Streetwise Professor is wondering about Russia's future: “First, how is it objectively possible for a country with a rapidly shrinking population to assume world leadership […]? Second, subjectively, how can large numbers of people believe that a dying country can achieve such status?”
Written byVeronica Khokhlova
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Russia has the potential to become a world contender with the right policies put into place. Rapidly decreasing population is reaching a peak of decline and will begin to increase again with Chinese immigrants fleeing Communism and suppression. Vladimir Putin has brought a revived sense of pride to the Russian people. They once again believe they can do anything and have leverage over the West with their vast supply of oil.
It’s simply not realistic to expect Russia to re-establish itself as a world superpower. Today Russia barely contains 2% of the world’s population. In 2050 it’s reasonable to expect that Russia’s share is down to less than 1.2 %. For comparison, in 1940, Soviet Union had 8.5 % of the world total. If you compare Russia to United States the current ratio is 2.16 in favor of US. In 2050, US is expected to have more than 4 times the population of Russia. With this demographic situation there is simply no way Russia can hope to retain its former power.