21 November 2001
Brest Regional Soviet concerned about rapid reduction in region's population
Members of the Brest Regional Soviet (elected council) at their recent session voiced concern about a rapid reduction in the region's population in the last few years.
There are 12 abandoned villages and 136 villages with 10 and less residents in the region. The region's total population decreased from 1,510,000 in 1994 to 1,482,000 at the beginning of 2001. The urban population decreased by 16,400 people in the last six years, whereas the rural population decreased by 44,000 people since 1988. There is a shortage of working age people in the rural areas. For instance, the Sukhopol Village Soviet in the Pruzhany district administers 31 villages with a population of 3,363 people, 1,621 of whom are pensioners.
In Brest, however, births outnumbered deaths by 800 this year. About 3,000 people were born in the city in the first ten months of 2001.
http://brestonline.com/en/news/news106.html