Mortality rates in urban Russia during the Second World War 1941, by age and gender

Russian mortality rates during the Second World War were among the highest in the world. In terms of distribution, over one quarter of all deaths were of infants who had not yet reached one year old, and almost half of all deaths took place among children below the age of five. The distribution of these deaths varied between urban and rural regions, with a higher share of adults dying in urban areas.

The disproportionate impact of the war on male mortality rates, alongside the fact that the natural life expectancy among men is lower than that of women, meant that the share of men who died between the ages of 15 and 64 was much higher than female death rates. For women, the share of deaths among the youngest and oldest age groups were higher than those of men.