MOSCOW, JANUARY 23. /RIA NOVOSTI / -- As of December 1, 2003, the number of Russia's permanent population was 144.2 million, down by 767.600, or 0.5 percent, since the year start, the Russian State Statistics Committee said on Friday.
Reduction of the population was due to the natural loss. In January-November 2003 the natural loss decreased by 38,400 in comparison with the corresponding period in 2002.
In conditions of the diminishing migration increase, the population losses were made up for by only 4.1 percent.
On the whole, the number of the deceased exceeded that of newborns 1.6 times /1.7 times in January-November 2002/.
