In Russia, they propose to abandon the indexation of the maternity capital for the firstborn

The Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-term Forecasting (CMAKP) proposes to direct all future indexation of the maternity capital to additional payments for the second and subsequent children. Such a step will reduce the gap between support at the birth of the firstborn (690 thousand rubles) and the second child (222 thousand rubles), says the author of the report "Thirteen theses on economics. Demographic crisis" by Ekaterina Sabelnikova.

To continue childbirth: in the Russian Federation it was proposed to sharply increase maternity leave

Will this help solve the demographic problem and how will it affect the budget?

Until 2020, maternity capital was provided only at the birth of the second and next children. Later, the program was expanded to include the firstborn, and he now accounts for the bulk of the payments. This has helped many families decide on a child earlier, but parents usually have their first baby anyway. But at the birth of a second child, financial assistance plays a much more significant role, whereas there are no serious incentives for this now.

Therefore, it would be more effective to redistribute support so that most of the funds fall on the second and subsequent children.

As the Ministry of Labor told Izvestia, as of August 2025, more than 443 thousand certificates have been issued, of which 311 thousand are for the first children. At the same time, in recent years, the proportion of them related to the second and subsequent children has remained stable — about 55-59%.

In general, the birth rate in Russia continues to fall and is updating historical lows. In the first quarter of 2025, about 289 thousand children were born — 4% less than in the same period last year, according to Rosstat data.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

On the count of two: in the Russian Federation, they propose to abandon the indexation of the maternity capital for the firstborn