Russians spent a record 19.3 billion rubles ($211 million) on contraceptives in the first half of 2024, the Vedomosti business daily reported Friday, citing market research.

The new data, gathered by pharmaceutical market research company DSM Group, compares to 16.7 billion rubles spent on condoms and birth control pills during the same period last year.

Major pharmacy chains in Russia, as surveyed by Vedomosti, confirmed that their contraception sales rose by as much as 25% in the first half of 2024.

Pharmacies linked the uptick in spending on contraceptives to Russians increasingly putting off starting a family amid economic uncertainty due to the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions.

Analysts said growing sexual health awareness, including avoiding undesired pregnancies and diseases, also likely played a role in the increased spending.

However, contraception sales may decrease in the second half of 2024 because of the public’s “improving mood,” RNC Pharma’s director of development Nikolai Bespalov told Vedomosti.

The report comes as authorities in Russia prepare to introduce “family studies” electives for secondary school students in the upcoming academic year, seeking to promote marriage and large families as part of broader efforts to address the country’s demographic decline.

(C)THE MOSCOW TIMES 2024