Part 6/11:
While birth rates are critical, the mortality rate plays an equally significant role in assessing population growth. Russia faces challenges in its public health system that have led to higher-than-average death rates related to unhealthy lifestyles, alcoholism, and poor healthcare access. Russian men, in particular, suffer staggering mortality rates, dying at a rate four times higher than their European counterparts.
This health crisis has only been exacerbated by population losses incurred through combat in Ukraine, where estimates of Russian casualties range from 315,000 to 450,000. As military losses mount, the potential for economic productivity similarly diminishes, increasing the strain on the already struggling labor force.