You think my stuff’s depressing? Try reading Russian demographic reports.

This one requires a subscription, but here’s the gist. I haven’t picked just the worst bits, it’s all like this.

INTERVIEW WITH POPULATION ANALYST NATALYA RIMASHEVSKAYA ON DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS IN RUSSIA, OGONYOK WEEKLY, P. 23-25, NO. 27, JULY 7, 2005
Source
…
Q: So, there is a chance that births will outnumber deaths in Russia, after all?
A: For the generation of children to replace their parents the summary natality coefficient (the number of births per woman during her reproductive
life) should be 2.15. In Moscow the coefficient is 1.29 and growing, and nationwide it hovers around 1.32. The number of children is not enough to replace the parents.
…
Q: What is the size of an average Russian family today?
A: We see a one-child family model emerging. Of course, it’s a big country and there are families with many children, but this is an exception from the overall trend. About 50 percent of families have one child, about 15-16 percent have two children, and the rest, three or more.
Q: In your report to the UN you claim that “the state in which the Russian population finds itself is worse than an impasse.” Why?
A: The demographic resources are measured not only in terms of the quantity, but also the quality of the population. And the latter, to put it crudely, is determined by three parameters: health (physical, mental and social), intellectual potential and spiritual and moral attitudes. We are not only decreasing in numbers, but also in quality. … The situation in terms of the quality of the population that is emerging is more dangerous. Our Institute’s research shows that every next generation has poorer health than previous ones.
Our Institute has been monitoring the health of 100 selected Moscow babies since their birth in 1996. Of the 100 only 30 babies were born normal.
Interim results after eight years are depressing: over time children’s health is deteriorating and not improving. When we have followed the study through to the age of 16-18 we will answer the question how many of them will remain healthy. But on a preliminary estimate, only 5-7 percent will be in perfect health. By the way, this almost tallies with present-day statistics in Russia: only 9-12 percent of secondary school graduates are healthy when they reach the age of 18. According to the Health Ministry, about 60 percent of children have chronic diseases.
…
Q: But surely you are not suggesting that it is the values of freedom that are leading us into an impasse?
A: The road to them leads through the problem of Westernization. And this is an invasion which the population, especially the youth, failed to withstand.
The sexual revolution has gone so far that some 11-12 year-old girls are giving birth. This is the result of Westernization of consciousness that leads to permissiveness. In our country the individual is so bereft of self- regulation, which must go with freedom, that we have generated the phenomenon of providing sex services to Western citizens.
…
Q: In your report to the UN you claim that the structure of mortality in Russia is such as if the country was in a state of protracted war. Why?
A: Everywhere in the world the biggest killers are cardiovascular diseases, followed by cancer, with death from external causes ranked between 5th and 9th places (murders, suicides, poisonings, road accidents, etc.). In our country external causes are in second place. Even the number of killings of babies is growing. Imagine what may happen if the parliament outlaws abortions…