By the end of 2025, Alzheimer's disease had been diagnosed in 1,500 working-age Russians, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova announced. Over the past six years, the prevalence of cognitive disorders has risen by 10%.

Russia's Alzheimer's crisis deepens as cases surge beyond the elderly

According to Golikova, the incidence of cognitive impairments has increased by 10% over the past six years. Additionally, such conditions are now being diagnosed in people of working age.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to the gradual loss of cognitive function, memory, reasoning, and the ability to live independently. Data from Russia's Federal Center for Brain Research and Neurotechnologies (under the Federal Medical-Biological Agency) shows it is most commonly diagnosed in the elderly (ages 60–74) and the very old (ages 75–90). However, early signs of the disease appear in 5% of socially and professionally active individuals aged 40–50. The risk increases with age: while it stands at 0.3% for those aged 65–69, it jumps to 6.9% by age 90.

In September 2025, Olga Tkacheva, Russia's chief geriatric specialist at the Health Ministry, reported that over 1 million Russians suffer from Alzheimer's. She warned that this number will continue to grow due to an aging population and could reach 4 million by 2050.