Reproduction under Conditions of Urbanization in Western Siberia in the Late Twentieth Century

Abstract

This article discusses the demographic aspect of the urbanization process in Western Siberia, a key region for the development of the Asian part of the country. We trace the impact of an increasing urban population, concentration in large cities, and the spread of urban lifestyles into rural areas. We also note both positive and negative consequences of this urbanization process for society and for Western Siberia’s rural population. Villages have inevitably followed behind cities in matters of reproductive behavior and generational reproduction. We examine demographic evolution over a period of fifty years, with particular attention to birth rate and mortality as factors determining the population’s reproduction. This article is based on official statistics, some of which have not been made available to the public.