Demographics of Russia - statistics & facts

With the largest country area worldwide, Russia ranks ninth by population with over 144 million inhabitants. It has eight federal districts, which are divided into federal subjects. The capital Moscow, the country's largest city with over 13 million residents, is located in the Central Federal District. Besides Russians, the country is home to many other ethnic groups, including Tatars, Ukrainians, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, and Chechens. Furthermore, Russia is a popular migration destination, especially for citizens of Central Asian countries. Approximately 4.2 million foreigners immigrated to Russia in 2022.

Is the Russian population in decline?

Russia faces a demographic crisis, as its population shrinks and ages year-on-year, while the number of deaths considerably surpasses births. The number of Russian residents decreased by approximately 300,000 between January 1, 2023 and January 1, 2024. The increasing migrant outflow, including that of qualified workers, also contributes to the population decline. One of the potential threats stemming from the demographic crisis is a workforce shortage, which could result in the inability of the government to pay out pensions to the next generation of retirees, a decline in labor productivity, armed forces recruitment, and a long-term economic slowdown. In addition, the internal migration to Central Russia raises fears of depopulation of the country's Far Eastern and Siberian Federal Districts.

How did COVID-19 impact the death rate in Russia?

The death rate in Russia increased to 16.7 mortalities per 1,000 population as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2021. To compare, in the year before the pandemic, it was measured at 12.3. COVID-19 was the primary cause of death for over 670,000 people across the country between April 2020 and July 2022, according to the Russian Federal Statistical Service (Rosstat). These figures are higher than the operational data provided by the state authorities, which listed approximately 400,000 COVID-19 deaths as of October 2023. The reason for that are methodological differences. Rosstat additionally counts deaths of patients whose COVID-19 diagnosis was based on disease progress with no test results, and its data are based on death certificates from registry offices.

What is the maternal capital in Russia?

The country's government has implemented several measures to increase fertility. One of them, referred to as the maternal capital, is a payment to Russian mothers or, in exceptional cases, fathers, that can be spent on improving living conditions, education for a child, social adaptation and integration of disabled children, or the mother's retirement savings. While the program was initially designed for mothers giving birth to or adopting a second or further child, it was modified to include first children starting from 2020. A mother giving birth to the first child would receive a maternal capital of 587,000 Russian rubles, or approximately 8,700 U.S. dollars, in 2023.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Apr 10, 2024

Key insights

Total resident population of Russia
146.45m
Life expectancy at birth in Russia
69.42yrs
Natural population change in Russia
-594.6k
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Life expectancy at birth in Russia from 1990 to 2022, by type of area (in years)

Births, Deaths, Life Expectancy

Life expectancy at birth in Russia 1990-2022, by area

International migration in Russia from 1997 to 2022, by flow (in 1,000s)

Migration

International migratory flows in Russia 1997-2022

Number of deaths from selected major causes in Russia in 2022 (per 100,000 population)

State of Health

Death rates by main cause in Russia 2022

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