The Vologda Oblast is one of the native Russian regions with a high share of the Russian population and a long history of development. All this, together with natural conditions, determines the lifestyle and traditions prevailing in this region. Relatively low population density, a large proportion of rural residents and negative demographic dynamics are typical for this and its neighboring regions.
Geographical position of the Vologda region
The region is located in the northern part of the European territory of Russia, in the zone of temperate continental and moderately cold climate. Summer is short and not hot, winter is long and relatively harsh. By size, the region is a fairly large region, covering an area of 144.5 thousand square meters. km It borders with the Arkhangelsk, Kirov, Kostroma, Tver, Yaroslavl, Leningrad, Novgorod regions and the Republic of Karelia.
The administrative center of the region is the city of Vologda, the industrial center is the city of Cherepovets. The districts of the Vologda Oblast are 26 municipalities and two urban districts (Cherepovets and Vologda). More or less large cities are also considered Falcon and Great Ustyug.
Economy of the region
The gross domestic product in 2014 amounted to about 400 billion rubles. Based on one person in the same 2014, GDP is relatively low - 31st place among other regions of the Russian Federation. The situation is even worse in a number of rural areas of the Vologda Oblast, which are depressive.
The leading positions in the economy are occupied by industry and agriculture. The industrial sector is dominated by metallurgy, mechanical engineering, forestry and woodworking, pulp and paper, chemical and metalworking industries. In agriculture, dairy farming is the most important, which accounts for 70 percent of all agricultural products. In second place is timber harvesting.
Negative factors are the concentration of industry in one center (Cherepovets) and the presence of a large number of depressed rural regions.
General data on the population of the region
As of the first month of 2016, the population of the Vologda Oblast was 1,188,000, of which 333,000 were rural people and 855,000 were urban. The share of the rural population was 28 percent, which is considered quite high in comparison with the average for Russia. The Vologda Oblast occupies a leading position in the share of the Russian population, which makes up 97.3% of the total number of residents. It is also in third place in the prevalence of the East Slavic population, second only to the Arkhangelsk and Bryansk regions. Demographic dynamics indicate a gradual decrease in the population of the Vologda Oblast, faster than the average for Russia. Even in a relatively prosperous period of zero, the population decreased by more than 5%, which is several times more than the average for Russia. A relatively higher birth rate was characteristic of the 80s of the 20th century, as well as in the period after 2005. Low levels were in the 90s and early 2000s. Nevertheless, the demographic dynamics in the region are slightly better than in the most crisis-prone Russian regions.
The average population density of the Vologda Oblast as of 2017 was 8 people / km 2 .
The reduction in the population of the region
Natural population decline is the dominant demographic trend in the region. First of all, this is due to low fertility. Another reason is the tendency for the local population to move to other regions. Between 2000 and 2015, the population decreased by 106 thousand people, which is 8.2 percent. To a greater extent, population decline is relevant for rural areas - here in the same period it reached 18 percent. This is largely due to the tendency to outflow of the population from rural areas to cities.
At the same time, statistics on the mortality rate seem to indicate a decrease in mortality with a simultaneous increase in average life expectancy (by 5 years). It is likely that the reduction in mortality both in the region and in Russia as a whole was the result of programs to combat smoking and a decrease in the number of smokers in the general population. The prospects for improving the demographic situation in the region are still very vague, which is associated with an increase in the share of the elderly population, a change in the psychology of people and a worsening social and economic situation in recent years.
Migration dynamics
The region is characterized by negative migration dynamics, when the number of departed exceeds the number of arrivals. From 2006 to 2015, the difference between departures and arrivals amounted to 2063 people.
The dynamics of the working-age population
Over the past 15 years since 2000, there has been a decrease in the number of people of working age (from 59.1 to 57.6%), while the number of pensioners has increased. This situation contributes to the deterioration of the quality of life of people of working age. In quantitative terms, this indicator is still small and amounts to only one and a half percent.
Demographic projections
According to reports, in the coming years, negative demographic dynamics will continue. According to the latest forecasts of Vologstat, in the period from 2017 to 2026 the population of the region will decrease by more than 40 thousand people, and in the next 5 years - by at least another 30 thousand people. An increase in the share of the urban population of the Vologda Oblast by 7% is expected. Due to this, in the period from 2017 to 2031, rural residents will become a third less. Noticeably (by 15,000 people) the number of youth will decrease. The number of people of working age will decrease even more (by 74 thousand people). The Ministry of Labor and Employment of the Vologda Oblast considered such a decline threatening.
Social protection of the population of the Vologda region
The demographic situation could be even worse than the current one, if not for the measures taken to improve the living conditions of the population, which were supported by the governor of the Vologda Oblast. Already taken actions include maternity capital, additional monthly payments at the birth of a third child, and additional land for large families. All this has led to an increase in the number of families with more than two children. At the same time, the number of births (13.6 per 1,000 people in 2014) is not enough to ensure the natural maintenance of the population at the existing level, which requires further work in this direction.
In this regard, the Governor of the Vologda Oblast O. A. Kuvshinnikov approved a strategic program to improve social conditions in the region. It includes such measures as improving the quality of social services, promoting a healthy lifestyle, improving the safety of citizens, access to quality education, spiritual development, maintaining the ecological balance, improving the management system and other measures. All this should help solve problems with the population of the Vologda Oblast.