The Russian Federation is one of the countries where, in recent years, demographic development has been singled out as an independent aspect of national security. The demographic situation in Russia can be regarded as a geopolitical, economic and social crisis. The demographic situation is extremely unfavorable in the regions of Central Russia. It is here that the problems of demographic development have developed into a crisis, which in turn may turn into a catastrophe. Smolensk region is one of the typical regions of Central Russia, where negative demographic phenomena and trends are most pronounced. The paper analyzes the peculiarities of population development in Smolensk region in different historical periods, forecasts the development of the demographic situation in the districts of the region in the medium term, assesses the state of demographic security in the districts of the region and identifies areas of activity and directions of implementation of demographic policy. The work is of both methodological and practical interest for a wide range of specialists studying population issues.