Birth rates by Russian regions: where the most and fewest births occur, Rosstat data
The highest birth rate in Russia in 2023 was in Chechnya: 20.0 births per 1,000 residents. It is followed by Tuva (17.1), Ingushetia (15.1) and Dagestan (13.1). The lowest were in Smolensk (5.8), Leningrad (5.9) and Ryazan (6.0) oblasts and in Mordovia (6.0). The national average is 8.6. Below we examine how these figures break down by federal districts, why the spread is threefold and what the early‑2025 operational data show. Each section has a chart, and at the end there are links to the full tables where you can find your region.
How birth rates are calculated by region
Rosstat takes the number of children born alive during the year and divides it by the average annual population of the region, converting it to per 1,000 people. This is the general birth rate. It is convenient because it compares Moscow and Tuva on equal terms, but it has a weak point: it depends on the age structure of the population. If a region has many women aged 20‑35, the rate will be higher even when each woman gives birth no more than in a neighboring region.
The full table by subjects for 2023 is in the dataset "Born, deceased and natural population increase by regions". It provides, for each territory, the number of births, the number of deaths and natural increase, in people and per 1,000 residents. For comparison there is a 2022 release: "Births, deaths and natural increase by Russian Federation subjects".
One note about table rows. Rosstat gives Tyumen Oblast as a whole, its autonomous districts and the oblast without districts, the same with Arkhangelsk Oblast. Therefore the table has 87 rows of territories, while the number of regions in the country is smaller, and counting "how many regions" by rows should be done with caution.
Birth rate in Russia by year
To have something to compare regional figures with, let's start with the country as a whole. In 2000 the birth rate was 8.7 per 1,000 inhabitants, by 2010 it had risen to 12.5, and in 2015 it reached 13.2. After that a decline set in: 9.7 in 2020, 9.5 in 2021, 8.9 in 2022 and 8.6 in 2023. That year 1,264,354 children were born, 39,733 fewer than the year before.
It turns out that, by the coefficient, the country has returned to the 2000 level. The number of children also almost matches: 1,266,800 born in 2000 and 1,264,354 in 2023, although in 2010 there were 1,788,948. We wrote more about the national picture in the article "Birth rate in Russia by year"; here we are interested in the regions.
Leading and lagging regions
The spread between regions is huge. Between Chechnya (20.0) and Smolensk Oblast (5.8) the difference is 3.4 times.
The top of the ranking is divided into three groups. The first is the republics of the North Caucasus: Chechnya (20.0), Ingushetia (15.1), Dagestan (13.1), Kabardino-Balkaria (11.0). The second is the national republics of Siberia and Altai: Tuva (17.1), Altai Republic (12.8), Yakutia (11.2). The third is the northern districts with shift and young populations: Yamalo-Nenets (12.9), Nenets (12.2), Chukotka (10.9), Khanty-Mansi (10.8) and Tyumen Oblast with its districts (11.0). In total, a coefficient of 10 and above appears in 19 rows of the table.
At the bottom the picture is different. This is Central Russia and the Volga region: Smolensk (5.8), Leningrad (5.9), Ryazan (6.0), Mordovia (6.0), Tula and Vladimir Oblasts (each 6.4). Sevastopol is also low (6.6). A coefficient below 7 per 1,000 is found in 14 rows of the table. Moscow (9.2) and St. Petersburg (8.6) stay at the national average level or higher.
Now about people, not coefficients. In Dagestan in 2023, 42,320 children were born, more than in Sverdlovsk Oblast (38,497) and Tatarstan (36,398). In Chechnya, 30,855 children were born, and in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast 23,128. All regions of the North Caucasus district together produced 127,031 newborns, which is 10% of all children in the country.
Birth rates by federal districts
At the district level the same pattern is visible: the Caucasus stands out from all the rest.
The North Caucasian district (12.4) pulls ahead by a large margin. The Far East (9.7) and the Urals (9.6) are above the national average, most likely thanks to Yakutia, Chukotka and the Tyumen districts. Siberia (8.8) and the South (8.3) are close to the average. The Central (8.0) and Volga (8.1) districts are below average, and the lowest is the Northwestern district (7.8): it is pulled down by Leningrad Oblast.
If we compare 2022 and 2023, the picture worsened for every district. The North Caucasian lost 0.3 (12.7 → 12.4), the Siberian 0.4 (9.2 → 8.8), the Far Eastern also 0.4 (10.1 → 9.7), the Northwestern 0.3 (8.1 → 7.8). The Central slipped from 8.2 to 8.0, the Volga from 8.2 to 8.1.
Where birth rates are falling fastest
In a single year, 2023, birth rates declined almost everywhere. Out of 87 rows in the table, 74 turned negative, another 9 showed no change, and only 4 increased. The steepest drop was in Chechnya (−0.8, from 20.8 to 20.0), in North Ossetia, Buryatia, Zabaykalsky Krai and Sakhalin (by −0.7), and in Kaliningrad Oblast (−0.6). Birth rates rose only in the Nenets district (+0.6, to 12.2), in Chukotka (+0.3), in Amur Oblast and Karachay‑Cherkessia (by +0.1). In the Nenets district 508 children were born over the year, and this small surge in the number of births noticeably moves the coefficient.
What the 2025 data show
Complete data for 2024 and 2025 by region are not yet available on the website, but there is a rapid Rosstat summary for January and February 2025 based on civil registry records. Across the country, the birth rate in this period was 8.3 per 1,000 residents versus 8.4 the year before. For January‑March it was 8.0 versus 8.3, i.e., 96.4% of the previous year’s level, and 288.8 thousand children were born versus 300.3 thousand.
In the regions the picture is mixed: in 57 rows of the table for January‑February the coefficient is lower than a year earlier, in 24 it is higher, and in 6 it did not change. The sharpest declines were in Vladimir Oblast (5.5 versus 6.3, 87.3% of the previous year), Kamchatka (9.2 versus 10.5), Kostroma Oblast (6.8 versus 7.6), the Altai Republic (10.6 versus 11.8), and Khabarovsk Krai (8.4 versus 9.3). Above the previous year were Sevastopol (7.0 versus 6.2), Crimea and Komi (both 8.8 versus 8.0), and Kaliningrad Oblast (7.3 versus 6.8).
Two months is a short period, and in regions with a small number of births the figures fluctuate more strongly. For a specific region it is more reliable to wait for the annual release, but the overall trend is clear: birth rates are falling in most regions.
Natural increase: where more children are born than die
Births alone do not show whether the population is growing. Mortality must be subtracted. In 2023 across Russia 8.6 people were born per 1,000 residents, while 12.1 died, so the natural decline was −3.5 per 1,000, or 500,264 people for the year.
A positive natural increase occurred in only 16 rows of the table out of 87. The highest were in Chechnya (+15.7), Ingushetia (+11.9), Dagestan (+8.6), Tuva (+8.2) and the Yamalo‑Nenets Autonomous Okrug (+7.4). Moscow with +0.4 (4,620 people for the year) was barely in the plus. Mortality in Chechnya (4.3) and Dagestan (4.5) is three times lower than in Smolensk Oblast (15.2). More on this in the article "Mortality by regions of Russia".
Frequently Asked Questions
Which region of Russia has the highest birth rate?
In Chechnya: 20.0 births per 1,000 residents in 2023. In second place is Tuva (17.1), and third is Ingushetia (15.1). In terms of the number of newborns, Moscow leads: 120,620 for the year.
Which region has the lowest birth rate?
In Smolensk Oblast: 5.8 per 1,000 residents. Close behind are Leningrad Oblast (5.9), Ryazan Oblast and Mordovia (each 6.0).
What is the birth rate in Moscow and St. Petersburg?
In Moscow 9.2 per 1,000 residents, 120,620 children were born. In St. Petersburg 8.6, 48,016 were born.
Why is the birth rate higher in the Caucasus?
Rosstat does not explain this in the table. The overall coefficient depends on the age of the population, and in republics with a young population it is higher. The birth rate in the Caucasus is also decreasing: in Chechnya from 20.8 in 2022 to 20.0 in 2023.
Is the birth rate in Russia rising or falling?
Falling. From 13.2 per 1,000 residents in 2015 it fell to 8.6 in 2023, and according to operational data from early 2025 it continues to decrease (8.0 in January‑March versus 8.3 the year before).
In Brief
In 2023 the birth rate in Russia was 8.6 per 1,000 residents. Highest everywhere in Chechnya (20.0), Tuva (17.1) and Ingushetia (15.1), lowest everywhere in Smolensk (5.8), Leningrad (5.9) and Ryazan (6.0) oblasts. The North Caucasus district provides 10% of all newborns in the country. In 2023 the birth rate declined in 74 rows of the table out of 87, and at the beginning of 2025 the decline continued in most regions. Positive natural increase remained only in some republics, northern districts and Moscow.