The Russian population put in its first full-year decline in a decade, with net migration failing to offset the natural decline for the first time since 2008.

The population of Russia as of January 1, 2019 was 146,793,744 people, reports Rosstat, down from 146,880,432 at the beginning of 2018. The population decreased by 86,688 people for the first time since 2008. In 2017, the population increased by more than 76,100 people.

The fall in the natural population has been partly offset by inbound migration, which covered half of the fall in the natural population last year.

Despite the constant “Russia dying” meme expounded by Russia’s critics, between 2009 and 2017 the population grew by 4.9mn people. However, 2.6mn of this growth was due to the annexation of the Crimea and Sevastopol in 2014. Nevertheless the growth in the core population was impressive and largely due to a maternity policy put in place by the Kremlin that outperformed even the most optimistic forecasts by the likes of the UN.

The population is falling now as the crash in life expectancy and low birthrates from the early 1990s are hitting the demographic curve and the falls will continue for several years.

In Russia, the decline in the rural population has accelerated. Out of almost 146.8mn Russians, 109.45mn live in cities, and 37.34mn in rural areas. Moscow is the most densely populated region with 12.63mn people registered in the capital.