MOSCOW. May 15 (Interfax) - The number of families with two and more children is increasing in Russia, the Russian Social Security Fund said.

"The analysis has shown a steady trend towards an increased number of children within a family. The percentage of families with two or more children has increased by more than 10% in 2008 compared to 2007," the Russian SSF said in a statement on Wednesday.

"According to our latest data, over the first four months of 2008 mothers, who received birth certificates, gave birth to 493,265 children," the statement said.

This is 50,000, or 11.5%, more compared to the figure in the same period of 2007, the SSF said.