Has Russia suffered a decrease in development?

Question by Jacy: Has Russia suffered a decrease in development?
I am writing a paper on Russia’s level of development (decided by factors such as per capita GDP, life expectancy, and literacy rate). I have previously been told that the country’s devlopment is decreasing, but I can’t seem to find any sources proving this correct. Help, please?

Answers and Views:

Answer by alexanderthegreat
Russia’s per capita GDP is the highest it has been since the Soviet Union imploded in December 1991. According to 2006 data by the IMF, Russia’s per capita GDP stands at $ 6,856 (ranked 57th in the world), while in 1994 it was $ 4,573 (source: ). Thus, as you can see, it has risen, not fallen.

Russia’s economy has experienced an extraordinary recovery since the ruble defaulted in 1998. Russia’s economy has been growing at an annual average of 6.7% since 2001, and if this rate is sustained, it is projected Russia will emerge as the second-largest economy in Europe and fourth or fifth largest in the world by 2020 (source: http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070725/69676892.html ). In other words, there is no way Russia’s per capita GDP could be falling, while its total GDP is rising (Russia is currently the 8th largest economy in purchasing power parity, and the 10th largest nominally).

Russia’s life expectancy, of course, was affected negatively when the USSR disintegrated, as life became that much more stressful and difficult for the average Russian. Between 1990 and 1995, life expectancy fell by 6.3 years for men (from 63.8 to 57.5) and by 3.4 years for women (74.4 to 71.0) (source: ). As of 2007, it stands at 59.12 years for males and 73.03 years for females (source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html ). Thus, looking at those statistics, we can conclude that life expectancy is rising, although slowly.

One problem Russia faces is the collapsing birthrate; Russia’s population growth is actually negative. This means that Russia’s population is shrinking. While this is a common problem across the whole of Europe, it is very serious in Russia. Fortunately, as the economy improves, Russia will improve its infrastructure and healthcare. Russia just announced a plan to spend $ 1 trillion on its infrastructure (source: http://www.sptimesrussia.com/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=23068 ) and this should help things improve considerably. The Russian government, as you probably have heard, has also decided it will pay mothers to have children. Hopefully, for Russia’s sake, this will help curb their population crisis.

As for Russia’s education, I can safely say that Russians are some of the most literate people in the world (by way of comparison, Russians are more literate than Americans). The level of success that is seen in Russia’s mass education system in almost unparalleled, as 99.4% of Russians are literate by age fifteen (source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html ). Further, Russians are, overall, the most educated population in Europe, producing more college graduates than any other European country (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Graduates_in_tertiary_education-thousands.jpg ).

In short, other than in demographics, Russia has experienced positive results in development, not a decrease. I hope some of the research I have done will help you in the right direction. Good luck!

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