Some regions of Russia will start paying young women who are full-time students nearly $1,000 to get pregnant as the nation's birth rate continues to plummet, according to a Russian news outlet.
Starting on Jan. 1, 2025, women in at least 11 regions in Russia who are full-time students and between the ages of 18 and 23 (or 18 and 25) when they give birth are eligible for the 100,000 ruble (US $970.40) incentive.
Under the law, stillborn children will not be covered, The Moscow Times reported.
The Russian government has taken other extreme measures to encourage families to have children as the country's birth rate falls to the lowest point in 25 years.
In addition to birth incentives, Russia has banned "child-free" lifestyles, which they view as "extremist ideology," forbid "coercion" into abortion, and increased and extended federal state maternity payments, according to The Moscow Times.
