Health in Russia has deteriorated to a point where it is considered a "catastrophe." Because of the economic turmoil that this state has undergone, and continues to go through, there is an abundance of people of the Russian Federation that lack a supply of food, water and the resources vital for health. Out of the 148.3 million people living in Russia, 33% are below the poverty line. The minimal income for subsistence is approximately 363,000 Rubles, and 39 million people receive an income below that level; the average being 311, 200 Rubles per year. More than 50% of the population uses water that does not meet the public health standards. Air pollution is also a problem, as 84 cities have air pollution 10 times in excess of the allowable concentrations. In fact, industrial pollution is thought to be one of the largest reasons for the rising level of sickness and disease. Doctors receive less pay than bus drivers, social workers go weeks without pay, thus demonstrating the poverty that plagues this state, and in turn affects the overall health of Russian citizens. Regardless of an individual's status in terms of social structure, the economic turmoil of Russia has affected the entire Russian population.

Children in particular have been affected by this poverty and the effects are quite apparent. 4.5 million children under the age of 2 receive inadequate nutrition. 20% of Moscow schoolchildren receive less protein than what is recommended by the World Health Organization. Infant mortality exceeds 18 deaths per 1000 births. Normal births and births given by healthy women make up only 15% of all births. More than 100 infants are stillborn each year. 250 infants die within their first three days each year. The growing pollution crisis also contributes to the problems in children's health, as pollution causes 20% of the children to be born with deformities or defects. Throughout the 1990s, children's physical health has also deteriorated, in terms of weight and height. Children in Russia are on average, 5-8 centimeters shorter than the average height of Russian children in the 1970s and 1980s.

There are 600,000 children under the care of the state in Russia. The majority of these children are undersized, caused by a lack of nurturing. Of the 2,000,000 abandoned children in Russia, as many as 650,000 of them were placed in deteriorating institutions that lack both proper education and health care. 70% of these children are physically or mentally handicapped. The death rate in Russian institutions also is almost twice the rate of the general population. This is due to overcrowding, poor hygiene, and the way in which the children are cared for.

York, Geoffrey. 1995. "Statistics on birth defects in Russia are staggering." The Detroit News, July 30. Retrieved November 29, 2000 (http://detnews.com/menu/stories/12250.htm).

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This web page was created in the Fall of 2000 by Tulane University students Blake DiMarco, Alex Isaacs, Jodie Lord, and Amanda Seruya, as part of our study on Childhood Around the World in Professor Brayfield's Children and Society course.

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Last updated December 8, 2000