Chechen population grows

There have been record numbers of annual births in Chechnya when compared with official statistics that come from other republics of the North Caucasus, said a statement released from the presidential office of Chechya.Data from the Chechen Ministry of Health put the annual number of births at 27,989 in 2006 and at 33,661 in 2007.

Experts say that as many as 200 babies are born in Chechnya day after day. The Ministry of Health officials linked the reason behind the rise in births to the improved standards of living. Also, the number of births in Chechnya began to increase after a federal law proposal to subsidize families with more than one or two kids took action in 2007.

The Chechen State Institute of Statistics said that while the country’s population increased to 1,250,000 in January 2007 from 1,183,000 in January 2006. Some analysts tend to link the recent increase in Chechen population to the Chechens who have been returning home from abroad over the last two years or so.

Chechenya has a government with political ties to the Russian Federation since it fought its second war against Russia. RE/ÖZ/HT