev said.

“We will continue to help families with many children to solve their housing problems,” he promised.

Kindergartens will become accessible to 100% of children aged three to seven by 2016, the premier said.

“The government will support regional programs for kindergarten reconstruction and building and opening of family kindergartens,” he said.

Maternity capital grew to 409,000 rubles in 2013, he said.