But the past decade has seen the number of babies decline sharply, as many couples put off having children in the face of economic instability, researchers say. At the same time, Russians are dying much earlier than the rest of the developed world. Life expectancy is about 58.9 years for men and 72.4 years for women, according to government statistics. In contrast, life expectancy in the United States is 74.2 for men and 79.9 for women. Health officials blame the short life expectancy on increased poverty, stress and alcoholism during Russia's rocky transition to a free-market economy.
Officials say people frequently die of poisoning after drinking low-quality or industrial alcohol.
If the mortality situation is bad now, it is only expected to get worse. A wave of deaths from AIDS is expected to hit within the next decade. By some estimates, Russia already has nearly a million people infected with the AIDS virus. But mortality statistics tell only part of the story. The nation's poor health also accounts for a high rate of disability.