A once-great nation is dying out

Russia is literally dying, said Nicholas Eberstadt and Hans Groth in The Wall Street Journal Europe. The

Nicholas Eberstadt and Hans Groth

The Wall Street Journal Europe (Belgium)

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to make up for the die-off. The result: The working-age population is projected to shrink by nearly 20 percent in just the next 25 years. President-elect Dmitri Medvedev says he can avert that dire scenario by offering childbirth incentives. But he’s dreaming. “There is not a single example from modern history where pro-natal policies have been able to achieve a sustainable demographic reversal.” Without a miraculous turnaround in public health, Russia is doomed.