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Armenia saw a significant decline in population numbers in the first half of 2018, according to the State of World Population (SWOP) 2018 report launched by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The country’s population dropped by 10,000 people in the first half-year, Anna Hovhannisyan, UNFPA Armenia "Support to Implementation of Population Policies" Project Coordinator, told a news conference on Wednesday, presenting the report.  

According to the figures, Armenia’s fertility rates continue to drop, falling by 1,000 children from January to June 2018 compared to the same period last year, keeping up with the global trend.

Meantime, the country’s mortality rates have fallen by 1,500 to 13,000 deaths this year against 14,500 deaths recorded in the same period last year.  

“The figure is lower than that of the birth rate. In terms of demography, this means that we have recorded a natural increase. In this case why has the number of population reduced by 10,000? This is the result of negative net migration rate,” Hovhannisyan said.

Marriages are dropping, while divorces are rising in Armenia, with average marriage age increasing in the country, the report revealed.   

Armenia is among the aging countries with people aged 63 and over comprising 13 percent of its population in the first half-year, the UNFPA Armenia official said.

She also pointed to the high unemployment rate in the country. “A serious government intervention, state policy is expected in this regard. Equal conditions should be ensured for women to be competitive. After childbirth, a woman should be able to get back to work, combining it with the childcare,” she said.

Tsovinar Harutyunyan, UNFPA Armenia Assistant Representative, in attendance of the conference, said Niger has the world’s highest birth rate with 6.6 children per woman, while China has the lowest – 1.1 children per woman.