[Dynamics and the regional characteristics of the birth rate in the RSFSR].

From 1940 to 1975 the birth rate in the (R.S.F.S.R.) decreased from 33.0 to 15.7/1000 people, or by 52.4%. For rural population in Dagestan and Turvin autonomous regions the birth rate was maintained at a high level: 43.7-44.4 in 1960, 32.2-32.5 in 1970 and 29.6-30.8 in 1975. The birth rate of the rural population in comparison with that of urban areas of the R.S.F.S.R. was higher in 1960 but lower in 1970 and 1975. From 1965 to 1975 in most of the urban regions the decrease of the birth rate was accompanied by an increase in the proportion of the first-born. The proportion of children following the first-born was higher for the rural population. The indexes of fertility from 1965 to 1976 decreased for the urban population but slightly increased for the rural population. The fertility rate per 1000 women 15-49 years old was the highest in Chuvash autonomous region (310.7) and the lowest in Moscow and Leningrad (38.4 - 39.8). The data shows the development of a new type of reproductive behavior in the R.S.F.S.R. - the tendency towards smaller families. This process is almost completed in the urban areas, and is in progress in the rural districts and in some autonomous regions has only just begun.