The article explores significant milestones in the history of demography and population statistics, encompassing institutions, events, and notable figures. It delves into the biographies of scientists of the past who made noteworthy contributions to the study of various aspects of population issues. Reflecting on the lives and work of these great scientists is not just a tribute to their descendants; history should be revisited and reinterpreted by new generations, a right we can rightfully expect. The article also highlights the anniversaries of key publications and conferences; whose significance becomes more apparent when viewed from a distance.

Nobel Prize, demographic forecast, urban population census, demographic publications, demographic institutes, anniversaries, memorable dates

In 2023, the editorial board of the journal returns to publications on memorable demographic dates, previously featured in the fourth issues of the journal for 2017 and 2019. These were prepared by V.V. Elizarov, a member of the editorial board of the journal, the scientific director of the Laboratory of Population Economics and Demography, and the Chairman of the demographic section of the House of Scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Unfortunately, he passed away prematurely in 2021.

The year 2023 holds significance for the global community of researchers addressing gender issues in employment and the labor market, including historical aspects and the intersection of employment and childbirth. The Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded for gender studies to Claudia Goldin, a professor at Harvard, the oldest university in the United States, for her body of work that advanced “our understanding of women’s performance in the labor market.” Given that the study of women’s employment is inherently linked to research on their reproductive history, this award holds great importance for the demographic community and gender researchers. Claudia Goldin, a renowned expert in gender issues, labor economics, and economic history, received the Sveriges Riksbank Prize¹ in the field of economic sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel.

The «gender glow» of the award is noteworthy as Claudia Goldin became the first woman to secure a position in the economics department at Harvard University and the third woman to be honored with the Nobel Prize in Economics in its history. The Nobel Committee highlighted that Goldin’s extensive research offers a comprehensive history of gender inequality in the labor market spanning the past 200 years. As an outstanding specialist in economic history, her work has refuted several established assumptions about gender relations and illuminated the steps needed for greater equality.

In her book on the economic history of the female workforce, “Understanding the Gender Gap” (Goldin 1990), Goldin explored the growth of female employment in the United States from the XVIII to the end of the XX century. Through her calculations, Goldin demonstrated that the gender wage gap sharply decreased over a 200-year period (since 1820). However, the reduction was not linear, but experienced three distinct periods of decline, with the most significant occurring at the end of the 20th century.

For specialists in the fields of demography, labor economics, and gender studies examining differences in employment and wages, Claudia Goldin’s monograph “Career and Family: A Century-Long Path of Women to Justice” (Goldin 2021) holds significance. This work sheds light on the objective role of gender differences in wages, particularly due to the so-called “greedy” professions. Additionally, for specialists focusing on educational and professional gender differences, Goldin’s work “Great Gender Convergence” (Goldin 2014) is essential. This book delves into the reasons behind the growth of the gender gap in earnings in the workplace.

Demographers and researchers in family policy find the collaborative work of the laureate, co-authored with her husband Lawrence F. Katz, in 2002 particularly intriguing. Initially prepared as a working report by the National Bureau of Economic Research², it was later published as an article in the Journal of Political Economy (Goldin & Katz 2002). This paper explores the impact of fundamentally new contraceptives, approved in 1960, on family planning possibilities and the increased participation of young women in the workforce, effectively resolving the dilemma of balancing childbearing and employment (leading to a rise in female employment from 35% to 80%). Their historical demography research titled “Watersheds of Child Mortality”, analyzing the role of effective water supply and sewerage infrastructure in the USA from 1880 to 1920, highlights the importance of infrastructure investments for developing countries in shaping their child health policies (Alsan & Goldin 2019).

In 2023, a new demographic forecast until 2046³ was published by Rosstat, incorporating updated data primarily from the results of the 2021 population census. This follows the previous forecast, which extended to 2035 and was published in 2019.

Despite the projected reduction in annual population loss by more than two times over the entire twenty-two-year period, the population is expected to decrease to 138.77 million people, a decline of 7 million 680 thousand people. According to the average version of the forecast, the number of births, after reaching a minimum in 2027, will begin to grow. By 2045, a projected increase of 1 million 426.2 thousand people is anticipated, representing a 25.1% rise from 2023. The total fertility rate is expected to increase from 1.371 in 2023 to 1.663 in 2045. Life expectancy at birth in 2045 is projected to be 83.24 years for women and 75.89 years for men, resulting in a gender gap in life expectancy of 7.35 years. Notably, considering that in 2000, this difference was 13.23 years, and in 2022, it was 10.20⁴, there is evident progress in reducing the disparities between the mortality of the female and male population.

In 2023, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), also known as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, released its annual report. The new regular report⁵, titled “8 Billion Lives, Endless Possibilities: Arguments in Favor of Rights and Choice”, was launched in April 2023 (State of World Population 2023). This report emphasizes the issue of freedom in the rights of women and men to choose the desired number of children in the family, the timing of their arrival, and equal access to sexual and reproductive health. The UNFPA places a particular focus on global demographic issues in this report.

The report emphasizes the rapid changes in the global demographic situation, noting that two-thirds of the world’s population already lives in conditions of low fertility, while dozens of countries still experience very high fertility rates. The UNFPA identifies eight countries projected to contribute to half of the world’s population growth by 2050. These countries include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and the United Republic of Tanzania. The report highlights the diversity among these countries in terms of demographic policies, fertility rates, and their dynamics over the past two decades.

According to UN forecasts, Africa is expected to account for the highest share of global population growth. The report analyzes data from 68 reporting countries. As the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, the Foundation concludes that about 257 million women worldwide have an unmet need for safe and reliable contraception. The report calls for a comprehensive reevaluation of the interpretation of population data and urges politicians and the media to abandon exaggerated notions about demographic booms and busts.

15 years ago, the first Action Plan was adopted through the Government Decree of 2008 to implement the Concept of Demographic Policy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025, as outlined in the Presidential Decree of 2007. The Government’s plan addressed crucial issues in demographic development, categorized into sections: reducing the mortality rate of the population (Section I); increasing fertility, supporting families with children, and ensuring the legitimate rights and interests, with legal support for children (Section II); creating conditions to motivate a healthy lifestyle and maintaining public health (Section III); and enhancing the migration attractiveness of Russian regions (Section IV). Section V focused on information and analytical support for demographic policy, playing a significant role by expanding the list of pilot surveys, state statistical observations, monitoring the implementation of regional demographic development programs, and providing advanced training for civil servants in the specialty of «Demography.» Subsequent action plans for the implementation of the Demographic Policy Concept were approved for five-year periods. In the same year, 2008, the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia issued an order regarding the monitoring of regional demographic development programs (Order of the Ministry… 2008).

10 years ago, a decision was made to conduct a socio-demographic survey, a micro-census of the population in 2015 (Order of the Federal... 2013). The micro-census took place from October 1 to October 31, 2015, with Rosstat intending to interview 2.5 million people across all regions of Russia. The questionnaire used during the micro-census comprised 28 questions.

In the same period a decade ago, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation approved a program of measures aimed at protecting the health of mothers and children (Order of the Ministry... 2013).

5 years into the current Concept of the State Migration Policy of the Russian Federation for 2019-2025, which was adopted in 2018 by presidential decree (Decree of the President... 2018) replacing the previous Concept for the period up to 2025⁶ adopted in 2012. The year 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of its predecessor, the Concept of Regulating Migration Processes in the Russian Federation, adopted by the government in 2003 (Decree of the Government... 2003).⁷ Within the framework of this concept, a state program was adopted in 2006 to facilitate the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad to the Russian Federation (Decree of the President... 2012).

The Department of Demography at the Research Institute of Statistics of Rosstat has celebrated its 60th anniversary. This scientific unit, integral to the history of Russian demographic science and practice, was established during the «thaw» as part of the new Research Institute. In the words of its longstanding head, Andrei Gavrilovich Volkov, «the 60s of the twentieth century in the history of Russian science is a time of overcoming dogmatism» (Volkov 2003).

The Department of Demography had the fortune of having A.Ya. Boyarsky as its first director, a renowned scientist who served as the head of the Departments of Statistics and Mathematical Methods of Economic Analysis at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University. Boyarsky, the author of the first post-war textbook on demography (Boyarsky 1945), was a significant demographer and researcher. In a pivotal discussion at a departmental conference in 1969, titled «Demography and Demographic Statistics,» convened by the Scientific and Methodological Council of the Central Council of the USSR, Boyarsky advocated for the independence of demography as a science. Subsequently, he initiated demographic research at the departmental institute, contributing significantly to its development.

Let’s journey through the significant milestones in the achievements of the team:

1963-1970: During this period, the team focused on refining the methodology of demographic statistics. Noteworthy accomplishments include the calculation of mortality tables for the USSR population spanning 1968-1971 and dedicated research on infant mortality.

1971-1975: The team engaged in research on the practical application of effective modules within the selective method for studying socio-economic issues of the population. Substantial studies on the advancement of population statistics were conducted during this time. Work commenced on a statistical examination of the well-being and health of the population. Mathematical and statistical methods, along with computer applications, were employed to investigate population and family reproduction issues.

Since the early 1980s: The team shifted its focus towards enhancing the statistics of demographic processes. This included the development of a methodology for organizing a large-scale population survey – specifically, a micro-census of the population in 1985.

During the micro-census of the population in 1994, the Department of Demography implemented a new territorial sample for the population. The researchers delved into several critical areas, including the examination of social determinants and ethnic differentiations of fertility. They also investigated the distinctive features of the demographic revolution in a country characterized by diverse reproduction regimes, such as the USSR. Additionally, the Department explored the realm of economic demography. An innovative stride was taken by the Department’s researchers when they became the pioneers in conducting an experimental survey of reproductive installations, focusing on enterprises primarily employing female labor. A survey of women’s opinions regarding the ideal number of children in a family was conducted. The phrasing of the questions from these surveys later became integral to the practices of state statistical surveys. Furthermore, the scientists from the Department of Demography achieved recognition as leading theorists and methodologists in the realm of demographic forecasts conducted by state statistics.

35 years ago, the Institute of Socio-Economic Problems of Population (ISEPP RAS) was established, now named after its first director, Natalia Mikhailovna Rimashevskaya. The creation of such an institute within the system of the USSR Academy of Sciences was a result of significant efforts by numerous scientists and the scientific community. Before the Second World War, the USSR Academy of Sciences had two academic institutes dedicated to demographic research: the Demographic Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1930-1934) and the Institute of Demography of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (1919-1934).

The establishment of the Institute of Socio-Economic Problems of Population was the outcome of discussions on the necessity of an institute with demographic research topics. A joint departmental and academic resolution led to the formation of the institute, initially under the USSR Academy of Sciences and the USSR State Committee of Labour. In the 1990s, it was withdrawn from departmental subordination. The institute’s research is interdisciplinary, drawing on the expertise of scientists from various scientific fields. A significant achievement of ISEPP is the renowned scientific school of N.M. Rimashevskaya, established over 25 years ago.

Under her leadership, ISEPP conducted a comprehensive Taganrog project, spanning several years, to study family well-being, conditions, lifestyle, and the quality of life of the population in a large Russian city. The challenges encountered during this extensive task were detailed by the project manager (Rimashevskaya 1996). Further accomplishments of the Institute are documented in a collection published following the results of a scientific conference dedicated to the 25th anniversary of ISEPP, titled «Population of modern Russia: state and prospects « (2013). The institute also boasts its highly regarded journal, «Population,» which is included in the Russian Science Citation Index database.

The Institute of Demography (IDEM) at the National Research University Higher School of Economics celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2022. The institute was officially named after its founder and first director, Anatoly Grigoryevich Vishnevsky. Its history traces back to 1988 when it started as a structural unit of the Institute of Socio-Economic Problems of Population of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the USSR State Committee of Labour (ISEPP). The journey began with the formation of the Department of Demography within ISEPP. In 1988, the demographers’ team established the Center for Demography and Human Ecology as part of the Institute of Employment Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Subsequently, in 1993, it became part of the Institute of National Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences. An important milestone in the Institute’s history was the celebration of its fifteenth anniversary with the conferences «Russia facing demographic Challenges of the XXI century» held on December 18-19, 2003.

The institute’s creation history is thoroughly detailed on the Demoscope Weekly website (The History of the Institute... 2013). The team has effectively blended research and teaching activities through the Interfaculty Department of Demography since 2007. A significant initiative to introduce students to scientific developments is the establishment of the Scientific and Educational Laboratory of Socio-Demographic Policy since 2009, focusing on research related to family, migration, and health policy. With rich publishing traditions, the institute has built an extensive publication base, including the annual demographic report «Population of Russia» since 1993, the bulletin «Population and Society» spanning from 1994 to 2006, the digital publication «Demoscope Weekly» since 2001, and the scientific digital journal «Demographic Review» since 2014. The latter is included in the Russian Science Citation Index, contributing to the dissemination of valuable demographic research findings.

It’s a significant milestone – 100 years since the first census of the urban population of the USSR. The All-Union Urban Census of 1923, conducted from March 15, was under the direction of the Department of Basic Industrial Statistics of the Central Statistical Office of the USSR. This census was unique as it combined the urban population census with the industrial census. The census holds great historical value, as its results provide a basis for analyzing the consequences of tragic events that unfolded during that period, including the Civil War of 1917-1922 and the widespread famine of 1921-1923, estimated to have impacted 28 to 40 million people. The enumeration encompassed various demographic aspects, including the population engaged in industry and trade. It accounted for residents of cities, urban-type settlements, industrial towns and villages, resort areas, and more. The census covered the entire territory of the USSR, except for Georgia, where a similar survey was conducted at the end of 1922 (The history of population censuses... 2009: 33).

The challenges faced during the census and its quality were predominantly linked to the shortage and insufficient training of local (regional) statisticians, as well as inadequate financial and material support. Likely due to these and similar reasons, instructions for conducting the census were prepared and issued by local statistical offices. As the economic recovery began, particularly in cities, local and regional authorities were better equipped to understand the specific needs of their regions, allowing them to create instructions tailored to these circumstances.

For instance, in 1923, the Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR issued instructions spanning 16 pages (All-Russian Urban Census ... 1923), while the Chelyabinsk Gubstatburo issued a more detailed set of instructions covering 47 pages (Instructions for conducting... 1923). Despite the census’s importance for comprehending the economic, demographic, and social history of the country, census materials were scarcely in demand by researchers over the 100-year period. Only O. Kvitkin’s work «The population of cities in the European part of the RSFSR» (Kvitkin 1923), published based on the census results, is known. Tragically, Kvitkin became one of the victims of the 1937 census, commemorating its 150th anniversary in 2024.

In the late 1980s, V.B. Zhiromskaya’s monograph «The Soviet City in 1921-1925» was published, providing coverage of the 1923 urban census period (Zhiromskaya 1988). In the 21st century, interest in the census has notably increased, and in 2022, several works were published, primarily by historians (Petrov 2022).

The State Public Historical Library of Russia holds published census materials in two distinct volumes under the common title «All-Union Urban Census of 1923.» The first volume is titled «The results of the industrial census,» and the second volume is «A brief industrial description of cities and urban-type settlements» (All-Union Urban ... 1926). Notably, the Central Statistical Office referred to these volumes as «Works» rather than compendiums. A distinctive feature of these volumes is the presentation of the title page and part of the text in both Russian and French. The State Public Historical Library has digitized the contents of these volumes, and access to them is openly available, allowing researchers and the public to explore and analyze this valuable historical data.

5 years ago, on November 22, 2018, the Government of the Russian Federation issued Decree No. 1401, titled “On Amendments to Certain Acts of the Government of the Russian Federation.” This decree introduced “Selective federal statistical monitoring of the state of public health” for the entire country, its constituent subjects, urban and rural areas, and specific socio-demographic groups of the population. The monitoring initiative, implemented from 2019 onward, mandated an annual survey focusing on the health status of the population. The survey is based on a sample of 60 thousand households, which are selected and utilized for budget-related surveys. This effort reflects the government’s commitment to systematically gather and analyze data to assess and monitor the health conditions of the population.

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The 50th anniversary of the All-Union Conference “Methodological Problems of studying population in a socialist society” is a significant milestone in the history of demography in the country. Held in Kiev from December 6-8, 1973, this conference stands out as one of the largest scientific gatherings dedicated to the study of population issues. The conference served as a platform that brought together demographers and researchers from all Soviet republics and many regions of Russia. Under the patronage of the Scientific Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences, specifically the council focused on “Socio-economic problems of Population,” led by T.V. Ryabushkin, and the Institute of Economics of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, where the Department of Demographic Research was headed by V.S. Steshenko, the conference played a crucial role in fostering collaboration and advancing the understanding of population-related challenges in a socialist society.

The contribution of the Center for the Study of Population Problems at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University to the All-Union Conference “Methodological Problems of studying population in a socialist society” in 1973 was particularly noteworthy. The largest delegation at the conference was led by D.I. Valentey. During the first section of the conference, dedicated to “Theoretical foundations of demography and demographic policy,” D.I. Valentey delivered a speech on the topic “On the system of demographic knowledge.” This presentation is considered the inception of the Center’s team’s work on the concept of a population knowledge system.

The famous Czech scientist Zdenek Pavlik also made a notable contribution to the conference with his report “On the nature of demography” in the same section. Subsequent reports from the Moscow State University team expanded on the ideas related to the population knowledge system. Here are the topics and authors of these reports: “On the problem of an integrated approach to the study of population” – B.S. Khorev, “The place of demography in the system of sciences” – I.V. Dzarasova, “On the relationship between demography and sociology” – V.A. Sysenko, “The main directions of Marxist analysis of bourgeois theories of population” – A.P. Sudoplatov, “On some problems of demographic policy in the USSR” – A.Ya. Kvasha, “Some questions of the methodology for measuring the relationship between demographic and economic growth” – G.Sh. Bakhmetova, “On a comprehensive study of the structure of population migration” – V.M. Moiseenko, “Changes in the age structure of the population of the USSR” – I.V. Kalinyuk, “The influence of some socio-economic factors on the reproductive behaviour of the population” – G.P. Kiselyova and N.A. Tauber, “Reproduction of the Cuban population” – A.S. Pervushin, “The main characteristics of the natural movement of the Chinese population” – E.S. Bazhenova.

These reports covered a diverse range of topics within demography and reflected the depth and breadth of research conducted by the Moscow State University team during the conference. The published materials from the conference hold significant historical value as a bibliographic rarity.

The Department of Demography at the CSA Research Institute in Moscow was a prominent participant in the All-Union Conference. The Head of the department, A.G. Volkov, played a key role by delivering the main report titled “The evolution of the family and the formation of a modern type of reproduction of the population of the USSR” during the third section of the conference, which focused on “Problems of reproduction of the population of the USSR and other socialist countries.”

In addition to the main report, A.G. Volkov, along with A.G. Vishnevsky and L.E. Darsky, presented another report titled “Modern fertility in the USSR and its regulation.” L.E. Darsky also made a separate presentation on “Fertility and reproductive installation,” while V.A. Belova contributed with the report “Statistical study of reproductive attitudes of the population.”

The representation from Moscow extended to both esteemed and emerging scientists. B.Ts. Urlanis presented on “Problems of demographic policy,” showcasing the depth of experience, and geographer Y.L. Pivovarov discussed “Urbanization and new forms of settlement,” reflecting on emerging trends.

Urbanization took a significant place at the conference with 18 reports, while migration and population forecasting were also dominant themes, featuring 27 and numerous presentations, respectively. The second section of the conference, titled “The relationship of socio-economic and demographic processes,” was particularly comprehensive, boasting 73 researchers who delved into topics related to migration and urbanization. The volume of speakers in this section highlights the widespread interest and importance attached to understanding the intricate connections between socio-economic and demographic dynamics.

The fourth and final section of the conference, dedicated to “Methodological issues of forecasting the population and labor resources,” featured a keynote presentation by A.Ya. Boyarsky on “On methods of demographic forecasting.” E.M. Andreev, G.A. Pavlov, V.F. Shukailo, and an additional 20 speakers also contributed presentations on various aspects of population forecasting.

The wealth of information and insights from the conference are captured in the compendium (Methodological Problems ... 1973), providing a valuable resource for researchers and historians interested in the demographic studies of socialist countries during that period.

The upcoming 50th anniversary of the First Moscow Scientific Student Conference on Population problems, held in March 1974 at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, marks an important milestone. This student conference followed in the wake of the All-Union Conference, showcasing the continued interest and engagement of students in the field of population studies. The conference materials were partially published in the compendium (Population of the USSR... 1975), released by the publishing house “Statistics” in 1975. The involvement of students in scientific research has consistently been a distinctive feature of the Center for the Study of Population Problems.

The European Conference on Population and Development, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland 30 years ago, from March 23 to 26, 1993, holds historical significance as a forum for European government delegations to exchange views in preparation for the World Conference on Population and Development in Cairo (1974). This conference was organized based on the recommendation of the UN General Assembly and served as one of the five regional conferences under the auspices of the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the UNFPA.

Unlike the Cairo Conference, the European Conference on Population and Development did not involve the preparation of national population reports. However, it played a crucial role in facilitating discussions and formulating a declaration that encompassed all the issues slated for discussion at the World Conference. The meeting on the sidelines of the conference was the first for officials responsible for demographic policy in 15 new states formed in the post-Soviet space.

20 years ago, the European Demographic Conference took place in Warsaw from August 6 to 30, 2003. This international forum brought together European demographers along with researchers from the USA, Canada, Israel, Japan, and Iran. The conference program encompassed 16 topics, most of which were discussed across multiple sessions, with a total of 270 pre-published reports. The primary focus was on fertility, family, and reproductive health. Migration emerged as a significant and pressing topic for Europe during that period. Discussions delved into the economic causes and consequences of migration, with a dedicated session exploring the role of gender in these migration-related issues. Another key theme, “Population and economy,” was approached through traditional lenses, examining the intersection of the labor market and family formation, as well as the well-being of various demographic groups.⁸

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the First National Conference on Aging, titled “From an ageing society to a society for all ages - the peculiarities of Russia and the CIS countries,” took place in Moscow on October 9-10, 2013. The conference was organized by the E. and G. Timchenko Charitable Foundation. The overarching mission of the conference, as stated by the organizers, was to challenge and change prevailing negative stereotypes about the older generation while advocating for the creation of a favorable environment for life in old age. The conference covered a wide array of topics, ranging from institutional aspects like pension reform and approaches to providing medical services for the elderly to broader issues such as the strategy of active longevity and the participation of the older generation in society. The discussions also delved into theoretical considerations, including the peculiarities of demographic transitions in the world and the CIS countries.

The 60 years of UN research among governments on population and development, as reflected in the data set “World Demographic Policy,” mark a significant milestone. The UN Population Division’s efforts involve tracking the views and policies of the governments of 194 countries (as of 2023) on a wide range of population issues. This comprehensive dataset covers population dynamics, demographic structure, fertility and marriage, reproductive health and family planning, health and mortality, urbanization, and migration.

The most recent report for 2021, with a focus on “Fertility Policy” (World Population... 2022), underscores the ongoing importance of understanding and addressing population-related challenges. These reports offer valuable insights for analytical comparisons between countries, geographical areas, and continents, providing a foundation for data-driven decision-making.

By emphasizing the significance of well-thought-out public policies, the UN Population Division highlights their crucial role in implementing the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action. Additionally, these efforts contribute to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, underscoring the interconnectedness of demographic dynamics with broader sustainable development objectives.

The 30th anniversary of the annual demographic report “Population of Russia” by a team of authors from IDEM is a noteworthy milestone. The report, initiated in 1993 during a period of global concern about the demographic challenges facing Russia, has provided valuable insights and analyses over the years. The inaugural report in 1993 was edited by A.G. Vishnevsky and S.V. Zakharov (Population of Russia 1993).

The publication history of the reports reflects the challenges faced by periodicals in the 1990s in Russia, including issues related to financing. Despite these challenges, the annual demographic report persevered and found support from various sponsors, including the RFBR (Russian Foundation for Basic Research), the Ministry of Labour of Russia, UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), and the HSE (National Research University Higher School of Economics) (Demographic Encyclopedia 2013: 525).

The latest report, “Population of Russia 2019,” published in 2022 and edited by S.V. Zakharov, continues the tradition of providing comprehensive insights into demographic trends and issues.

The publication of N.M. Rimashevskaya’s monograph “Man and Reforms” 20 years ago (Rimashevskaya 2003) marked an important contribution to understanding the impact of the first decade of Russian reforms. In this work, the author reflected on the new conditions of social existence and raised crucial questions about the gains and losses experienced by individuals, families, and the general population as a result of the reforms.

The monograph delved into critical issues such as the scale and depth of poverty in Russia and sought to understand the reasons behind the decline in the Russian population and the deterioration of its qualitative characteristics. One of the notable aspects of this publication is the author’s commitment to not only posing questions but also providing answers, offering insights into what actions could be taken to address these challenges.

The third section of the monograph stands out for its extensive analysis of gender relations, making it one of the first works in Russian literature to explore gender issues in such depth.

The fourth section, titled “Population and Globalization,” remains relevant even two decades later. It examines the intensification of migration processes and explores the gender aspects of globalization.

20 years ago, a textbook on demography authored by V.M. Medkov⁹ (Medkov 2003) was released. V.M. Medkov, who passed away 15 years ago, was full of creative energy and plans at the time of his passing. The textbook has been reissued multiple times, bearing the classification “classic university textbook,” including in the year 2020.

The publication of the monograph “Population of the Soviet Union” 20 years ago (Population of the Soviet Union ... 1993) marked a significant achievement by famous authors E.M. Andreev, L.E. Darsky, and T.L. Kharkova. The authors undertook the formidable task of presenting the meticulous restoration of data on the population and various demographic indicators spanning from 1922 to the 1960s. This reconstruction was based on specialized studies and modeling. Another noteworthy aspect of the monograph is the calculation of human losses resulting from the famine of 1933 and population losses during the war of 1941-1945. Furthermore, the inclusion of multivariate demographic forecasts for the country, developed with the participation of the authors in the late 1980s, offers insights into the anticipation and analysis of demographic trends.

10 years ago, in 2013, the Demographic Encyclopedia was published (Demographic Encyclopedia 2013), around which controversy unfolded in the same year due to shortcomings and errors noted in the articles of Demoscope. However, the history of this publication continues; there are 258 references to it in the national scientific electronic library (eLibrary) as of October 25, 2023. All generations of demographers, including authors from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, were involved in the publication (Tkachenko & Shapo­valova 2018).

400 years since the birth of William Petty. Sir William Petty (1623-1687), English political scientist, and statistician, was the founder of the Royal Society of London (1660) and a member of both the British Parliament and the Irish Parliament of the Restoration era. He also served as the Inspector General of Ireland and lived alternately in London and Ireland (The Economic Writings ... 1899). In “Essays on Political Arithmetic and a Political Survey or Anatomy of Ireland” (1672), he presented ingeniously calculated estimates of population and social incomes. Petty reduced political, religious, and ethnic differences to issues of demography and proposed eliminating these differences by “transforming” problematic groups of the population into loyal and hardworking subjects. As a result of painstaking research in the XXI century, Petty appears as the founder in the history of social sciences, the architect of British colonial rule in Ireland, and his “political arithmetic” as a program of social engineering. The summary of the content of W. Petty’s most famous work, “Political Arithmetic,” is presented in the book (McCormick 2009).

300 years since the birth of Adam Smith (1723-1790), one of the greatest representatives of classical political economy. Smith is a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, the author of two classic works that have been discussed over the past centuries: “The Theory of Moral Sentiments” (1759) and “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” (1776). Since 1773, he was a member of the Royal Society of London, a member of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, and since 1783, one of the founding members of the Edinburgh Royal Society. He served as the Lord Rector of the University of Glasgow from 1787 to 1789. In 1753, he became the head of the Department of Moral Philosophy in Glasgow, where he worked for 13 years, describing it as “by far the most useful and, therefore, the happiest and most honorable period” in his life (Rae 1895/2009: 42).

Poverty, according to Smith, prevents marriage but contributes to an increase in fertility; these ideas were often referred to in their works by R. Malthus, J. S. Mill, and others. The scientist considered the mutual influence of wage growth, population growth, and wealth growth, as well as the reasons for the killing of newborns in different ancient communities. Smith insisted that deepening the division of labor in a competitive environment leads to increased productivity, and this, in turn, leads to lower prices and, consequently, to universal abundance for all, i.e., to an increase in living standards.

250 years since the birth of Jean Charles Léonard Simonde de Sismondi (1773-1842) . A foreign member of the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences (1833) and the Royal Swedish Academy (1826), he was the first to introduce the term “proletariat” to refer to the working class formed under capitalism. Among Sismondi’s works as a representative of classical political economy, the work “Nouveaux principes d’économie politique, ou de la richesse dans ses rapports avec la population” (1819) is distinguished. Sismondi’s significant contribution to economics is related to the idea of aggregate demand: overproduction and insufficient consumption in England due to low wages of most of the workforce push employers to lower prices by reducing wages, which leads to an even greater reduction in consumption. He expressed ideas about fertility and family size in connection with family property and the problem of its distribution among heirs. At the end of the 20th century, his work in the field of economic theory led to Sismondi being assessed as a precursor to the concepts of development of overpopulated countries with low national income (Jedlicki 1999: 75).

230 years since the birth of Peter Ivanovich Köppen (1793-1864), a distinguished Russian statistician, ethnographer, economist, and prominent bibliographer. He was the son of a doctor from Tubingen who was part of the group of 30 doctors invited by Catherine II. Köppen earned a Master of Law degree from Kharkov University in 1814. He served as an official in the postal department in St. Petersburg and later became the editor of the newspaper “Severnaya Pochta.”

In 1837, he became an academician of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Eberhard and Karl University of Tubingen (Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen) in 1826. Köppen played a significant role in the establishment of the Russian Geographical Society in 1845, where he headed the Department of Statistics. He initiated the compilation of materials and a list of populated places in Russia and served as the head of the publication “Cities and Villages of Tula Province in 1857.”

As the publisher and editor of the international journal “Bibliographic Sheets” (the first issue of 43 was published in 1825-1826), he left his mark on Russian bibliography. Among Köppen’s notable works are “The Ninth Revision: A Study on the Number of Inhabitants in Russia in 1851” (1857), “On National Censuses in Russia” (prepared for publication in 1848, published in 1889), “Ethnographic Map of Russia” (1851, compiled by Köppen, published by the Geographical Society), and the alphabetical dictionary of the “Geographical and Statistical Dictionary of the Russian Empire” (1863-1885).

175 years since the birth of Konstantin Alekseevich Andreev (1848-1921), a mathematician and Doctor of Sciences (1879), who served as a corresponding member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg (1884). He graduated from Moscow University in 1871 and went on to teach as a professor at Kharkov University from 1873 to 1898, and later at Moscow University from 1898 onward. In the period from 1905 to 1911, he held the position of the dean of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Moscow University, where he was honored with a gold medal for his work titled “On Mortality Tables: Experience of Theoretical Research” (1871).

165 years since the birth of Pyotr Ivanovich Kurkin (1858-1934), the organizer of Russian sanitary statistics. He held the position of Professor (1926) and earned the title of Doctor of Medical Sciences. Kurkin was recognized as an Honored Scientist of the RSFSR. He graduated from the Faculty of Natural Sciences at St. Petersburg University in 1882 and later completed his studies at the Faculty of Medicine of Moscow University in 1886. Kurkin played a pivotal role as the head of the Joint Sanitary Statistical Commission of the People’s Commissariat of Health and the Central Statistical Office. He contributed significantly to the development of methodology for studying general morbidity, incorporating factors such as the population’s access to medical care. Kurkin also designed the first scheme of sanitary and statistical research. His works focused on statistics related to child and infant mortality.

In the journal “Labour Issues,” he published a review on the statistics of the physical development of the working population (city of Moscow and province) based on the works of sanitary doctors from 1889 to 1923 (1926). Additionally, he conducted research on statistical studies of the incidence of tuberculosis, syphilis, and venereal diseases in the population of the Moscow province, referring to them as social diseases (1926).

A posthumous edition of Kurkin’s monograph on fertility and mortality in the capitalist states of Europe was published in 1938.

160 years since the birth of Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (1863-1945), a distinguished thinker and public figure. He was an Academician of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1912) and a member of the State Council (1906). Vernadsky played a crucial role as one of the founders and the first president of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (1918-1921). He also founded the Commission for the Study of the Natural Productive Forces of Russia in 1915. Additionally, he established scientific schools in mineralogy and geochemistry and contributed significantly to the development of the science of biogeochemistry. Vernadsky served as the director of the Biogeochemical Laboratory at the Academy of Sciences from 1927 to 1945. His academic journey began in 1890 as a lecturer at the Imperial Moscow University, and for a brief period in 1920-1921, he served as the Rector of Tauride University in Simferopol.

Vernadsky faced adversity in 1921 when he was arrested but was later released due to the intervention of the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.P. Karpinsky and Academician S.F. Oldenburg. Vernadsky was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity and one of the founders and the first head of the Radium Institute (1922-1939). In collaboration with P.T. de Chardin and E. Le Roy, he is credited with creating the doctrine of the noosphere, considering it the highest stage of development of the biosphere resulting from intelligent human activity. He introduced the idea of scientific thought as a planetary phenomenon and the primary driver of human history. Vernadsky presented his views on the future of mankind and population in two influential works: “Philosophical Thoughts of a Naturalist” (1988) and “Autotrophy of Mankind” (1993)¹⁰. He emphasized the role of scientific thought in human development, stating, “We are increasingly specializing not in sciences, but in problems” (Vernadsky 1977: 54). He believed that progress was determined by the growth of the “cultural biochemical energy of mankind.”

In the 1920s, Vernadsky developed the concept of biological time. His insights extended to the geographical discoveries of the XV century, highlighting the significant role of Portuguese voyages to Africa and emphasizing that the discovery of inhabited countries in Africa was “completely unexpected for... Western European Society” (Vernadsky 1981: 141). Vernadsky’s scientific creativity allowed him to explore human development on a planetary scale, free from ideological constraints.

155 years since the birth of Vladislav Iosifovich Bortkevich (1868-1931), also known as Ladislaus von Bortkewitsch, a Russian and German economist, statistician, and demographer. He graduated from the Statistical Department of the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg Imperial University in 1890 and completed his doctoral dissertation at the University of Göttingen under the supervision of V. Lexis. Bortkevich taught at the University of Berlin from 1901 to 1931, becoming a professor in 1920.

One of Bortkevich’s significant contributions was the development of a model of the stationary population. He applied age-specific mortality rates to a growing population with an arbitrary indicator of natural growth. This model allowed for the estimation of the age composition of a growing population based on various hypotheses of mortality and fertility.

Bortkevich authored numerous works on mathematical economics, which are highly regarded in the field and considered essential contributions to the discipline. His works are often referred to as the golden fund of science in this domain.

150 years since the birth of Gombozhab Tsebekovich Tsybikov (Buryat - Sabegei Gombozhab) (1873-1930), an ethnographer, orientalist (Tibetologist and Mongolist), Buddhologist, statesman, and explorer. He graduated with a gold medal from the Oriental Faculty of St. Petersburg University and was proficient in Chinese, Mongolian, and Manchurian languages by 1899. From 1899 to 1902, he embarked on a journey to Tibet, reaching Lhasa. Photographs from his expedition were published in 1905 in the National Geographic magazine.

After his travels, Tsybikov taught at the newly founded Oriental Institute in Vladivostok from 1899, where he served as the head of the Department of Mongolian Literature from 1906 to 1917. In the 1920s, he became a professor at Irkutsk University. Tsybikov published materials about his trip to Tibet and his stay in Lhasa in the reports of the Smithsonian Institution (USA) and the Geographical Journal of the Royal Geographical Society (London). His contributions to ethnography and oriental studies have left a lasting impact on the understanding of Tibetan and Mongolian cultures.

145 years since the birth of Nikolai Ivanovich Vorobyov (1878-1942), a well-known practitioner and theorist of statistical science, who worked in the bodies of county council statistics since 1897. Chairman of the IV All-Union Congress of Statisticians (1926), which decided on the census programme. Along with practice (head of the North Caucasus Statistical Office), he was engaged in scientific and teaching activities (Head of the Department of Statistics of the North Caucasus State University, Rostov-on-Don). The author of a short general guide to statistics for beginners (second edition 1922), called the author of “Volost statistician”, the purpose of which is “to introduce a volost statistician, poorly trained, into the circle of those facts and events of social life that currently constitute the main object of statistical research” (Vorobyov, 1922). The publication is provided with statistical tables, forms and maps for conducting a population census. He is the author of one of the first articles in the Soviet demographic literature devoted to a detailed analysis of the composition of the family and the economic and demographic relations within it.

140 years since the birth of Evgeny Zakharovich Volkov (Volkov-Belov) (1883-1942), a statistician and demographer who became a professor of statistics in 1932. Initially, he focused on the statistical study of agricultural issues in Russia, particularly agaric problems. Volkov-Belov began his research career in statistical and economic institutions in Kiev and Kharkov (1918-1920). Subsequently, he worked in various statistical and planning bodies, including the State Planning Committee of the USSR, the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, and the UNKHU of the RSFSR (1921-1930). From 1930 onward, he dedicated himself to scientific and teaching endeavors.

Volkov-Belov is recognized as one of the first researchers to assess the demographic losses of the USSR resulting from the First World War and the Civil War, as well as their consequences. He authored one of the earliest historical and demographic studies titled “Population Dynamics of the USSR over 80 Years” (1930). Unfortunately, starting from 1935, he faced persecution and repression.

135 years since the birth of Adolf Grigoryevich Rashin (1888-1960), a Russian statistician, historian, and demographer. He graduated from the Economics department of the Kiev Commercial Institute in 1915 and later earned a Candidate of Economic Sciences degree in 1936.

In the 1920s, Rashin played an active role in shaping Soviet labor statistics. He headed the Central Bureau of Labour Statistics from 1920 to 1930, which brought together the Central Bureau of Labour, the People’s Commissariat of Labour, and the Central Committee of Labour. He served as the editor of the journal “Labour Statistics” from 1922 to 1929, focusing on publishing labor market statistics. Additionally, he taught labor statistics at universities.

One of Rashin’s most renowned works is “The Population of Russia for 100 Years (1811-1913)” (1956), highly regarded as one of the most authoritative sources on demographic development. This work includes valuable information on the educational and professional composition of the population in major cities.

Rashin’s research primarily focused on the professional composition of the population. His monograph “The Formation of the Industrial Proletariat in Russia” (1940) and the later work “The Formation of the Working Class of Russia: Historical and Economic Essays” (1958) delve into the processes from the post-reform period to 1917, providing important insights into the development of the working class in Russia.

135 years since the birth of Alexandra Nikolaevna Tippolt (1888-1986), a Russian demographer and medical statistician who played a crucial role as the “keeper of memory” at the Demographic Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. She graduated from the St. Petersburg Women’s Medical Institute in 1921.

From 1927, Tippolt headed the Statistical Bureau of the Scientific and Practical Institute for the Protection of Motherhood and Infancy. In 1930, she was invited by V.V. Paevsky to join the newly organized Demographic Institute of the Academy of Sciences. During her time at the institute, she regularly published articles on child morbidity and mortality while also teaching demographic statistics.

In the years 1937-1947, Tippolt combined her work at the Department of Social Hygiene and Health Organization of the Leningrad Pediatric Medical Institute with heading the statistical bureau of the clinical hospital.

Starting in 1966, she dedicated 20 years of her life to the systematization and preparation for archiving materials and documents of the Demographic Institute. Tippolt played a critical role in preserving the institute’s records, especially those from the tragic year 1934.

130 years since the birth of Lev Efimovich Mints (1893-1979), an economist, statistician, and labor specialist. He graduated from the Kiev Commercial Institute in 1914 and later headed the statistics department of the People’s Commissariat of Labour from 1920 to 1930. Unfortunately, he was repressed in 1930 and again in 1949 but was rehabilitated in 1955.

Mints made significant contributions to the field of economic and mathematical methods. He headed the Laboratory of Economic and Mathematical Methods of the Council for the Study of Productive Forces of the USSR Academy of Sciences from 1959 to 1962. Starting in 1963, he led the Central Economic and Mathematical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Among his notable achievements, Mints was the first to compile a series on labor dynamics over an extended period. He also gathered data on the distribution of workers by gender and age and information on the involvement of women in public production, even though this data was not published at that time. Additionally, he organized and conducted a survey of labor productivity of men and women in 1925, identifying the influence of household conditions, physical condition, and age.

Mints conducted valuable research on seasonal labor migration and addressed the issues of agrarian overpopulation in the USSR in 1929. His work on socio-economic and sociological problems of labor balance and time budget, published in 1979, remains relevant today.

130 years since the birth of Vladimir Vladislavovich Paevsky (1893-1934), a demographer and statistician who made significant contributions to the field. He graduated from the mathematical department of Petrograd University in 1915 and later became the initiator of the creation and deputy director of the Demographic Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1930.

Paevsky is recognized as the founder of the mathematical direction in domestic demographic research. He introduced the “Paevsky method,” a technique he used to construct mortality tables for the USSR population in 1926-27. These tables included short mortality tables for socio-professional groups, showcasing his innovative approach to demographic analysis.

In 1931, Paevsky authored the country’s first manual on demographic and medical statistics, titled “Elements of Statistics.” One of his notable achievements was the application of the age-shifting method to predict the country’s population until 1951, showcasing his forward-thinking approach to demographic forecasting.

130 years since the birth of Pascal Kidder Whelpton (1893-1964), a pioneer of American demography. He served as an associate (1924-1963) of the Scripps Foundation for Research in Population Problems at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. From 1940, he was the Deputy Director, and from 1953, he became the Director of the foundation, working closely with W.S. Thompson. Thompson and Whelpton gained national fame with their article “The Population of the United States 1925-1975” published in the American Journal of Sociology in 1928. Whelpton’s significant contribution to demography lies in fertility research, particularly the Indianapolis study titled “Social and Psychological Factors Influencing Fertility.” This study, published in five volumes from 1946 to 1958, marked the beginning of the tradition of birth survey research. He served as the President of the Population Association of America from 1941 to 1942 and later became the Director of the United Nations Population Division from 1950 to 1953.

130 years since the birth of Viktor Kornelevich Yatsunsky (1893-1966), a Russian historian. He graduated from Moscow University in 1916, earning his Doctor of Historical Sciences degree in 1950 and becoming a professor in the same year.

Yatsunsky made significant contributions to the field of historical geography and demographic history of Russia in the XIX-early XX centuries. His works include fundamental studies on the change in the number of speakers of the main languages of the world from the XVIII to the XX centuries, as well as research on the distribution of the population of European Russia from 1724 to 1916. Notably, his monograph in 1964 and an article in the journal “History of the USSR” in 1957 are recognized as important contributions to the understanding of demographic changes and historical geography in Russia.

125 years since the birth of Alfred Sauvy (1898-1990), a French demographer, sociologist, and economist. His scientific activity began in the 1930s and 1940s, and he became a professor in 1959. Sauvy played a crucial role in the preparation of the fundamental work “Traité de démographie” by A. Landry. In 1945, he founded the French National Institute for Demographic Research and served as its head until 1962. He was also the founder and editor-in-chief of the magazine “Population” from 1946 to 1975. From 1957, Sauvy taught at the University of Paris, where he established the Institute of Demography. In the 1960s, he headed the Department of Social Demography at the Collège de France. He served as the Chairman of the United Nations Population Commission from 1951 to 1953. Evidence of Sauvy’s correspondence with D.I. Valentey has been preserved. One chapter from his famous work, “Malthus et les deux Marx”, has been translated into Russian (Sauvy 1963).

120 years since the birth of Elizaveta Alikhanov Sadvokasova (1903-1971). She graduated from the Medical Faculty of Moscow State University in 1927, earned her Doctor of Medical Sciences degree in 1966, and became a professor in 1967. The majority of her career was spent at the N.A. Semashko Institute of Social Hygiene and Healthcare Organization from 1945 to 1969, where she served as the head of the Department of Sanitary Statistics from 1959 to 1969. Sadvokasova was a leading expert on the social aspects of the abortion problem, focusing on its role in birth control. Her doctoral dissertation, titled “Abortion as a Socio-Hygienic Problem,” was completed in 1965. Additionally, she addressed the issue of family size from the perspective of social hygiene in her work “Socio-hygienic Aspects of Family Size Regulation” published in 1969.

100 years since the birth of Georgy Mikhailovich Lappo (1923-2020), a renowned economic geographer and urban geographer. He graduated from the Geographical Faculty of Moscow State University in 1953, earned his Doctor of Geographical Sciences degree in 1975, and became a Professor in 1988. Lappo was recognized as an Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation and received the USSR State Prize in 1987 for his contribution to the collective 20-volume work “Countries and Peoples.” He was also an honorary member of the Russian Geographical Society. From 1969, Lappo served as a lecturer at the Geographical Faculty of Moscow State University and taught at various universities, including those in Ufa, Krasnodar, Tashkent, Smolensk, and Saransk. He held the positions of Chief Researcher and Head of the Department, and later the Laboratory, at the Institute of Geography of the USSR Academy of Sciences (RAS) from 1969 to 2015.

2023 marked 45 years since the publication of Lappo’s influential monograph, “The Development of Urban Agglomerations in the USSR,” which significantly impacted the understanding and research of agglomerations in Russian science. He made substantial contributions to the study of population settlement problems and the development of the national geography of cities. Georgy Mikhailovich Lappo’s work has left a lasting legacy in the field of economic and urban geography.

100 years since the birth of Sergei Nikolaevich Rakovsky (1923-2016). He graduated from the Geographical Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1947. In 1991, he defended his doctoral dissertation on “Migration of Population in Foreign Socialist Countries of Europe” at the Institute of Geography of the USSR Academy of Sciences. His research focused on analyzing various types of population migration and their directions in the countries of Eastern Europe from 1945 to 1990. Sergei Nikolaevich Rakovsky also served as the Head of the Department of Economic Geography at Beijing Pedagogical University from 1955 to 1957. Throughout his career, he contributed significantly to the study of world population geography, exploring migration patterns and trends in socialist countries in Europe.

In 2022, the demographic community celebrated the centenary of Dmitry Ignatievich Valentey, a notable figure in the field. He was the creator of the Problem Laboratory for Population Studies in 1965 and established the Department of Population in 1967. Additionally, Valentey served as the scientific director of the Center for the Study of Population Problems at Lomonosov Moscow State University from 1968 to 1991.

He made significant contributions to the field by being the editor-in-chief of the first quarterly demographic publication, a compendium of relevant articles titled “Population” (1973-1988). Valentey also served as the editor-in-chief of the first Demographic Encyclopedic Dictionary in the world in 1985. He authored a concept involving the three-level development of population theory and was one of the initiators of the creation of a research institute on population problems in the Academy of Sciences.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of D.I. Valentey, the XI Valentey Readings – the International Conference “Population and Sustainable Development” took place from October 18-20, 2022. The plenary session of the conference was dedicated to honoring Dmitry Ignatievich Valentey and the 55th anniversary of the Department of Population that he had established.

95 years since the birth of Vladimir Georgievich Kostakov (1928-2013), an economist, labor, and employment specialist who played a foundational role in the field. He earned his Doctor of Economics degree in 1979 and became a Professor in 1984. Kostakov was honored as a distinguished scientist of the RSFSR.

A graduate of the Faculty of Economics at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Kostakov co-authored a significant work on the balance of labor with P.P. Litvyakov in 1965. This work served as a key source of knowledge for students and postgraduates at the Faculty of Economics for many years. In 1979, he contributed to the field by publishing the first work on the forecast of employment with methodological foundations in the domestic labor economy.

Throughout his entire research career, Kostakov was associated with the Research Institute under Gosplan from 1956 to 2017. He served as the director of the institute from 1987 to 2007. In addition, he collaborated with the Population Center of Moscow State University as the Chairman of the Scientific Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences/RAS on “Problems of Demography, Migration, and Labor Resources.”

95 years since the birth of German Vladimirovich Milner (1928-1996), a notable figure in the field of social and labor problems. He earned his Doctor of Economics degree in 1972 and became a professor. Milner graduated from the Moscow State Economic Institute in 1951 and went on to work for the USSR State Committee on Labour and Wages.

A significant contribution to labor economics was Milner’s innovative approach to conducting a sociological survey for collecting material to defend his Ph.D. thesis. This marked a new and progressive direction in the field. From the establishment of the Central Research Economic Institute under the State Planning Committee of the RSFSR in 1958, Milner served as the head of the sector and later the Department of Social Problems of Labour and National Welfare. In the early 1990s, he continued his research as a scholar at the Institute of Social Policy and Socio-Economic Programmes of the Higher School of Economics.

In his 1965 article “Some Issues of Analyzing the Causes of Population Migration,” Milner foresaw many of the subsequent negative migration processes, particularly the outflow of labor resources from the regions of the Far East.

95 years since the birth of Heldur Palli (1928-2003), an Estonian scientist specializing in historical demography. After graduating from Tartu State University in 1958, he commenced his work at the Institute of History of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. In 1983, he defended his doctorate with a thesis on the topic “Natural movement of the rural population of Estonia (1650-1799).” Population history was the central focus of Heldur Palli’s research, where he primarily employed the method of reconstructing family histories. His work delved into the structures of the Estonian population, exploring data sources on the population of Estonia spanning four centuries. In collaboration with historian Raimo Pullat, he authored a bibliography on the historical demography of Estonia in 1969.

90 years since the birth of Vladimir Alexandrovich Borisov (1933-2005), a renowned demographer and statistician. He graduated from the Moscow Economic and Statistical Institute in 1967 and went on to work in various research institutes. Borisov served as the head of the population reproduction sector in the Department of Demography of the IIS RAS and also contributed to teaching.

Additionally, he held the position of Permanent Scientific Secretary of the Demographic Section at the House of Scientists of the Academy of Sciences under several heads of the section. Borisov authored numerous articles in encyclopedic publications, such as “Population. An Encyclopedic Dictionary” (1994) and “Social Encyclopedia” (2000). His significant contributions are compiled in “Selected Demographic Works” (2007), which includes a model of a hypothetical minimum of natural fertility.

90 years since the birth of Margarita Gurgenovna Grigoryants (1933), a significant figure in the field of demographic science. Holding the title of Candidate of Economic Sciences and Associate Professor, she served as a lecturer at the Department of Socio-Economic and Regional Statistics at Rostov State University of Economics.

Margarita Gurgenovna Grigoryants is particularly recognized for her contributions as the author of well-known monographs that addressed programmatic and methodological aspects of contemporary censuses during her time. Her work extended into collaboration with key institutions such as the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, Goskomstat (State Committee of Statistics), and the Rostov State Administration.

90 years since the birth of Leokadia Mikhailovna Drobizheva (1933-2021), a distinguished scholar in the field of ethnosociology. Holding the title of Doctor of Historical Sciences (1982) and being an Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, she made significant contributions to the study of ethnosocial problems.

During her career, Drobizheva played pivotal roles at various institutions. From 1986 to 1999, she worked at the Institute of Ethnography/Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where she served as the Head of the sector of socio-political problems of national relations and later as the Deputy Director. Since 2000, she continued her impactful work at the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, holding positions such as Director and Head of the Center for the Study of Interethnic Relations.

Leokadia Mikhailovna Drobizheva is recognized as one of the key figures in Russian ethnosociology, contributing to the establishment and development of this field in Russian science. She co-authored the renowned textbook “Ethnosociology,” leaving a lasting legacy in the study of ethnosocial dynamics.

85 years since the birth of Raisa Anatolyevna Galetskaya, a distinguished expert and leading researcher in the field of socio-economic aspects of population studies. She holds the title of Candidate of Economic Sciences and is an Associate Professor. Throughout her career, Galetskaya has been associated with the Institute of National Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Specializing in the study of socio-economic problems related to population dynamics, population migration, and the economic aspects of demographic processes, Galetskaya has made valuable contributions to the field. Her expertise is reflected in her role as the Scientific Secretary of the Scientific Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences on “Socio-economic problems of Population” and later for the Scientific Council on “Problems of Demography, Migration, and Labour Resources” of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Galetskaya’s scholarly work includes collaboration on the collective monograph “Reproduction of the population and labour resources” (1976), where she worked alongside other notable researchers as B.Ts. Urlanis, M.S. Bedniy, A.Ya. Boyarsky et al. Her contributions to conferences and reviews on “Demographic development of Russia” (“Problems of forecasting”) further demonstrate her commitment to advancing the understanding of population issues.

85 years since the birth of Irina Alexandrovna Gerasimova, a distinguished researcher known for her expertise in the application of mathematical methods in demographic research. Holding the title of Candidate of Economic Sciences (1973) and associate professor, Gerasimova has contributed significantly to the field.

One notable work is the model of the growth of the nuclear family, featured in the publication “Methodology of demographic forecasting” (1988). Additionally, her research includes investigating the influence of the socio-demographic structure of the family on its well-being, as discussed in the work “Demographic processes in the USSR” (1990).

85 years since the birth of Georgy Alexandrovich Pavlov (1938-1998), a notable figure in the field of demographic statistics and research: Candidate of Economic Sciences (1972), Deputy Head of the All-Union Census Department of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR (1975), an employee of the Statistical Department of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Department of Economic and Social Affairs) of the UN Secretariat (1981-1986). Graduating from the Moscow Economic and Statistical Institute with a focus on demographic statistics, Pavlov became one of the first members of the Demography Department of the Central Statistical Office (CSO) Research Institute in 1963. Among his significant contributions is the co-authorship of the “Course of Demography” (1967), edited by A.Ya. Boyarsky. Furthermore, his article “Soviet Population Censuses (1920-1959)” (1972) is recognized as a significant event in the field, as highlighted by M. Tolts (Tolts, 2023).

It has been 80 years since the birth of Pēteris Zvidriņš, a demographer, and Doctor of Economics (1980). He defended his dissertation at the Department of Population at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, became a professor of the Department of Statistics and Demography (1982), and later a professor at the University of Latvia (1993). Zvidriņš is a full member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (1992) and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2006). He graduated from the University of Latvia in 1965, worked as the head of the Census Department at the Main Statistical Office of the Latvian SSR (1965–1967), and later as a senior researcher at the Latvian Department of the Research Institute of the Central Statistical Committee of the USSR (1967–1970). The jubilarian has longstanding scientific connections with the Population Center of Moscow State University, participated in many conferences, and was the head of the section “Demographic Education in the Baltic States” at the international conference “Demographic Education in the XXI century in the CIS, Baltic States and Eastern Europe” (Moscow State University, 2022). He served as the executive editor of the collective monograph on population reproduction and demographic policy (Riga, 1988) and co-authored a work on the study of the relationship between population and the economy (Zvidriņš & Zvidriņya 1987).

80 years since the birth of Anatoly Pavlovich Sudoplatov (born 1943), who passed away in 2005. He earned his Doctor of Economics degree in 1989 and became a Professor in 1998 at the Center for the Study of Population Problems, Moscow State University Faculty of Economics. In 2003, he received the honorary title of Professor at Moscow State University. Anatoly Pavlovich Sudoplatov served as the Director and Supervisor of UN Courses on Demography at Moscow State University from 1974 to 1992. Renowned for his contributions to historical demography, population theory, and critical analysis of bourgeois concepts related to population and developmental issues in countries undergoing development.

75 years since the birth of Sergei Ivanovich Pirozhkov, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Economics (1991), Professor (1994), Honoured Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine (2003). He graduated from the Kiev Institute of National Economy in 1969 and served as an employee of the Institute of Economics of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine from 1974 to 1991. In 1991, he played a pivotal role in establishing the National Institute for Strategic Studies, where he served as Director until 1997. Additionally, he served as Director of the National Institute of International Security Problems from 2001 to 2007. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Moldova from 2007 to 2014. Since April 2015, he has been Vice-President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Head of the Section of Social Sciences and Humanities, and a member of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. He was one of the key figures in the re-establishment of the Institute of Demography and Social Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Sergei Ivanovich Pirozhkov has been elected to the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population and the European Demographic Association. He is the author of significant works on demographic losses in Ukraine during the social disasters of the 1930-1940s and on population economics. In recognition of his contributions to the study of labor potential, he was awarded the M. Tugan-Baranovsky Prize of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 1996.

70 years since the birth of Sergei Sergeyevich Artobolevsky, a graduate of the Geographical Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Doctor of Geographical Sciences (1992), and Head of the Department of Socio-Economic Geography at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A prominent specialist in economic, social, and political geography, Artobolevsky has made significant contributions to the field. Notably, his work “The concept of the Irkutsk agglomeration: poles of national level growth (population aspect)” (2007) delves into the analysis of issues related to the regulation of urban agglomerations in European countries.

70 years since the birth of Mikhail Alexandrovich Klupt, an economist, statistician, and demographer. He earned his Doctor of Economics degree in 1992 and became a professor in 1993. Klupt graduated from the Leningrad Financial and Economic Institute named after N.A. Voznesensky in 1975. He has been actively involved in the field, serving as a member of the Council on Family and Demographic Policy in St. Petersburg. Klupt is a professor at St. Petersburg State University of Economics, where he teaches the course “Global Demographic Problems.” Among his notable works is the book “Demography of the Regions of the Earth” (2008), as well as articles like “Demographic Development in the Light of the Crises of the XXI century” (2022) and “Anxieties of the XXI century: Mechanisms of Influence on Fertility” (2022) in the journal “Sociological Research.” Notably, he has been a critic of the theory of demographic transition (Klupt 2018).

65 years since the birth of Vyacheslav Veniaminovich Lokosov. Vyacheslav Lokosov is the Director of ISEPN RAS, a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow State University, and a Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 2022. He holds a Doctor of Sociological Sciences degree, is a Professor, and serves as the Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences on “Social Indicators and Indicators of the Development of Modern Society.”

55 years since the birth of Svetlana Nikitina, the Head of the Department of Population and Health Statistics at the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat). A distinguished figure in her field, Svetlana Nikitina holds a Ph.D. in Economic Sciences and serves as an associate professor at the Higher School of Economics. She is also an accomplished author, contributing articles and serving as a member of the Scientific and Expert Council of the Demographic Encyclopedia (2013). Notably, at the request of the head of the Demographic Section of the V.V. Elizarov House of Scientists, she regularly delivers reports summarizing the demographic changes in the country over the past year.

In September, Irina Alekseevna Troitskaya, a member of the editorial board of the journal Population and Economics, and a leading researcher at the Research Laboratory of Population Economics and Demography at the Faculty of Economics of Lomonosov Moscow State University, celebrated her anniversary. She also holds the position of visiting Professor at the Institute of Demography of the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, and holds a Ph.D. in Economics.

2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of David Ricardo (1772-1823), a prominent figure in British classical political economy, Member of Parliament, and High Sheriff of Gloucestershire. Ricardo is renowned as the author of the Ricardian theory of international trade and made significant contributions to the development of theories on rent, wages, and profits, including the role of real wages. He regarded the productive forces of labor as a pivotal mechanism in the development of the American economy. Ricardo’s extensive writings are compiled in the 11-volume edition, “The Works and Correspondence of David Ricardo, 11 vols (Sraffa ed.),” published by Cambridge University Press from 1951 to 1973.

140 years have passed since the death of William Farr (1807-1883), a British epidemiologist and one of the founders of medical statistics. A member of the Royal Society of London (1855), Farr played a crucial role in organizing the British population censuses of 1851, 1861, and 1871. He established a system for the regular registration of causes of death and, notably, compared mortality rates among individuals of different professions. For his groundbreaking work in biostatistics, Farr received the Gold Medal of the British Medical Association in 1879.

130 years since the death of Yuli Eduardovich Yanson, a Russian statistician and demographer, professor (1871), corresponding member of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1892), and member of the International Statistical Institute (1885). As a pioneer in the sociological trend of statistics and demography, Yanson led the population censuses of St. Petersburg in 1881 and 1890. His notable contributions include an “Essay on the Population of European States”, published in 1877, showcasing his expertise in the European theory and history of statistics.

110 years since the death of Nikolai Alexandrovich Troynitsky (1842-1913), a Russian statistician, statesman, acting privy councilor, and senator. Serving as the Director of the Central Statistical Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from 1883 to 1897, Troynitsky played a key role in the First General Population Census of the Russian Empire in 1897 and was the Vice-President of the International Statistical Institute in 1895.

70 years have passed since the death of Sergei Alexandrovich Novoselsky (1872-1953), a Russian statistician and demographer, and one of the founders of Russian sanitary and demographic statistics. Recognized as a Doctor of Medical Sciences (1935) and an Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR (1945), Novoselsky contributed significantly as a professor and senior demographer. His work, “Mortality and life expectancy in Russia” (1916), earned him the prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

50 years have passed since the death of Warren Simpson Thompson (1887-1973), an American demographer. In 1915, he defended his dissertation on sociology titled “Population: a study of Malthusianism.” Thompson served as the Director of the Scripps Foundation for Population Research at the University of Miami for 30 years. Notably, his influential works include “Dangerous points in the world population” and “Population” (1929), which presented an early version of the theory of demographic transition (an updated version was published in 1944). Thompson’s collaboration with P. Whelpton resulted in the book “Population Trends in the United States” (1933), establishing him as a leading forecaster of population trends in the United States.

40 years have passed since the death of Frank Wallace Notestein (1902-1983), an American demographer and the founding director of the Department of Demographic Research at Princeton University in 1936. Notestein also served as the President of the Population Council in the USA and was the first Consulting Director of the United Nations Population Division (1947-1948). He was one of the key contributors to the theory of demographic transition and played a crucial role in educating numerous leading demographers globally. Notestein was a member of esteemed institutions like the American Philosophical Society (1945) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1963).

40 years have passed since the death of Viktor Fedorovich Shukailo (1932-1983), a mathematician and demographer known for his contributions as a researcher and teacher. His notable work, including the article “On the demoeconomical theory of mortality” (1978), is featured in a collection of domestic publications on the interrelationships between demographic and economic development. A comprehensive list of Shukailo’s main works on demography can be found in an article by A.G. Vishnevsky (http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/2003/0135/nauka01.php).

All-Russian Urban Census of 1923 (1923) Instructions on conducting the census: form No. 8. The Central Statistical Office. RSFSR. M. K. H. typ., Moscow. (in Russian)

All-Union Urban Census of 1923 (1926) Issue 1: The results of the industrial census; Issue. 2: Brief industrial characteristics of cities and urban-type settlements. (Proceedings of the Central Statistical Office; vol. 27, vol. 1 and 2). (in Russian)

Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 01.03.2003, No. 256-r «On the Concept of regulating migration processes in the Russian Federation». URL: https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_113093/ (in Russian)

Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of February 14 2008, No. 170-r «On approval of the action plan for implementation in 2008-2010 of the Concept of demographic policy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025» URL: https://base.garant.ru/6385108/ (in Russian)

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 14.09.2012 No. 1289 «On the implementation of the State Programme to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad to the Russian Federation» (ed. of 12.08.2022). URL: https://base.garant.ru/70227698/ (in Russian)

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of October 31, 2018, No. 622 «On the Concept of the State migration policy of the Russian Federation for 2019-2025». URL: https://base.garant.ru/72092260/ (in Russian)

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of October 9, 2007, No. 1351 «On approval of the Concept of demographic policy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025». URL: https://base.garant.ru/191961/ (in Russian)

Demographic Encyclopedia (2013) / Editorial board: Tkachenko AA, Anoshkin AV, Denisenko MB et al. Encyclopedia Publishing House, LLC, Moscow. (in Russian)

Demographic Yearbook of Russia. 2021 (2021) Stat. Comp. / Rosstat. URL: https://rosstat.gov.ru/bgd/regl/B21_16/Main.htm

Instructions for conducting the All-Russian urban industrial сensus of 1923 (1923) / Chelyabinsk Gubstatburo. «Selkhoz» Typ., Chelyabinsk. (in Russian)

Order of the Federal State Statistics Service of February 22, 2013, No. 74 «On conducting the federal statistical observation «Socio-demographic survey (micro-census)» of 2015» (with amendments and additions). URL: https://rosstat.gov.ru/free_doc/new_site/population/demo/micro-perepis/prik-mp15.pdf (in Russian)

Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation of November 24, 2008, No. 662 «On monitoring the implementation of regional demographic development programmes». URL: https://base.garant.ru/6394614/ (in Russian)

Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation of June 28, 2013, No. 420 «On approval of the Programme of measures for the protection of maternal and child health». URL: https://base.garant.ru/70413318/ (in Russian)

Population: An encyclopedic dictionary (1994) / Ed. board: AYa Kvasha, GG Melikyan, AA Tkachenko, NN Shapovalova, DK Shelestov. The Great Russian Encyclopedia, Moscow. (in Russian)

State of World Population 2023 (2023) 8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities: The Case for Rights and Choices. UNFPA. URL: https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/swop23/SWOP2023-ENGLISH-230329-web.pdf

The History of the Institute of Demography (2013) Demoscope Weekly 573-574. URL: https://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/2013/0573/nauka01.php (in Russian)

Tolts M. (2023) Two memorable dates of Georgy Alexandrovich Pavlov // Demoscope Weekly No. 993-994. URL: https://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/2023/0993/nauka01.php (in Russian)

Volkov AG (2003) We did what we could ... (To the 40th anniversary of the Department of Demography of the Research Institute of Statistics of the

World Population Policies 2021: Policies related to fertility. URL: https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/files/documents/2022/May/undesa_pd_2022_key_messages_wpp_2021.pdf

Tkachenko Alexander Alexandrovich - Doctor of Science (Economics), Professor, Chief Researcher of Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Institute for Research of International Economic Relations, Moscow, 125167, Russia. Email: alaltkachenko@gmail.com.