Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova says the population decline in that country has “stopped.”



Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on May 27, Skvortsova said Russia’s birthrate rose by 5.6 percent in 2012, at the same time that antitobacco campaigns and other health measures helped lower the death rate.



The United Nations predicts that dwindling birthrates and low life expectancy mean Russia is set to shrink by 30 million people between 2000 and 2050.



Skvortsova said the prognosis for Russia's population crisis is still far from "rosy" and said the Russian government has undertaken a series of measures to raise the birthrate, offering social support for young families and, improving fertility treatments, and stepping up measures to reduce the number of abortions.



Based on reporting by Interfax, RIA Novosti, and wsj.com