Infertility in the Russian Federation in 2011–2024: incidence and prevalence of male and female infertility among the population of working age

Relevance. The population of both the world and the Russian Federation is decreasing every year, including due to a decrease in the birth rate. The upcoming demographic "failure" will undoubtedly affect all aspects of people's lives. According to several studies, the overall decline in the birth rate is also caused by the high prevalence of infertility among both women and men.

Aim. Conduct a descriptive epidemiological retrospective study of the incidence and prevalence of male and female infertility within the Russian Federation (RF) and its individual federal districts in 2011–2024.

Materials & Methods. The study used data from the Form № 12 «Information on the number of diseases registered in patients living in the medical facility's service area» in 2011–2024, as well as data on the quantity of adult population from Rosstat's statistical bulletins «Population of the Russian Federation by Gender and Age» in 2011–2024. The study population consisted of men aged 18–59 and women aged 18–54. The calculation of the incidence and prevalence rate was made per 100,000 population.

Results. The average annual values of the incidence and prevalence of male infertility in Russia were 34,0 ⁰/₀₀₀₀ and 94,0 ⁰/₀₀₀₀. For female infertility, the values were 204,1 ⁰/₀₀₀₀ and 657,0 ⁰/₀₀₀₀, which exceeded the incidence and prevalence of male infertility by 6,0 and 7,0 times, respectively. However, literature data suggests that male and female factors have an equal impact on infertility in couples. Among the Federal Districts, the highest average annual incidence and prevalence of male infertility were found in the Urals (94,4 ⁰/₀₀₀₀ and 217,5 ⁰/₀₀₀₀) and the North Caucasus (68,5 ⁰/₀₀₀₀ and 254,5 ⁰/₀₀₀₀) federal districts, the lowest in the South (14,0 ⁰/₀₀₀₀ and 41,0 ⁰/₀₀₀₀) and the Far East federal districts (13,9 ⁰/₀₀₀₀ and 43,2 ⁰/₀₀₀₀). The highest rates of female infertility were also recorded in the Ural Federal District (297,0 ⁰/₀₀₀₀ and 924,2 ⁰/₀₀₀₀) and the North Caucasus Federal District (283,3 ⁰/₀₀₀₀ and 1146,3 ⁰/₀₀₀₀), while the lowest rates were recorded in the Southern Federal District (155,6 ⁰/₀₀₀₀ and 433,5 ⁰/₀₀₀₀) and the Central Federal District.

Conclusions. The identified regional features indicate the need to improve approaches to comprehensive prevention of male and female infertility, taking into account demographic factors in different territories. Interdisciplinary cooperation as part of systematic efforts to reduce the burden of infertility should be a priority in the organization of reproductive care for the population.

1. Peeples L. People are having fewer babies: Is it really the end of the world? Nature. 2025; 644(8077): 594–6.

2. Bhattacharjee N, Schumacher A, Aali A et al. Global fertility in 204 countries and territories, 1950–2021, with forecasts to 2100: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 The Lancet, 2024; 403, 2057–2099.

3. Sukhikh G.T., Serov V.N., Podzolkova N.M., Baranov I.I., Andreeva M.D., Artymuk N.V., Bezhenar V.F., Dolgushina N.V., Dubrovina S.O., Enkova E.V., Gabidullina R.I., Katkova N.Yu., Kogan I.Yu., Korennaya V.V., Kukarskaya I.I., Makarenko T.A., Molchanova I.V., Nazarenko T.A., Olenev A.S., Savelyeva I.V., Semenov Yu.A., Smetnik A.A., Spiridonova N.V., Tapilskaya N.I., Tetruashvili N.K., Uvarova E.V., Fadeev V.V., Shikh E.V., Yarmolinskaya M.I. Preservation of reproductive health as a basis for increasing fertility. Joint position of experts in the field of reproductive medicine, obstetrics, gynecology, endocrinology, and clinical pharmacology. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2025; 10: 180–192 https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2025.265

4. The birth rate in Russia [cited 2026 May 13]. Information is available at the link: https://statbase.ru/data/rus-birth-rate/.

5. Yudina V.S. Malignant Neoplasms of the Reproductive Organs as a Cause of Death of the Young Population in the Russian Federation. Epidemiology and Vaccinal Prevention. 2023;22(5):40–47. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31631/2073-3046-2023-22-5-40-47

6. World Health Organization. Infertility prevalence estimates 1990–2021. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023.

7. Zegers-Hochschild F., Adamson G.D., Dyer S., Racowsky C., de Mouzon J., Sokol R. et al. The international glossary on infertility and fertility care, 2017. Hum. Reprod. 2017; 108(3): 393 406. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2017.06.005.

8. Vander Borght M., Wyns C. Fertility and infertility: definition and epidemiology. Clin. Biochem. 2018; 62: 2 10. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2018.03.012.

9. Korneeva I.Е., Nazarenko Т.А., Perminova S.G., Mityurina E.V., Cybizova T.I., Dashieva A.E. Medical and social factors of infertility in Russia. Akusherstvo i Gynecologia/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2023; (3): 65–72 (in Russian) https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2022.279

10. Proshlyakov V.D., Medvedeva O.V. «ASSESSMENT OF MEASURES TAKEN TO PREVENT REPRODUCTIVE DISEASES IN MEN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE FEDERAL PROJECT «STRENGTHENING PUBLIC HEALTH» Modern Problems of Healthcare and Medical Statistics, No. 2, 2021, 250–261. doi:10.24412/2312-2935-2021-2-250-261

11. Carson SA, Kallen AN. Diagnosis and Management of Infertility: A Review. JAMA. 2021 Jul 6;326(1):65–76. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.4788. PMID: 34228062; PMCID: PMC9302705.

12. Eisenberg, M.L., Esteves, S.C., Lamb, D.J. et al. Male infertility. Nat Rev Dis Primers 9, 49 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-023-00459-w

13. Clinical guidelines. Male infertility. All-Russian Public Organization Russian Society of Urology. Ministry of Health of Russia Clinical Guidelines Registry. 2025. ID:5_3. [cited 2026 May 13]. Available at: https://cr.minzdrav.gov.ru/preview-cr/5_3. Russian.

14. Clinical guidelines. Female infertility. Russian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. All-Russian Public Organization Russian «Russian Association of Human Reproduction (RARCH)». Ministry of Health of Russia Clinical Guidelines Registry. 2024. ID:641. [cited 2026 May 13]. Available at: https://cr.minzdrav.gov.ru/view-cr/641_2.

15. Pozzi E, Boeri L, Candela L, et al. Infertile couples still undergo assisted reproductive treatments without initial andrological evaluation in the real-life setting: A failure to adhere to guidelines? Andrology. 2021; 9: 1843–1852. https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.13071

16. Infertility, M. (n.d.). EAU Guidelines on. Cloudfront.net. Retrieved February 17, 2025, [cited 2026 May 13]. Available at https://d56bochluxqnz.cloudfront.net/media/EAUGuidelines-on-Male-Infertility-2019.pdf.

17. Lebedev G.S., Golubev N.A., Shaderkin I.A., Shaderkina V.A., Apolikhin O.I., Sivkov A.V., & Komarova V.A. (2019). Male Infertility in the Russian Federation: Statistical Data for 2000–2018. Experimental and Clinical Urology, (4), 4–12.

18. Guideline for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infertility. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

19. Savina A.A., Zemlyanova E.V., Feiginova S.I. Potential births loss due to male and female infertility in Moscow. City Healthcare. 2022;3(3):39–45. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.47619/2713-2617.zm.2022.v.3i3;39–45

20. Savina, Anna & Feyginova, Svetlana & Kuraeva, Viktoriya & Armashevskaya, O.V.. (2020). THE CHALLENGE OF INCOMPARABILITY OF MALE AND FEMALE INFERTILITY INCIDENCE AMONG ADULT POPULATION IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. Social Aspects of Population Health. 66. 7–7. 10.21045/2071-5021-2020-66-4-7.

21. Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation dated 01.11.2012 N No 572n «On Approval of the Procedure for Providing Medical Care in the Field of Obstetrics and Gynecology (with the exception of the use of assisted reproductive technologies)» (lost its force on January 1, 2021)

22. Prokopov A. Yu., Osmanov E. M., Manyakov R. R. Reasons for Low Compliance with Infertility Examination and Treatment among Women // Vyatka Medical Bulletin. 2020. No. 1 (65).

23. Belozerov V.S., Shchitova N.A., Solovyov I.A. DEMOGRAPHIC SITUATION IN THE NORTH-CAUCASUS FEDERAL DISTRICT. Science. Innovations. Technologies. 2021;(4):77–94. https://doi.org/10.37493/2308-4758.2021.4.5

24. Statistical information on the demographics of the Russian Federation [cited 2026 May 13]. Available at: https://rosstat.gov.ru/folder/12781.