Nizhny Novgorod Region Sees Birth Rate Rise Amid Data Verification Challenges

The Institute for Demographic Development reported that in 2025, Nizhny Novgorod Region ranked first in the Volga Federal District by total fertility rate.

The total fertility rate indicates the average number of children born to one woman over her reproductive lifetime. In January 2024, it was 1.275, and by December, after the introduction of additional support measures, it increased to 1.307.

Governor Gleb Nikitin commented on these changes:

This is not a coincidence but a logical outcome we achieved through the launch of the Nizhny Novgorod life project «OSNOVA» and the implementation of the national project «Family.» Nine months have passed since the announcement of new support measures, whose implementation has become a key argument for many families in favor of having a child.

The largest increase in newborns was recorded in October, when the figure rose by 10% compared to October 2024. That month, 1.9 thousand children were born in the region.

However, since spring 2025, Rosstat (the Federal State Statistics Service) and its regional divisions have ceased updating operational data on demographic indicators, including birth rate, mortality, and migration. Demographers, mass media, and representatives of some political parties have noted this.

Denis Bulanov, a deputy of the Saratov Regional Duma from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), sent an inquiry to Sarovstat. The received response stated that by decision of the Russian government,

the provision and dissemination of operational monthly data on population statistics for 2025 and annual data for 2024 have been temporarily suspended.

Earlier, the demographic situation in Nizhny Novgorod Region was discussed with the head of the «Demographic Platform of the RF» project.