In the first stage of the concept implementation, the natural loss of the population should decline, while starting from 2011 the natural population growth should begin, he said. The number of the population should stabilize at the level of 140 million by 2015, and in subsequent years the population should grow to reach 145 million by 2025, Medvedev said.
Providing an incentive for growing birth rates, lowering death rates and using the so-called method of "substitutional migration" should play a specific role in the accomplishment of this task, he noted. The state is pinning hopes on the influx of migrants, mainly from the CIS and Baltic States, and also former compatriots returning to Russia. Special migration bills are being drafted, given that migration programs should be formulated at a regional level, Medvedev said. If the planned tasks are fulfilled, the average life expectancy in Russia should go up to 70 years against the current 66.7 years, Medvedev said.
The concept envisages a pessimistic scenario of the development of the demographic situation as well, he noted. In that case, Russia's population will decrease by six million to 136 million by 2015. And by 2025 the population will further drop to make 25 million. "Given such a negative scenario the average life expectancy might shorten to 64 years," Medvedev warned.
"All these pessimistic indices call the very existence of a state into question," Medvedev admitted. Nonetheless, he expressed confidence that such a variant would never become a reality. "It is possible if we do nothing at all. The negative variant exists, but we are not considering it," Medvedev said.
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