Arctic zone of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia): demographic aspects

The medical and demographic situation in any given territory is always of interest to both government agencies and healthcare authorities. State policy aimed at the socioeconomic development of regions within the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) has become increasingly important, given the Arctic territory’s growing importance to the country in recent years. For example, the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is represented within the AZRF by thirteen districts (uluses): Abyisky, Allaikhovsky, Anabarsky, Bulunsky, Verkhnekolymsky, Verkhoyansky, Zhigansky, Momsky, Nizhnekolymsky, Oleneksky, Srednekolymsky, Ust-Yansky, and Eveno-Bytantaysky. This article analyzes the medical and demographic situation (MDS) from 2000 to 2022. An analysis of the medical, demographic, and population situation in the districts of the Arctic zone of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) for the period from 2000 to 2022 revealed a number of significant aspects. For example, in a number of districts, higher levels of overall and infant mortality were observed compared to the national average, and there was also heterogeneity in natural increase. A comparison of the Arctic zone of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) with global indicators revealed that, according to the WHO scale, both Yakutia and the Arctic zone are classified as territories with very low levels of infant mortality as of 2022. This is despite the fact that in 2000, they would have been in the group with an average infant mortality rate. The Arctic zone has comparatively low rates of both marriage and divorce among the population. There are trends toward population decline due to the excess of emigration over incoming residents. As a result, it is proposed to focus the attention of local authorities and district-level medical institutions on improving key MDS indicators.