Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
A meeting of the Presidential Council for the Implementation of State Demographic and Family Policy was held in the Kremlin. President Vladimir Putin attended the meeting. The council is chaired by Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko.
"When we talk about demographics, it's important to remember: behind these mere numbers are real people and their choices. For Russians, family isn't an obligation, but a conscious choice, an opportunity to feel love, meaning, and stability in life. This explains the formula for modern demographic policy: helping people live in love, raise children, build a future, and feel confident and supported by the state," emphasized Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova. She noted that material factors remain essential for families: housing, income, access to healthcare, and infrastructure. This is the focus of the new national projects launched this year at the President's direction, primarily the "Family" national project. But equally significant are non-material factors—anxiety and uncertainty, when parents fear they won't be able to provide their child with an ideal childhood.
Tatyana Golikova noted that regional demographic programs formed the foundation of the comprehensive family support program. They were launched in 2023 at the direction of the President. To develop them, the regions conducted a comprehensive assessment of their demographic potential. This allowed them to identify problems and identify potential for further increasing the birth rate.
Starting this year, 41 regions with low birth rates received 12.5 billion rubles in annual federal budget support to implement additional family support measures. Based on best regional practices, a so-called demographic menu of 10 new measures was developed. The final selection of these measures was made by the regions themselves, based on their specific circumstances.
This work is well underway in the Tambov, Kemerovo, Kaliningrad, and Moscow regions, the Udmurt Republic, and Mordovia, where more than 80% of the planned number of families have been covered by the new activities, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
As of October 1, the most popular measure from the "demographic menu" was the creation of services in antenatal clinics to prepare families for the birth of a child. In 2026, the "demographic menu" is planned to be supplemented with another measure: a one-time payment of at least 200,000 rubles for the birth of a child in a student family. The maternity capital program is also planned to be modernized with a focus on supporting large families.
Tatyana Golikova separately discussed priority areas of work.
The first is housing.
As Tatyana Golikova noted, a wide range of housing support measures is currently in effect. All have been extended until 2030. Approximately 1 trillion rubles have been allocated for the family mortgage program through 2026 alone. However, the problem of acquiring small studio apartments with mortgages and the high debt burden of families persists. Many plots of land for large families still lack the necessary infrastructure.
"We must systematically assess how all current housing programs are interconnected and how they impact the birth rate. We must provide for a seamless transition for families from one program to another as more children are born. And based on this, we must decide what the next priorities should be: mortgages, rental housing, low-rise construction, or other models of state housing support," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
To this end, a working group has been established at the Ministry of Construction, involving DOM.RF and all relevant industry agencies. Their task is to propose an updated housing support model that meets the needs of families.
The second is the development of infrastructure in rural areas.
In accordance with the Spatial Development Strategy, key communities have been selected. Many of them are located in rural areas. Master development plans will be developed for each. Tatyana Golikova noted the importance of focusing this work on the needs of young families—both in creating living and recreational conditions and in providing individual housing, including through the use of rural mortgages.
Third, involving employers and universities in issues of increasing the birth rate.
A corporate demographic standard has been developed – these are recommendations of the Russian Tripartite Commission for the Regulation of Social and Labor Relations.
To encourage employers to support new births, in accordance with the President's directive, amendments have been made to the Tax Code. Effective January 1, 2026, the one-time corporate payment for the birth of a child, tax-free and exempt from insurance contributions, has been increased from 50,000 rubles to 1 million rubles. At the same time, these payments will be classified as non-operating expenses for businesses, partially reducing the tax burden. "To ensure these payments do not deprive families of the opportunity to receive the lump-sum benefit, we are amending the rules and will not take them into account when calculating eligibility. The Council on Demographic and Family Policy approached us with this proposal," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Special attention is being paid to enhancing the family-centered nature of universities. This includes creating a one-stop shop for support for young parents, establishing individualized study schedules for students with children, opening mother-and-child rooms, and introducing additional payments for marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth. This work is being implemented jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science as part of the national project "Family."
Fourth, strengthening reproductive health.
Reproductive health screenings have begun. Nearly 13 million men and women underwent them last year and in the first nine months of this year. Tatyana Golikova noted that 12,000 women treated following these screenings achieved long-awaited pregnancies.
To monitor the situation, a unified federal registry of individuals with specific illnesses will be launched on March 1, 2026. It will include information on all pregnant women and their pregnancy outcomes, as well as information on the health of newborns.
"86% of married people are happy with their decision to start a family. And among those who haven't yet started a family, every second person says they want to. And our most important task is to help them with this!" Tatyana Golikova concluded.
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