Russia's mortality rate drops 9.8% compared to 2019 - Golikova

MOSCOW. Dec 21 (Interfax) - Deaths in Russia have fallen by 9.8% compared to 2019, while life expectancy in the first eleven months of 2023 stood at 73.5, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said.

"Regarding the results of ten months of 2023, these are the latest data [...] infant mortality is at a historically low level, at 4.1 per 1,000. Total mortality decreased by 9.8% compared to the pre-covid year of 2019, while life expectancy, according to preliminary data, stood at 73.5 in the [first] eleven months," Golikova said at a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects which Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in on Thursday.

Nationally, the coverage rate of preventive pediatric check-ups remains high, at almost 89% of under-17s over eleven months of the year, Golikova said. The check-ups resulted in 1.3 million referrals for additional examination.