Sharp fall in number of orphans in Russia
The total number of orphans in Russia has fallen to 317,000
05.03.2026
Article published on the ASI website
According to data from the Ministry of Education, the number of children left without parental care has fallen by 6.8% over the past year, while the number of cases of parental rights being withdrawn has dropped by nearly a third. The number of social orphans went down by 16.9%, while the overall rate of new cases of orphanhood decreased by 12.4%.
The number of parents whose parental rights have been withdrawn or restricted continues to fall, while the number of those who have regained their rights or have had restrictions lifted is rising. This shows that greater attention is being paid to supporting families in crisis, helped by an expanding social infrastructure, and an evolving process of assisting parents in court, said Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner.
Experts from the Children’s Ombudsman’s Office say that the courts and social services are increasingly siding with biological families. The number of parents who have had their parental rights restored has risen by 33.1%, while the number of cases where restrictions have been lifted has gone up by 10.3%.
The Commissioner’s Office will continue to operate in a way that “keeps families together”, working with ministries, CSOs and socially responsible businesses. The main aim of this cooperation is to help parents experiencing difficult life situations and to maintain the conditions for raising children at home.
