MINSK, August 13 (Itar-Tass) —— The Belarussian president has sings a decree approving a national demographic security programme for 2011-2015.
The programme comprises a number of measures to increase the birth rate, provide social and economic support for families, maintain the family institution, strengthen health, prolong the population life expectancy, lower the death rate and optimize migration processes, the presidential press service told Itar-Tass.
The programme implementation is expected to result in stabilizing the population number at the level of 9.44-9.45 million people by 2015, ensuring the transition to demographic growth, increasing the birth rate from 11.4 to 12 for 1,000 people and extending the Belarussians’ life expectancy to 72-73 years.
The programme is aimed at lowering the infant mortality rate to 3.8 for 1,000 babies born alive and increasing the rate of births without complications to 40 percent. The death rate among the working-age population is expected to decrease to five for 1,000 people.
According to the Belarussian statistics, the republic’s population numbered 9,467,900 people by July 1. As compared to January 1 this year, the number decreased by 13,300 people. The number of deaths was 18,667 more than the number of newborn babies over the period, but there was a migration increase by 5,390 people.