The health crisis in Russia

An Editorial in the BMJ this week states that "Russia is one of the few developed countries where life expectancy has fallen in recent years. Russia's total life expectancy of 66 years lags behind that of Japan by 16 years, the European Union by 14 years, and the United States by 12 years. High mortality and morbidity from non-communicable diseases, along with a low birth rate, mean that Russia's overall population is rapidly becoming smaller and sicker."