Armenia’s Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Narek Mkrtchyan, made a concerning statement at a government session on October 17. He revealed that approximately 80,000 girls were not born in the country over the past few decades due to selective abortions.
This number could have significantly impacted the development of the country's human capital. The minister's statement came during discussions of the Strategy for Improving the Demographic Situation of the Republic of Armenia for 2024-2040.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, commenting on the situation, pointed out that girls are the primary victims of selective abortions, as some segments of the population prefer to have sons. He also noted that he recently reviewed forecasts indicating that Armenia will face a shortage of young women in the coming years due to this practice.
"This has already had, or will have, a substantial negative impact on our reproductive potential," Pashinyan emphasized.
The Prime Minister called for a broad public dialogue on this issue, highlighting the need to raise awareness. "This needs to be a conversation that will be heard," he stated.
Previously, BMG reported that the current birth rate in Armenia, according to the Strategy, does not even ensure simple population replacement, which requires a fertility rate of 2.1 children per family. However, achieving basic replacement levels (2-3 children per family) alone is not enough to ensure population growth or significantly increase the birth rate.
Projections show that Armenia’s total population is expected to decline. By 2050, the population could drop from the current 3 million to 2.59 million under an optimistic scenario, or 2.06 million under a pessimistic one.
The implementation of the strategy is expected to help reduce the aging rate of the population by 20% by 2040 compared to the inertia-based forecast, contributing to a more balanced age distribution.
