Demographics of Russia

Demographics of Russia
Population (in millions) 1950 – January 2010.
Population:	143,030,106 (Official Estimate - January 2012)
Growth rate:	0.15% (2011)
Birth rate:	12.6 births/1,000 population (2011)
Death rate:	13.5 deaths/1,000 population (2011)
Life expectancy:	70.3 years (2011)
–male:	64.3 years
–female:	76.1 years
Fertility rate:	1.61 children born/woman (2011)
Infant mortality rate:	7.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2011)
Net migration rate:	1.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010)
Age structure:
0-14 years:	14.9%
15-64 years:	71.8%
65-over:	13.3% (2009)
Sex ratio:
Total:	0.86 male(s)/female (2009)
At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15:	1.05 male(s)/female (male 10,806,895/female 10,285,532)
15-64 years:	0.92 male(s)/female (male 48,864,763/female 53,048,315)
65-over:	0.46 male(s)/female (male 5,969,976/female 12,928,498)
Nationality:
Nationality:	noun: Russian(s) adjective: Russian
Major ethnic:	Russians
Language:
Spoken:	Russian, others

The demographics of Russia is about the demographic features of the population of the Russian Federation, including population growth, population density, ethnic composition, education level, health, economic status, and other aspects of the population.

The population of Russia was 143,030,106 as per the official estimate for January 1st, 2012. The population hit a historic peak at 148,689,000 in 1991, just before the breakup of the Soviet Union, but then began a decade-long decline, falling at a rate of about 0.5% per year due to declining birth rates and rising death rates. However, the decline began to slow considerably in recent years, and in 2009 Russia recorded annual population growth for the first time in 15 years, with growth of 23,300.

In 2011, the population of Russia grew by 160,000 people, and reached a total of more than 143 million.

According to the 2010 census, ethnic Russians make up 81% of the total population, while six other ethnicities have a population exceeding 1 million – Tatars (3.9%), Ukrainians (1.4%), Bashkir (1.1%), Chuvash (1%), Chechens (1%) and Armenians (0.9%). In total, 160 different ethnic groups and indigenous peoples live within the Russian federation's borders.

It is important to note that in the 2010 Census, almost 6 million people (about 4% of the overall population.) did not declare any ethnic origin, compared to about 1 million in the 2002 Census. This is due to the fact that those people were counted from administrative databases and not directly, and were therefore unable to state their ethnicity. Therefore, the percentages mentioned above are taken from the total population that declared their ethnicity, given that the non-declared remainder is thought to have an ethnic composition similar to the declared segment.

Russia's population density is 8.4 people per square kilometre (22 per square mile), making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. The population is most dense in the European part of the country, centering around Moscow and Saint Petersburg. 74% of the population is urban.

Main trends

Natural population growth of Russia since 1950.

  Birth rate

  Death rate

  Natural growth rate

Natural population growth rates (per 1,000 population) by region in 2009.

The population of Russia peaked at 148,689,000 in 1991, just before the breakup of the Soviet Union. Low birth rates and abnormally high death rates caused Russia's population to decline at a 0.5% annual rate, or about 750,000 to 800,000 people per year from the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s. The UN warned in 2005 that Russia's then population of about 143 million could fall by a third by 2050 if trends did not improve. However, the Russian state statistics service Rosstat had more optimistic forecasts in 2009, whose Medium variant predicted that Russia's population would only fall to 139 million by 2030 (Low: 127 million; High: 147 million). Furthermore, in 2008 one demographic analyst (correctly) predicted a resumption in population growth by 2010.

The number of Russians living in poverty has halved since the economic crisis following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the improving economy had a positive impact on the country's low birth rate. The birth rate of Russia rose from its lowest point of 8.27 births per 1000 people in 1999 to 12.6 per 1000 in 2010. Likewise, the fertility rate rose from its lowest point of 1.16 in 1999 to 1.54 in 2009. 2007 marked the highest growth in birth rates that the country had seen in 25 years, and 2009 marked the highest total birth rate since 1991. For comparison, the United States birth rate in 2009 was 13.8 per 1000 . While the Russian birth rate is comparable to that of other developed countries, its death rate is much higher, especially among working-age males due to a comparatively high rate of fatalities caused by heart disease and other external causes such as accidents. The Russian death rate in 2010 was 14.3 per 1000 citizens. For comparison, the US death rate in 2009 was 8.4 per 1000 .

The causes for this sharp increase in mortality are widely debated, with some academics citing alcohol abuse as the main culprit, and others citing the drastic and widely negative changes in lifestyle caused by economic reforms that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union. According to a 2009 report by The Lancet, a British medical journal, mass privatization, an element of the economic-reform package nicknamed shock therapy, clearly correlates with higher mortality rates. The report argues that the advocates of the economic reforms ignored the human cost of the policies they were promoting, such as unemployment and human suffering, leading to an early death. These conclusions were criticized by The Economist. According to the Russian demographic publication Demoscope, the rising male death rate was a long-term trend from 1960 to 2005. The only significant reversion of the trend was caused by Mikhail Gorbachev's anti-alcohol campaign, but its effect was only temporary. According to the publication, the sharp rise of death rates in the early 1990s was caused by the exhaustion of the effect of the anti-alcohol campaign, while the market reforms were of only secondary importance. The authors also claimed the Lancet's study is flawed because it used 1985 death rate as the base, while that was in fact the very maximum of the effect of the anti-alcohol campaign.

Government measures to halt the demographic crisis was a key subject of Vladimir Putin's 2006 state of the nation address. As a result, a national programme was developed with the goal to reverse the trend by 2020. Soon after, a study published in 2007 showed that the rate of population decrease had begun to slow: if the net decrease in January–August 2006 was 408,200 people, it was 196,600 in the same period in 2007. The death rate accounted for 357,000 of these, which is 137,000 less than in 2006. At the same time period in 2007, there were just over 1 million births in Russia (981,600 in 2006), whilst deaths decreased from 1,475,000 to 1,402,300. In all, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births by 1.3 times, down from 1.5 in 2006. Eighteen of the 83 provinces showed a natural growth of population (in 2006: 16). The Russian Ministry of Economic Development expressed hope that by 2020 the population would stabilize at 138–139 million, and by 2025, to increase again to its present day status of 143–145, also raising the life expectancy to 75 years.

The natural population decline continued to slow through 2008—2010 due to declining death rates and increasing birth rates, and in 2009 the population saw yearly growth for the first time in 15 years. In September 2009, the Ministry of Health and Social Development reported that Russia recorded natural population growth for the first time in 15 years, with 1,000 more births than deaths in August. In April 2011 the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pledged to spend the 1.5 trillion rubles (£32.5 billion or $54 billion) on various measures to boost Russia's declining birthrate by 30 per cent in the next four years.

Population statistics

Population pyramid of Russia as of 1 January 2010

Population density

8.4 people per square kilometre (2010 Russian Census)

Population distribution

74% urban, 26% rural (2010 Russian Census)

Population growth rate

0.15% (2011)

Median age

total: 38.8 years
male: 36.1 years
female: 41.1 years (2009)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2009)

Natural increase current

The number of births during the period January–December 2011 to increase to 4205 over the period January-December 2010.

-Number of births from January to December 2010 = 1 789 623

-Number of births from January to December 2011 = 1 793 828

Conversely the number of deaths during the same period was down sharply from 105 927.

-Number of deaths from January to December 2010 = 2 030 963

-Number of deaths from January to December 2011 = 1 925 036

Net migration rate

1.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010)

Vital statistics

Before WW II

No exact vital statistics for Russia are available for the period before WW II. Andreev made the following estimates:

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1,000)	Crude death rate (per 1,000)	Natural change (per 1,000)
1927	94,596,000	4,688,000	2,705,000	1,983,000	49.6	28.6	21.0
1928	96,654,000	4,723,000	2,589,000	2,134,000	48.9	26.8	22.1
1929	98,644,000	4,633,000	2,819,000	1,814,000	47.0	28.6	18.4
1930	100,419,000	4,413,000	2,738,000	1,675,000	43.9	27.3	16.7
1931	101,948,000	4,412,000	3,090,000	1,322,000	43.3	30.3	13.0
1932	103,136,000	4,058,000	3,077,000	981,000	39.3	29.8	9.5
1933	102,706,000	3,313,000	5,239,000	-1,926,000	32.3	51.0	-18.8
1934	101,922,000	2,923,000	2,659,000	264,000	28.7	26.1	2.6
1935	102,684,000	3,577,000	2,421,000	1,156,000	34.8	23.6	11.3
1936	103,904,000	3,899,000	2,719,000	1,180,000	37.5	26.2	11.4
1937	105,358,000	4,377,000	2,760,000	1,617,000	41.5	26.2	15.3
1938	107,044,000	4,379,000	2,739,000	1,640,000	40.9	25.6	15.3
1939	108,785,000	4,329,000	2,600,000	1,729,000	39.8	23.9	15.9
1940	110,333,000	3,814,000	2,561,000	1,253,000	34.6	23.2	11.4

After WW II

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1,000)	Crude death rate (per 1,000)	Natural change (per 1,000)	Fertility rates	Urban fertility	Rural fertility
1946	98,028,000	2,546,000	1,210,000	1,336,000	26.0	12.3	13.6
1947	98,834,000	2,715,000	1,680,000	1,035,000	27.5	17.0	10.5
1948	99,706,000	2,516,000	1,310,000	1,206,000	25.2	13.1	12.1
1949	101,160,000	3,089,000	1,187,000	1,902,000	30.5	11.7	18.8
1950	102,833,000	2,859,000	1,180,000	1,719,000	27.8	11.5	16.7
1951	104,439,000	2,938,000	1,210,000	1,779,000	28.1	11.6	17.0
1952	106,164,000	2,928,000	1,138,000	1,807,000	27.6	10.7	17.0
1953	107,828,000	2,822,000	1,118,000	1,696,000	26.2	10.4	15.7
1954	109,643,000	3,048,000	1,133,000	1,932,000	27.8	10.3	17.6
1955	111,572,000	2,942,000	1,037,000	1,921,000	26.4	9.3	17.2
1956	113,327,000	2,827,000	956,000	1,906,000	24.9	8.4	16.8
1957	115,035,000	2,880,000	1,017,000	1,916,000	25.0	8.8	16.7
1958	116,749,000	2,861,000	931,000	1,982,000	24.5	8.0	17.0
1959	118,307,000	2,796,228	920,225	1,876,003	23.6	7.8	15.9	2,58
1960	119,906,000	2,782,353	886,090	1,896,263	23.2	7.4	15.8	2,56
1961	121,586,000	2,662,135	901,637	1,760,498	21.9	7.4	14.5	2,47
1962	123,128,000	2,482,539	949,648	1,532,891	20.2	7.7	12.4	2,36
1963	124,514,000	2,331,505	932,055	1,399,450	18.7	7.5	11.2	2,31
1964	125,744,000	2,121,994	901,751	1,220,243	16.9	7.2	9.7	2,19
1965	126,749,000	1,990,520	958,789	1,031,731	15.7	7.6	8.1	2,12
1966	127,608,000	1,957,763	974,299	983,464	15.3	7.6	7.7	2,13
1967	128,361,000	1,851,041	1,017,034	834,007	14.4	7.9	6.5	2,03
1968	129,037,000	1,816,509	1,040,096	776,413	14.1	8.1	6.0	1,98
1969	129,660,000	1,847,592	1,106,640	740,952	14.2	8.5	5.7	1,99
1970	130,252,000	1,903,713	1,131,183	772,530	14.6	8.7	5.9	2,00
1971	130,934,000	1,974,637	1,143,359	831,278	15.1	8.7	6.3	2,02
1972	131,687,000	2,014,638	1,181,802	832,836	15.3	9.0	6.3	2,03
1973	132,434,000	1,994,621	1,214,204	780,417	15.1	9.2	5.9	1,96
1974	133,217,000	2,079,812	1,222,495	857,317	15.6	9.2	6.4	2,00
1975	134,092,000	2,106,147	1,309,710	796,437	15.7	9.8	5.9	1,97
1976	135,026,000	2,146,711	1,352,950	793,761	15.9	10.0	5.9	1,96
1977	135,979,000	2,156,724	1,387,986	768,738	15.9	10.2	5.7	1,92
1978	136,922,000	2,179,030	1,417,377	761,653	15.9	10.4	5.6	1,90
1979	137,758,000	2,178,542	1,490,057	688,485	15.8	10.8	5.0	1,87
1980	138,483,000	2,202,779	1,525,755	677,024	15.9	11.0	4.9	1,87
1981	139,221,000	2,236,608	1,524,286	712,322	16.1	10.9	5.1	1,88
1982	140,067,000	2,328,044	1,504,200	823,844	16.6	10.7	5.9	1,96
1983	141,056,000	2,478,322	1,563,995	914,327	17.6	11.1	6.5	2,11
1984	142,061,000	2,409,614	1,650,866	758,748	17.0	11.6	5.3	2,06
1985	143,033,000	2,375,147	1,625,266	749,881	16.6	11.4	5.2	2,05
1986	144,156,000	2,485,915	1,497,975	987,940	17.2	10.4	6.9	2,18
1987	145,386,000	2,499,974	1,531,585	968,389	17.2	10.5	6.7	2,23
1988	146,505,000	2,348,494	1,569,112	779,382	16.0	10.7	5.3	2,14
1989	147,342,000	2,160,559	1,583,743	576,816	14.7	10.7	3.9	2,02
1990	147,969,000	1,988,858	1,655,993	332,865	13.4	11.2	2.3	1,89	1,70	2,60
1991	148,394,000	1,794,626	1,690,657	103,969	12.1	11.4	0.7	1,73	1,53	2,45
1992	148,538,000	1,587,644	1,807,441	-219,797	10.7	12.2	-1.5	1,55	1,35	2,22
1993	148,459,000	1,378,983	2,129,339	-750,356	9.3	14.3	-5.1	1,37	1,20	1,95
1994	148,408,000	1,408,159	2,301,366	-893,207	9.5	15.5	-6.0	1,39	1,24	1,92
1995	148,376,000	1,363,806	2,203,811	-840,005	9.2	14.9	-5.7	1,34	1,19	1,82
1996	148,160,000	1,304,638	2,082,249	-777,611	8.8	14.1	-5.2	1,27	1,14	1,71
1997	147,915,000	1,259,943	2,015,779	-755,836	8.5	13.6	-5.1	1,22	1,10	1,62
1998	147,671,000	1,283,292	1,988,744	-705,452	8.7	13.5	-4.8	1,23	1,11	1,64
1999	147,215,000	1,214,689	2,144,316	-929,627	8.3	14.6	-6.3	1,16	1,05	1,53
2000	146,597,000	1,266,800	2,225,332	-958,532	8.6	15.2	-6.5	1,20	1,09	1,55
2001	145,976,000	1,311,604	2,254,856	-943,252	9.0	15.4	-6.5	1,22	1,12	1,56
2002	145,306,000	1,396,967	2,332,272	-935,305	9.6	16.1	-6.4	1,29	1,19	1,63
2003	144,566,000	1,477,301	2,365,826	-888,525	10.2	16.4	-6.1	1,32	1,22	1,67
2004	143,821,000	1,502,477	2,295,402	-792,925	10.4	16.0	-5.5	1,34	1,25	1,67
2005	143,114,000	1,457,376	2,303,935	-846,559	10.2	16.1	-5.9	1,29	1,20	1,59
2006	142,487,000	1,479,637	2,166,703	-687,066	10.4	15.2	-4.8	1,30	1,20	1,61
2007	142,115,000	1,610,122	2,080,445	-470,323	11.3	14.6	-3.3	1,41	1,28	1,80
2008	141,956,000	1,713,947	2,075,954	-362,007	12.1	14.6	-2.6	1,49	1,37	1,89
2009	141,909,000	1,761,687	2,010,543	-248,856	12.4	14.2	-1.8	1,54	1,42	1,90
2010	142,938,285	1,789,623	2,030,963	-241,340	12.5	14.2	-1.7	1,59
2011	143,030,106	1,793,828	1,925,036	-131,208	12,6	13,5	-0.9	1,61

Total fertility rates

Changes in the TFR since 1990.

In 1990, just prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia's total fertility rate (TFR) stood at 1.89. Fertility rates had already begun to decline in the late 80s due to the natural progression of Russia's demographic structure, but the rapid and widely negative changes in society following the collapse greatly influenced the rate of decline. The TFR hit an historic low of 1.16 in 1999 and has since begun to rise again, reaching 1.59 in 2010 (growth of 37%). The only federal subject of Russia to see a decline in fertility since 1999 is Ingushetia, where the TFR has fallen by 20% from 2.44 to 1.97 as of 2009.

In 2009, 8 of Russia's federal subjects had a TFR above 2.1 children per woman (the approximate minimum required to ensure population replacement). These federal subjects are Chechnya (3.38), Tyva (2.81), Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug (2.73), Agin-Buryat Okrug (2.63), Komi-Permyak (2.16), Evenk Okrug (2.58), Altai Republic (2.36), Nenets Autonomous Okrug (2.1). Of these federal subjects, four have an ethnic Russian majority (Altai, Evenk, Ust-Orda and Nenets).

In 2010, The average number of children born to women has decreased from 1513 to 1000 women from 2002 to 1469 in 2010 in urban areas the figure was 1328 children (2002 - 1350), and in the village - 1876 (in 2002. - 1993 ). In recent years the percentage of children per woman 16 years or more were:

Year : 2002-2010 a child : 30.5%-31.2% 2 children : 33.7%-34.4% 3 children : 8.9%-8.7% 4 or more children : 5,2%-4.2% no children : 21.7%-21.5%

Note that despite a decrease in women who have not had children, the number of one-child and large families has declined between 2002 and 2010.

In every region in Russia rural areas reported higher TFR compared to urban areas. In most of the federal subjects in Siberia and the Russian Far East, the total fertility rates were high, but not high enough to ensure population replacement. For example, Zabaykalsky Krai had a TFR of 1.82, which is higher than the national average, but less than the 2.1 needed for population replacement.

Compared to other G8 countries, in 2011, Russian TFR of 1,61 children/ woman) was lower than that of France (2,01), the USA (2,01), the UK (1,92). Yet it approximately equals to the TFR of Canada (1,57), and is higher than in other G8 countries: Germany (1,36), Japan (1,39), and Italy (1,40).

Compared to other most populous nations, Russia has a lower TFR than Nigeria (4,82),Pakistan (3,13),India (2,65), Indonesia (2,28), Brazil (2,19), the USA, and higher TFR than China (1,54).

Compared to its neighbors, in 2011 Russia has a lower TFR than Kazakhstan (2,67), Mongolia (2,22), Azerbaijan (2,03), Norway (1,95),North Korea (1,94), Finland (1,87), Georgia (1,83), and Estonia (1,64). Russian TFR is close to the Chinese one, and is higher than in Lithuania (1,54), Belarus (1,49), Ukraine (1,44), Poland (1,38) and Latvia (1,17).

See also: List of countries by fertility rate

Health

Main article: Health in Russia

Life expectancy

Russian male and female life expectancy since 1950.

total population: 70.3 years
male: 64.3 years
female: 76.1 years (2011)

As of 2011, the average life expectancy in Russia was 64.3 years for males and 76.1 years for females. In the late 1950s, the USSR had a higher life expectancy than the United States, but the Soviet Union has lagged behind Western countries in terms of mortality and life expectancy since the late 1960s. The life expectancy was about 70 in 1986, prior to the transition-induced disruption of the healthcare system. The turmoil in the early 1990s caused life expectancy in Russia to steadily decrease while it was steadily increasing in the rest of the world. Recently however, Russian life expectancy has again begun to rise. Between 2006—2011 the male life expectancy in Russia rose by almost four years, increasing the overall life expectancy by nearly 4 years to 70.3.

Mortality

In 2010, 1,140,368, or 56% of all deaths in Russia were caused by cardiovascular disease. The second leading cause of death was cancer which claimed 292,310 lives (14.3%). External causes of death such as suicide (1.7%), road accidents (1.4%), murders (0.9%), accidental alcohol poisoning (0.7%), and accidental drowning (0.5%), claimed 206,336 lives in total (10.2%). Other major causes of death were diseases of the digestive system (4.5%), respiratory disease (3.6%), infectious and parasitic diseases (1.6%), and tuberculosis (1.1%). The infant mortality rate in 2010 was 7.5 deaths per 1,000 (down from 8.2 in 2009 and 16.9 in 1999).

Under-five mortality rate

13 deaths/1,000 live births (2008)

Abortions

In the 1980s only 8–10% of married Russian women of reproductive age used hormonal and intrauterine contraception methods, compared to 20–40% in developed countries. This led to much higher abortion rates in Russia compared to developed countries: in the 1980s Russia had a figure of 120 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age compared with only 20 per 1,000 in Western countries. However, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union many changes took place, such as the demonopolization of the market for contraceptive drugs and media liberalization, which lead to a rapid conversion to more efficient pregnancy control practices. Abortion rates fell in the first half of the 1990s for the first time in Russia's history, even despite declining fertility rates. From the early 1990s to 2006, the number of expected abortions per women during her lifetime fell by nearly 2.5 times, from 3.4 to 1.2. As of 2004, the share of women of reproductive age using hormonal or intrauterine birth control methods was about 46% (29% intrauterine, 17% hormonal).

Despite clear progress in family planning, the target of desired children at the desired time for a large portion of Russian families has not yet been achieved. According to a 2004 study, current pregnancies were termed "desired and timely" by 58% of respondents, while 23% described them as "desired, but untimely", and 19% said they were "undesired". The share of unexpected pregnancies remains much lower in countries with developed family planning culture, such as the Netherlands, whose percentage of unwanted pregnancies 20 years ago was half of that in Russia today.

Ethnic groups

Ethnic Russians as a percentage of the population by region (2002 census)

Main article: Ethnic groups in Russia

Further information: List of indigenous peoples of Russia

The Russian Federation is home to as many as 160 different ethnic groups and indigenous peoples. As of the 2010 census, 80.9% of the population that disclosed their ethnicity (111,016,896 people) is ethnically Russian, followed by (groups larger than one million):

• 3.9% Tatars (5,310,000)
• 1.41% Ukrainians (1,930,000)
• 1.16% Bashkirs (1,580,000)
• 1.05% Chuvashs (1,440,000)
• 1.04% Chechens (1,430,000)
• 0.86% Armenians (1,180,000)

It is important to note that in the 2010 Census, almost 6 million people (about 4% of the overall population.) did not declare any ethnic origin, compared to about 1 million in the 2002 Census. This is due to the fact that those people were counted from administrative databases and not directly, and were therefore unable to state their ethnicity. Therefore, the percentages mentioned above are taken from the total population that declared their ethnicity, given that the non-declared remainder is thought to have an ethnic composition similar to the declared segment.

Most smaller groups live compactly in their respective regions and can be categorized by language group The ethnic divisions used here are those of the official census, and may in some respects be controversial. The following lists all ethnicities resolved by the 2010 census, grouped by language:

• Indo-European 118,687,275 (total 84.81%; 82.75% Slavs)
  • Russians 111,016,896 (80.90%)
  • Ukrainians 1,930,000 (1.41%)
  • Armenians 1,180,000 (0.86%)
  • Belarusians 521,443 (0.38%)
  • Germans 394,138 (0.29%)
  • Ossetians 528,515 (0.39%)
  • Roma 204,958 (0.15%)
  • Tajiks 200,303 (0.15%)
  • Moldovans 156,400 (0.12%)
  • Greeks 85,640 (0.06%)
  • Poles 47.125 (0.04%)
  • Lithuanians 31,377 (0.03%)
  • Bulgarians 24,038 (0.02%)
  • Latvians 18,979 (0.01%)

• Turkic 11,998,830 (total 8.78%)
  • Tatars 5,310,649 (3.9%)
  • Bashkirs 1,584,554 (1.16%)
  • Chuvashs 1,435,872 (1.05%)
  • Kazakhs 647,732 (0.47%)
  • Azerbaijani 603,070 (0.44%)
  • Kumyks 503,060 (0.37%)
  • Yakuts 478,085 (0.35%)
  • Uzbeks 289,862 (0.21%)
  • Tuvans 263,934 (0.19%)
  • Karachays 218,403 (0.16%)
  • Balkars 112,924 (0.08%)
  • Turks 105,058 (0.08%)
  • Nogais 103,660 (0.08%)
  • Kyrgyz 103,422 (0.08%)
  • Altay peoples 74,238 (0.05%)
  • Khakas 72,959 (0.05%)
  • Turkmens 36,885 (0.03%)
  • Gagauz 13,690 (0.01%)
  • Shors 12,888 (0.01%)
  • Dolgans 7,885 (0.01%)
  • Other Turkic-speaking people 20,000 (0.01%)

• Caucasian 5,152,275 (total 3.77%)
  • Chechens 1,431,360 (1.04%)
  • Avars 912,090 (0.66%)
  • Dargins 589,396 (0.43%)
  • Kabardians 516,826 (0.38%)
  • Lezgins 473,722 (0.35%)
  • Ingush 443,833 (0.32%)
  • Laks 178,630 (0.13%)
  • Georgians 157,803 (0.11%)
  • Tabasarans 146,360 (0.11%)
  • Adyghe 124,835 (0.09%)
  • Circassians 73,184 (0.05%)
  • Abazas 43,341 (0.03%)
  • Rutuls 35,240 (0.03%)
  • Aguls 34,160 (0.02%)
  • Abkhaz 11,249 (0.01%)
  • Tsakhurs 12,769 (0.01%)

• Uralic 2,317,001 (1.68%)
  • Mordvins 744,237 (0.54%)
  • Udmurts 552,299 (0.40%)
  • Mari 547,605 (0.40%)
  • Komi 228,235 (0.17%)
  • Komi-Permyak 94,456 (0.07%)
  • Karelians 60,815 (0.04%)
  • Khanty 30,943 (0.02%)
  • Finns 20,267 (0.02%)
  • Estonians 17,875 (0.02%)
  • Mansi 12,269 (0.01%)
  • Veps 5,936 (0.00%)
  • Sami 1,771 (0.00%)
  • Izhorians 266 (0.00%)

• • Samoyedic 50,981 (0.03%)
    • Nenets 44,640 (0.03%)
    • Selkups 3,649 (0.00%)
    • Nganasans 862 (0.00%)
    • Enets 227 (0.00%)
    • Yukaghir 1,603 (0.00%)

• Mongols 644,761 (0.47%)
  • Buryats 461,389 (0.34%)
  • Kalmyks 183,372 (0.13%)

• Vietnamese 13,954 (0.01%)

• Semitic peoples 167,885 (0.12%)
  • Jews 156,801 (0.11%)
  • Assyrians 11,084 (0.01%)

• Koreans 153,156 (0.11%)

• Manchu-Tungus 77,599 (0.05%)
  • Evenks 38,396 (0.02%)
  • Evens 21,830 (0.02%)
  • Nanais 12,003 (0.01%)
  • Ulchs 2,765 (0.00%)
  • Udege 1,496 (0.00%)
  • Orochs 596 (0.00%)
  • Negidals 513 (0.00%)

• Chukotko-Kamchatkan 28,056 (0.02%)
  • Chukchi 15,908 (0.02%)
  • Koryak 7,953 (0.01%)
  • Itelmeni 3,193 (0.00%)
  • Chuvans 1,002 (0.00%)

• Nivkh 4,652 (0.00%)

• Eskimo–Aleut 2,220 (0.00%)
  • Eskimo 1,738 (0.00%)
  • Aleut 482 (0.00%)

• Ket 1,219 (0.00%)

Historical perspective

International migration to and from Russia since 1998.

  Arrivals

  Departures

  Net migration growth

The ethno-demographic structure of Russia has gradually changed over time. During the past century the most striking change is the fast increase of the peoples from the Caucasus. In 1926, these peoples composed 2% of the Russian population, compared to 6.5% in 2010. Though low in absolute numbers, the Siberian peoples also increased during the past century, but their growth was mainly realized after WW II (from 0.7% in 1959 to 1.2% in 2010) and not applicable to most of the small peoples (less than 10,000 people).

Peoples of European Russia

The relative proportion of the peoples of European Russia gradually decreased during the past century, but still compose 91% of the total population of Russia in 2010. The absolute numbers of most of these peoples reached its highest level in the beginning of the 1990s. Since 1992, natural growth in Russia has been negative and the numbers of all peoples of European Russia were lower in 2010 than in 2002, the only exceptions being the Roma (high fertility rates) and the Gagauz. Several peoples saw a much larger decrease than can be explained by the low fertility rates and high mortality rates in Russia during the past two decades. Emigration and assimilation contributed to the decrease in numbers of many peoples. Emigration was the most important factor for Germans, Jews and Baltic peoples (Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians). The number of Germans halved between 1959 and 2010. Their main country of destination is Germany. The number of Jews decreased by more than 80% between 1959 and 2010. In 1970, the Soviet Union had the third largest population of Jews in the world, (2,183,000 of whom 808,000 with residence in Russia), following only that of the United States and Israel. By 2010, due to Jewish emigration, their number fell as low as 158,000. A sizeable emigration of other minorities has been enduring, too. The main destinations of emigrants from Russia are the USA (Jews, Belarussians, Chechens, Meskhetian Turks, Ukrainians and others), Israel (Jews), Germany (Germans and Jews), Poland (Poles), Canada (Finns and Ukrainians), Finland (Finns), France (Jews and Armenians) and the United Kingdom (mainly rich Russians).^{[citation needed]}

Assimilation (i.e., marrying Russians and having children of such unions counted as Russians) explains the decrease in numbers of Ukrainians, Belarusians and most of the Uralic peoples. The assimilation is reflected in the high median age of these peoples (see the table below), as assimilation is stronger among young people than among old people. The process of assimilation of the Uralic peoples of Russia is probably going on for centuries and is most prominent among the Mordvins (1.4% of the Russian population in 1926 and 0.5% in 2010), the Karelians, Veps and Izhorians. Assimilation on the other hand slowed down the decrease of the number of ethnic Russians. Besides, the decrease of the number of Russians was also slowed down by the immigration of ethnic Russians from the former Soviet republics.

Peoples of European Russia in the Russian federation, 1926-2010

Ethnic group	Language family	1926 Census		1939 Census		1959 Census		1970 Census		1979 Census		1989 Census		2002 Census		2010 Census
		Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Russians	Indo-European	72,374,283	78.1%	89,747,795	82.9%	97,863,579	83.3%	107,747,630	82.8%	113,521,881	82.6%	119,865,469	81.5%	115,889,107	80.6%	111,016,896	80.8%
Tatars	Turkic	2,926,053	3.2%	3,682,956	3.4%	4,074,253	3.5%	4,577,061	3.5%	5,055,757	3.6%	5,522,096	3.8%	5,554,601	3.9%	5,310,649	3.9%
Ukrainians	Indo-European	6,870,976	7.4%	3,205,061	3.0%	3,359,083	2.9%	3,345,885	2.6%	3,657,647	2.7%	4,362,872	3.0%	2,942,961	2.0%	1,927,888	1.4%
Bashkirs	Turkic	738,861	0.80%	824,537	0.76%	953,801	0.81%	1,180,913	0.91%	1,290,994	0.94%	1,345,273	0.92%	1,673,389	1.16%	1,584,554	1.15%
Chuvashs	Turkic	1,112,478	1.20%	1,346,232	1.24%	1,436,218	1.22%	1,637,028	1.26%	1,689,847	1.23%	1,773645,	1.21%	1,637,094	1.14%	1,435,872	1.05%
Mordvins	Uralic	1,306,798	1.41%	1,375,558	1.27%	1,211,105	1.03%	1,177,492	0.91%	1,111,075	0.81%	1,072,939	0.73%	843,350	0.59%	744,237	0.54%
Udmurts	Uralic	503,970	0.54%	599,893	0.55%	615,640	0.52%	678,393	0.52%	685,718	0.50%	714,883	0.49%	636,906	0.45%	552,299	0.40%
Besermyan	Uralic	10,035	0.01%											3,122	0.00%	2,201	0.00%
Mari	Uralic	427,874	0.46%	476,314	0.44%	498,066	0.42%	581,082	0.45%	599,637	0.44%	643,698	0.44%	604,298	0.42%	547,605	0.40%
Belarusians	Indo-European	607,845	0.66%	451,933	0.42%	843,985	0.72%	964,082	0.74%	1,051,900	0.77%	1,206,222	0.82%	807,970	0.56%	521,443	0.38%
Germans	Indo-European	707,277	0.76%	811,205	0.75%	820,016	0.70%	761,888	0.59%	790,762	0.58%	842,295	0.57%	597,212	0.42%	394,138	0.29%
Komi	Uralic	226,012	0.24%	415,009	0.38%	281,780	0.24%	315,347	0.24%	320,078	0.23%	336,309	0.23%	293,406	0.20%	228,235	0.17%
Komi-Permyak	Uralic	149,275	0.16%			143,030	0.12%	150,244	0.12%	145,993	0.11%	147,269	0.10%	125,235	0.09%	94,456	0.07%
Roma	Indo-European	39,089	0.04%	59,198	0.05%	72,488	0.06%	97,955	0.08%	120,672	0.09%	152,939	0.10%	183,252	0.13%	205,007	0.15%
Jews	Semitic	539,086	0.58%	891,147	0.82%	875,058	0.74%	807,526	0.62%	699,286	0.51%	550,709	0.37%	233,439	0.16%	157,673	0.11%
Moldovans	Indo-European	16,870	0.02%	21,974	0.02%	62,298	0.05%	87,538	0.07%	102,137	0.07%	172,671	0.12%	172,330	0.12%	156,400	0.11%
Karelians	Uralic	248,017	0.27%	249,778	0.23%	164,050	0.14%	141,148	0.11%	133,182	0.10%	124,921	0.08%	93,344	0.06%	60,815	0.04%
Poles	Indo-European	189,269	0.20%	142,461	0.13%	118,422	0.10%	107,084	0.08%	99,733	0.07%	94,594	0.06%	73,001	0.05%	47,125	0.03%
Lithuanians	Indo-European	26,128	0.03%	20,795	0.02%	108,579	0.09%	76,718	0.06%	66,783	0.05%	70,427	0.05%	45,569	0.03%	31,377	0.02%
Bulgarians	Indo-European	4,087	0.00%	8,338	0.01%	24,899	0.02%	27,321	0.02%	24,943	0.02%	32,785	0.02%	31,965	0.02%	24,038	0.02%
Finns	Uralic	134,089	0.14%	138,962	0.13%	72,356	0.06%	62,307	0.05%	55,687	0.04%	47,102	0.03%	34,050	0.02%	20,267	0.01%
Latvians	Indo-European	124,312	0.13%	104,877	0.10%	74,932	0.06%	59,695	0.05%	67,267	0.05%	46,829	0.03%	28,520	0.02%	18,979	0.01%
Estonians	Uralic	146,051	0.16%	130,494	0.12%	78,556	0.07%	62,980	0.05%	55,539	0.04%	46,390	0.03%	28,113	0.02%	17,875	0.01%
Gagauz	Turkic	0	0.00%		0.00%	3,012	0.00%	3,704	0.00%	4,176	0.00%	10,051	0.01%	12,210	0.01%	13,690	0.01%
Veps	Uralic	32,783	0.04%	31,442	0.03%	16,170	0.01%	8,057	0.01%	7,550	0.01%	12,142	0.01%	8,240	0.01%	5,936	0.00%
Sami	Uralic	1,715	0.00%	1,828	0.00%	1,760	0.00%	1,836	0.00%	1,775	0.00%	1,835	0.00%	1,991	0.00%	1,771	0.00%
Izhorians	Uralic	16,136	0.02%	7,720	0.01%	564	0.00%	561	0.00%	449	0.00%	449	0.00%	327	0.00%	266	0.00%
Karaim	Turkic	1,608	0.00%		0.00%	1,608	0.00%	1,236	0.00%	939	0.00%	680	0.00%	366	0.00%	205	0.00%

Peoples of the Caucasus

Peoples of the Kaukasus in the Russian federation, 1926-2010

Ethnic group	Language family	1926 Census		1939 Census		1959 Census		1970 Census		1979 Census		1989 Census		2002 Census		2010 Census
		Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Chechens	Northeast Caucasian	318,361	0.34%	400,325	0.37%	261,311	0.22%	572,220	0.44%	712,161	0.52%	898,999	0.61%	1,360,253	0.95%	1,431,360	1.04%
Armenians	Indo-European	183,785	0.20%	205,233	0.19%	255,978	0.22%	298,718	0.23%	364,570	0.27%	532,390	0.36%	1,132,033	0.79%	1,184,435	0.86%
Avars	Northeast Caucasian	178,263	0.19%	235,715	0.22%	249,529	0.21%	361,613	0.28%	438,306	0.32%	544,016	0.37%	814,473	0.57%	912,090	0.66%
Azerbaijani	Turkic	24,335	0.03%	43,014	0.04%	70,947	0.06%	95,689	0.07%	152,421	0.11%	335,889	0.23%	621,840	0.43%	603,070	0.44%
Dargins	Northeast Caucasian	125,759	0.14%	152,007	0.14%	152,563	0.13%	224,172	0.17%	280,444	0.20%	353,348	0.24%	510,156	0.35%	589,396	0.43%
Ossetians	Indo-European	157,280	0.17%	195,624	0.18%	247,834	0.21%	313,458	0.24%	352,080	0.26%	402,275	0.27%	514,875	0.36%	528,515	0.38%
Kabardins	Northwest Caucasian	139,864	0.15%	161,216	0.15%	200,634	0.17%	277,435	0.21%	318,822	0.23%	386,055	0.26%	519,958	0.36%	516,826	0.38%
Kumyks	Turkic	94,509	0.10%	110,299	0.10%	132,896	0.11%	186,690	0.14%	225,800	0.16%	277,163	0.19%	422,409	0.29%	503,060	0.37%
Lezgians	Northeast Caucasian	92,937	0.10%	100,328	0.09%	114,210	0.10%	170,494	0.13%	202,854	0.15%	257,270	0.17%	411,535	0.29%	473,722	0.34%
Ingush	Northeast Caucasian	72,137	0.08%	90,980	0.08%	55,799	0.05%	137,380	0.11%	165,997	0.12%	215,068	0.15%	413,016	0.29%	444,833	0.32%
Karachays	Turkic	55,116	0.06%	74,488	0.07%	70,537	0.06%	106,831	0.08%	125,792	0.09%	150,332	0.10%	192,182	0.13%	218,403	0.16%
Kalmyks	Mongolic	128,809	0.14%	129,786	0.12%	100,603	0.09%	131,318	0.10%	140,103	0.10%	165,103	0.11%	174,000	0.12%	183,372	0.13%
Laks	Northeast Caucasian	40,243	0.04%	54,348	0.05%	58,397	0.05%	78,625	0.06%	91,412	0.07%	106,245	0.07%	156,545	0.11%	178,630	0.13%
Georgians	South Caucasian	20,551	0.02%	43,585	0.04%	57,594	0.05%	68,971	0.05%	89,407	0.07%	130,688	0.09%	197,934	0.14%	157,803	0.11%
Tabasarans	Northeast Caucasian	31,983	0.03%	33,471	0.03%	34,288	0.03%	54,047	0.04%	73,433	0.05%	93,587	0.06%	131,785	0.09%	146,360	0.11%
Adyghe	Northwest Caucasian	64,959	0.07%	85,588	0.08%	78,561	0.07%	98,461	0.08%	107,239	0.08%	122,908	0.08%	128,528	0.09%	124,835	0.09%
Shapsugs	Northwest Caucasian													3,231	0.00%	3,882	0.00%
Circassians	Northwest Caucasian					28,986	0.02%	38,356	0.03%	44,572	0.03%	50,572	0.03%	60,517	0.04%	73,184	0.05%
Balkars	Turkic	33,298	0.04%	41,949	0.04%	35,249	0.03%	52,969	0.04%	61,828	0.04%	78,341	0.05%	108,426	0.08%	112,924	0.08%
Turks	Turkic	1,846	0.00%	2,668	0.00%	1,377	0.00%	1,568	0.00%	3,561	0.00%	9,890	0.01%	92,415	0.06%	105,058	0.08%
Meskhetian Turks	Turkic													3,527	0.00%	4,825	0.00%
Nogais	Turkic	36,089	0.04%	36,088	0.03%	37,656	0.03%	51,159	0.04%	58,639	0.04%	73,703	0.05%	90,666	0.06%	103,660	0.08%
Greeks	Indo-European	34,439	0.04%	65,705	0.06%	47,024	0.04%	57,847	0.04%	69,816	0.05%	91,699	0.06%	97,827	0.07%	85,640	0.06%
Kurds	Indo-European	164	0.00%	387	0.00%	855	0.00%	1,015	0.00%	1,634	0.00%	4,724	0.00%	19,607	0.01%	23,232	0.01%
Yazidis	Indo-European	1	0.00%											31,273	0.02%	40,586	0.03%
Abazas	Northwest Caucasian	13,825	0.01%	14,739	0.01%	19,059	0.02%	24,892	0.02%	28,800	0.02%	32,983	0.02%	37,942	0.03%	43,341	0.03%
Rutuls	Northeast Caucasian	10,333	0.01%	20,962	0.02%	6,703	0.01%	11,904	0.01%	14,835	0.01%	19,503	0.01%	29,929	0.02%	35,240	0.03%
Aghuls	Northeast Caucasian	7,653	0.01%			6,460	0.01%	8,751	0.01%	11,752	0.01%	17,728	0.01%	28,297	0.02%	34,160	0.02%
Tsakhurs	Northeast Caucasian	3,533	0.00%			4,437	0.00%	4,730	0.00%	4,774	0.00%	6,492	0.00%	10,366	0.01%	12,769	0.01%
Udis	Northeast Caucasian	2	0.00%			35	0.00%	94	0.00%	216	0.00%	1,102	0.00%	3,721	0.00%	4,267	0.00%
Abkhaz	Northwest Caucasian	97	0.00%	647	0.00%	1,400	0.00%	2,427	0.00%	4,058	0.00%	7,239	0.00%	11,366	0.01%	11,249	0.01%
Assyrians	Semitic	2,791	0.00%	7,446	0.01%	7,612	0.01%	8,098	0.01%	8,708	0.01%	9,622	0.01%	13,649	0.01%	11,084	0.01%
Persians	Indo-European	8,626	0.01%	6,041	0.01%	2,490	0.00%	2,548	0.00%	1,747	0.00%	2,572	0.00%	3,821	0.00%	3,696	0.00%
Talysh	Indo-European	0	0.00%	47	0.00%	33	0.00%		%	2	0.00%	202	0.00%	2,548	0.00%	2,529	0.00%
Tats	Indo-European	223	0.00%			5,136	0.00%	8,753	0.01%	12,748	0.01%	19,420	0.01%	2,303	0.00%	1,585	0.00%

Peoples of Siberia

Peoples of Siberia in the Russian federation, 1926-2010

Ethnic group	Language family	1926 Census		1939 Census		1959 Census		1970 Census		1979 Census		1989 Census		2002 Census		2010 Census
		Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Sakha	Turkic	240,682	0.26%	241,870	0.22%	236,125	0.20%	295,223	0.23%	326,531	0.24%	380,242	0.26%	443,852	0.31%	478,085	0.35%
Dolgans	Turkic	656	0.00%					4,718	0.00%	4,911	0.00%	6,584	0.00%	7,261	0.01%	7,885	0.01%
Buryats	Mongolic	237,490	0.26%	220,618	0.20%	251,504	0.21%	312,847	0.24%	349,760	0.25%	417,425	0.28%	445,175	0.31%	461,389	0.34%
Soyots	Mongolic	229	0.00%											2,769	0.00%	3,608	0.00%
Tuvans	Turkic	200	0.00%	794	0.00%	99,864	0.08%	139,013	0.11%	165,426	0.12%	206,160	0.14%	243,442	0.17%	263,934	0.19%
Altay peoples	Turkic	52,248	0.06%	46,489	0.04%	44,654	0.04%	54,614	0.04%	58,879	0.04%	69,409	0.05%	77,822	0.05%	89,773	0.06%
Khakas	Turkic	45,607	0.05%	52,033	0.05%	56,032	0.05%	65,368	0.05%	69,247	0.05%	78,500	0.05%	76,278	0.05%	73,314	0.05%
Nenets	Uralic	17,560	0.02%	24,716	0.02%	22,845	0.02%	28,487	0.02%	29,487	0.02%	34,190	0.02%	41,302	0.03%	44,640	0.03%
Enets	Uralic											198	0.00%	237	0.00%	227	0.00%
Nganasans	Uralic					721	0.00%	823	0.00%	842	0.00%	1,262	0.00%	834	0.00%	862	0.00%
Evenks	Tungusic	38,804	0.03%	29,599	0.02%	24,583	0.02%	25,051	0.02%	27,278	0.02%	29,901	0.02%	35,527	0.02%	38,396	0.03%
Khanty	Uralic	22,301	0.02%	18,447	0.02%	19,246	0.02%	21,007	0.02%	20,743	0.02%	22,283	0.02%	28,678	0.02%	30,943	0.02%
Evens	Tungusic	2,044	0.00%	9,674	0.01%	9,023	0.01%	11,819	0.01%	12,215	0.01%	17,055	0.01%	19,071	0.01%	21,830	0.02%
Chukchi	Chukotko-Kamchatkan	12,331	0.01%	13,830	0.01%	11,680	0.01%	13,500	0.01%	13,937	0.01%	15,107	0.01%	15,767	0.01%	15,098	0.01%
Kereks	Chukotko-Kamchatkan													8	0.00%	4	0.00%
Chuvans	Chukotko-Kamchatkan	704	0.00%									1,384	0.00%	1,087	0.00%	1,002	0.00%
Shors	Turkic	13,000	0.01%	16,042	0.01%	14,938	0.01%	15,950	0.01%	15,182	0.01%	15,745	0.01%	13,975	0.01%	12,888	0.01%
Mansi	Uralic	5,754	0.01%	6,295	0.01%	6,318	0.01%	7,609	0.01%	7,434	0.01%	8,279	0.01%	11,432	0.01%	12,269	0.01%
Nanais	Tungusic	5,860	0.01%	8,411	0.01%	7,919	0.01%	9,911	0.01%	10,357	0.01%	11,883	0.01%	12,160	0.01%	12,003	0.01%
Koryaks	Chukotko-Kamchatkan	7,437	0.01%	7,337	0.01%	6,168	0.01%	7,367	0.01%	7,637	0.01%	8,942	0.01%	8,743	0.01%	7,953	0.01%
Nivkh	Nivkh	4,076	0.00%	3,857	0.00%	3,690	0.00%	4,356	0.00%	4,366	0.00%	4,631	0.00%	5,162	0.00%	4,652	0.00%
Selkups	Uralic	1,630	0.00%	2,604	0.00%	3,704	0.00%	4,249	0.00%	3,518	0.00%	3,564	0.00%	4,249	0.00%	3,649	0.00%
Udege	Tungusic	1,357	0.00%	1,701	0.00%	1,395	0.00%	1,396	0.00%	1,431	0.00%	1,902	0.00%	1,657	0.00%	1,496	0.00%
Taz	Tungusic													276	0.00%	274	0.00%
Itelmeni	Chukotko-Kamchatkan	803	0.00%	11,824	0.01%	1,096	0.00%	1,255	0.00%	1,335	0.00%	2,429	0.00%	3,180	0.00%	3,193	0.00%
Ulchs	Tungusic	723	0.00%			2,049	0.00%	2,410	0.00%	2,494	0.00%	3,173	0.00%	2,913	0.00%	2,765	0.00%
Eskimo	Eskimo-Aleut	1,292	0.00%			1,111	0.00%	1,265	0.00%	1,460	0.00%	1,704	0.00%	1,750	0.00%	1,738	0.00%
Yukaghir	Yukaghir	443	0.00%			440	0.00%	593	0.00%	801	0.00%	1,112	0.00%	1,509	0.00%	1,603	0.00%
Ket	Yeniseian	1,428	0.00%			1,017	0.00%	1,161	0.00%	1,072	0.00%	1,084	0.00%	1,494	0.00%	1,219	0.00%
Tofalars	Turkic	2,828	0.00%			476	0.00%	570	0.00%	576	0.00%	722	0.00%	837	0.00%	762	0.00%
Orochs	Tungusic	646	0.00%			779	0.00%	1,037	0.00%	1,040	0.00%	883	0.00%	686	0.00%	596	0.00%
Oroks	Tungusic	162	0.00%			2	0.00%					179	0.00%	346	0.00%	295	0.00%
Negidals	Tungusic	683	0.00%					495	0.00%	477	0.00%	587	0.00%	567	0.00%	513	0.00%
Aleut	Eskimo-Aleut	353	0.00%			399	0.00%	410	0.00%	489	0.00%	644	0.00%	540	0.00%	482	0.00%

Foreign population

Russia experiences a constant flow of immigration. On average, close to 300,000 legal immigrants enter the country every year; about half are ethnic Russians from the other republics of the former Soviet Union. There is a significant inflow of ethnic Armenians, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz and Tajiks into big Russian cities, something that is viewed unfavorably by some citizens. In addition, There are an estimated 4 million illegal immigrants from the ex-Soviet states in Russia.

The Kazakhs in Russia are mostly not recent immigrants. The majority inhabit regions bordering Kazakhstan such as the Astrakhan (16% of the population are Kazakhs), Orenburg (6% of the population are Kazakhs), Omsk (4% of the population are Kazakhs) and Saratov (3% of the population are Kazakhs) oblasts. Together these oblasts host 60% of the Kazakh population in Russia. The number of Kazakhs slightly decreased between 2002 and 2010 due to emigration to Kazakhstan, which has by far the strongest economy in Central Asia; other Central Asian populations (especially Uzbeks, Tajiks, and Kyrgyz) have continued to rise rapidly.

Peoples of Central Asia in the Russian federation, 1926-2010

Ethnic group	Language family	1926 Census		1939 Census		1959 Census		1970 Census		1979 Census		1989 Census		2002 Census		2010 Census
		Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Kazakhs	Turkic	136,501	0.15%	356,500	0.33%	382,431	0.33%	477,820	0.37%	518,060	0.38%	635,865	0.43%	653,962	0.46%	647,732	0.47%
Uzbeks	Turkic	942	0.00%	16,166	0.01%	29,512	0.03%	61,588	0.05%	72,385	0.05%	126,899	0.09%	122,916	0.09%	289,862	0.21%
Tajiks	Indo-European	52	0.00%	3,315	0.00%	7,027	0.01%	14,108	0.01%	17,863	0.01%	38,208	0.03%	120,136	0.08%	200,666	0.15%
Kyrgyz	Turkic	285	0.00%	6,311	0.01%	4,701	0.00%	9,107	0.01%	15,011	0.01%	41,734	0.03%	31,808	0.02%	103,422	0.08%
Turkmens	Turkic	7,849	0.01%	12,869	0.01%	11,631	0.01%	20,040	0.02%	22,979	0.02%	39,739	0.03%	33,053	0.02%	36,885	0.03%
Uygurs	Turkic	26	0.00%	642	0.00%	720	0.00%	1,513	0.00%	1,707	0.00%	2,577	0.00%	2,867	0.00%	3,696	0.00%
Karakalpaks	Turkic	14	0.00%	306	0.00%	988	0.00%	2,267	0.00%	1,743	0.00%	6,155	0.00%	1,609	0.00%	1,466	0.00%

Median age and fertility

Median ages of ethnic groups vary considerably between groups. Ethnic Russians and other Slavic and Finnic groups have higher median age compared to the Caucasian groups.

Median ages are strongly correlated with fertility rates, ethnic groups with higher fertility rates have lower median ages, and vice versa. For example, in 2002, in the ethnic group with the lowest median age – Ingush – women 35 or older had, on average, 4.05 children; in the ethnic group with the highest median age – Jews – women 35 or older averaged only 1.37 children. Ethnic Jews have both the highest median age and the lowest fertility rate; this is a consequence of Jewish emigration.^{[citation needed]}

Ethnic Russians represent a significant deviation from the pattern, with second lowest fertility rate of all major groups, but relatively low median age (37.6 years). This phenomenon is at least partly due to the fact that children from mixed marriages are often registered as ethnic Russians in the census.^{[citation needed]} The most noticeable trend in the past couple of decades is the convergence of birth rates between minorities (including Muslim minorities) and the Russian majority.^{[citation needed]}

The following table shows the variation in median age and fertility rates according to 2002 census.

Ethnic Group	Median Age	Male	Female	Urban	Urban M	Urban F	Rural	Rural M	Rural F	Children / woman (15+)	Children / woman (35+)	Predominant religion
Russian	37.6	34.0	40.5	37.1	33.5	40.1	39.0	35.7	41.7	1.446	1.828	Christianity
Tatar	37.7	35.3	39.6	37.2	34.7	39.1	38.8	36.5	41.1	1.711	2.204	Islam
Ukrainian	45.9	44.7	47.3	45.6	44.5	46.8	47.0	45.2	49.0	1.726	1.946	Christianity
Bashkir	34.2	32.1	36.2	32.9	30.6	34.7	35.4	33.3	37.6	1.969	2.658	Islam
Chuvash	38.6	36.4	40.4	37.9	36.3	39.1	39.4	36.5	42.5	1.884	2.379	Christianity
Chechen	22.8	22.1	23.5	22.9	22.5	23.4	22.7	21.9	23.5	2.163	3.456	Islam
Armenian	32.8	33.4	32.0	33.0	33.7	32.2	32.1	32.6	31.5	1.68	2.225	Christianity
Mordvin	44.4	42.1	46.9	44.2	42.3	45.9	44.7	41.7	48.5	1.986	2.303	Christianity
Avar	24.6	23.8	25.4	23.8	23.4	24.1	25.1	24.0	26.2	2.09	3.319	Islam
Belarusian	48.0	45.9	50.2	47.7	45.8	49.6	49.1	46.1	52.4	1.765	1.941	Christianity
Kazakh/Kyrgyz	30.2	29.4	31	29.5	29	30.1	30.6	29.7	31.4	2.015	2.964	Islam
Udmurt	40.0	37.4	42.0	41.2	39.0	42.6	38.9	36.1	41.3	1.93	2.378	Christianity
Azerbaijani	29.5	31.9	24.6	30.0	32.3	24.7	26.5	28.7	24.1	1.83	2.619	Islam
Mari	36.7	34.5	38.5	36.4	34.6	37.7	36.9	34.5	39.3	1.917	2.493	Christianity
German	39.7	38.2	41.2	39.6	38.0	41.0	40.0	38.4	41.4	1.864	2.443	Christianity
Kabardin	28.2	27.1	29.3	28.8	27.4	30.2	27.7	26.9	28.4	1.799	2.654	Islam
Ossetian	34.1	32.5	35.7	34.0	32.2	35.7	34.4	33.2	35.6	1.665	2.267	Christianity
Dargwa	24.6	23.9	25.3	24.3	23.8	24.8	24.8	24.0	25.6	2.162	3.476	Islam
Buryat	28.6	26.6	30.5	27.6	25.7	29.5	29.5	27.4	31.5	1.949	2.861	Buddhism
Yakut	26.9	25.1	28.7	26.9	25.2	28.5	27.0	25.1	28.8	1.972	2.843	Christianity
Kumyk	24.6	23.7	25.4	24.8	23.9	25.6	24.4	23.5	25.2	1.977	3.123	Islam
Ingush	22.7	22.4	23.0	22.9	22.5	23.4	22.5	22.3	22.7	2.325	4.05	Islam
Lezgian	25.4	25.2	25.7	25.0	25.2	24.8	25.9	25.2	26.6	2.045	3.275	Islam
Komi	38.8	35.8	41.0	39.4	35.5	41.6	38.3	36.0	40.4	1.869	2.363	Christianity
Tuvan	23.0	21.7	24.2	22.3	21.4	23.3	23.6	22.0	25.1	1.996	3.407	Buddhism
Jewish	57.5	55.7	61.1	57.6	55.7	61.2	53.5	52.0	55.3	1.264	1.371	Judaism
Karachay	29.5	28.3	30.5	27.6	26.4	28.9	30.5	29.5	31.5	1.86	2.836	Islam
Kalmyk	31.3	29.2	33.3	28.6	26.3	31.3	33.9	32.6	35.1	1.853	2.625	Buddhism
Adyghe	34.2	32.4	36.0	32.0	30.3	33.7	36.2	34.2	38.2	1.757	2.363	Islam
Permyak	40.8	38.6	42.7	41.3	39.5	42.5	40.5	38.1	42.8	2.145	2.604	Christianity
Balkar	30.1	29.5	30.7	29.3	28.8	29.8	30.9	30.1	31.9	1.689	2.624	Islam
Karelian	45.7	42.4	48.6	44.7	41.3	47.2	47.0	43.5	51.2	1.823	2.108	Christianity
Kazakh	30.7	28.4	32.9	30.1	27.9	32.4	31.2	28.8	33.5	1.872	2.609	Islam
Altay	27.5	25.5	29.4	22.7	21.5	24.2	28.9	26.9	30.8	2.021	2.933	Buddhism
Cherkess	31.2	30.1	32.3	29.7	28.3	30.9	32.1	31.1	33.3	1.807	2.607	Islam

Languages

Main article: Languages of Russia

Russian is the common official language throughout Russia understood by 99% of its current inhabitants and widespread in many adjacent areas of Asia and Eastern Europe. National subdivisions of Russia have additional official languages (see their respective articles). There are more than 100 languages spoken in Russia, many of which are in danger of extinction.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Russia

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow

Qolsharif Mosque, Kazan

The most widespread religion in Russia is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, represented by the Russian Orthodox Church. A survey by ВЦИОМ in 2010 (with a 3.4% margin of error) found that 73% of the Russian population is Orthodox and 6% is Muslim. 1% believed in other faiths and the remainder were non-religious, or self-identified atheists or agnostics (self identified religious people and non-religious people can be atheists or agnostics). 16% of the population observed fasting during Lent.

Over 80% of ethnic Russians identify themselves as Orthodox. Of these, approximately 2–4% of the general population are integrated into church life (воцерковленные), while others attend on a less regular basis or not at all. Many non-religious ethnic Russians identify with the Orthodox faith for cultural reasons. The majority of Muslims live in the Volga–Ural region and the North Caucasus, although Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and parts of Siberia also have sizable Muslim populations. Other branches of Christianity present in Russia include Roman Catholicism (approx. 1%), Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans and other Protestant churches (together totalling about 0.5% of the population) and Old Believers. There is some presence of Judaism, Buddhism, and Krishnaism, as well. Shamanism and other pagan beliefs are present to some extent in remote areas, sometimes syncretized with one of the mainstream religions.

According to the 2002 Census, 9.96% of the Russian population belongs to ethnic groups which had traditionally practiced Islam (such as Tatars, Bashkirs, Chechens and Azeris). However the actual number of Muslims is expected to be much lower than this amount, due to the existence of a large number of Christian congregations among these groups (Keräşens and Nağaybäks among Tatars, Mozdok Christians among Kabardians, etc. According to Vyacheslav Sanin, one-third of Adzharians, 25% each of Tatars and Adyghe and more than 10% of Kazakhs living in Russia practice Christianity, with many more being atheist). The number of Muslims among other ethnic groups is believed to be much smaller, amounting to only a few thousand. Most of the Russian sources give a figure of around 6% of the total population based on surveys, while Western sources give a figure of 10% to 15%. Depending on sources the population varies, Muslim population has also been estimated as high as 20 million, the Dawn newspaper says this value is a usual estimate.

Roman Silantyev, an expert on Islam in Russia, claims that there are between 5,500 and 6,000 ethnic Slavs who are Muslim. At the same time there are more than 500,000 people of traditionally Muslim ethnicities who believe in Orthodoxy. One percent of all the adherents and over 400 priests in the Russian Orthodox Church are from Muslim ethnic groups.

Education

Main article: Education in Russia

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total literacy: 99.4% (2002)
male: 99.7%
female: 99.2%

Russia's free, widespread and in-depth educational system, inherited with almost no changes from the Soviet Union, has produced nearly 100% literacy. 97% of children receive their compulsory 9-year basic or complete 11-year education in Russian. Other languages are also used in their respective republics, for instance Tatar (1%), Yakut (0.4%) etc.^{[citation needed]}

About 3 million students attend Russia's 519 institutions of higher education and 48 universities. As a result of great emphasis on science and technology in education, Russian medical, mathematical, scientific, and space and aviation research is generally of a high order.

Labour force

The Russian labour force is undergoing tremendous changes. Although well-educated and skilled, it is largely mismatched to the rapidly changing needs of the Russian economy. The unemployment rate in Russia was 8.1% as of 2009. Unemployment is highest among women and young people. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union and the economic dislocation it engendered, the standard of living fell dramatically. However, since recovering from the 1998 economic crisis, the standard of living has been on the rise. As of 2007 about 15% of the population was living below the poverty line, compared to 40% in 1999. The average yearly salary in Russia was $7,680 (about $13,800 PPP) as of May 2008, up from $455 per year in August 1999.

According to the FMS, as of 2011, there were 7,000,000 immigrants working in Russia. Half of these were from Ukraine, while the remainder was mostly from Central Asia. Only 3 million or less than half of all the immigrants are legal. Illegal immigrants number 4 million, mostly from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Moldova. The Census usually covers only a part of this population and the last one (2002 Census) counted one million non-citizens.

Population of main cities

Moscow Saint Petersburg Novosibirsk Yekaterinburg	Rank	Core city	Name in Russian	Federal subject	Pop.	Nizhny Novgorod Samara Kazan Omsk
	1	Moscow	Москва	Moscow	11,800,992
	2	Saint Petersburg	Санкт-Петербург	Saint Petersburg	5,100,520
	3	Novosibirsk	Новосибирск	Novosibirsk	1,397,191
	4	Yekaterinburg	Екатеринбург	Sverdlovsk	1,332,264
	5	Nizhny Novgorod	Нижний Новгород	Nizhny Novgorod	1,272,527
	6	Samara	Самара	Samara	1 164 900
	7	Kazan	Казань	Tatarstan	1 143 600
	8	Omsk	Омск	Omsk	1,129,120
	9	Chelyabinsk	Челябинск	Chelyabinsk	1,093,699
	10	Rostov-on-Don	Ростов-на-Дону	Rostov	1,048,991
	11	Ufa	Уфа	Bashkortostan	1,024,842
	12	Volgograd	Волгоград	Volgograd	1,021,200
	13	Krasnoyarsk	Красноярск	Krasnoyarsk	990,601
	14	Perm	Пермь	Perm	985,794
	15	Voronezh	Воронеж	Voronezh	843,496
	16	Saratov	Саратов	Saratov	830,953
	17	Tolyatti	Тольятти	Samara	720,346
	18	Krasnodar	Краснодар	Krasnodar	710,686
	19	Izhevsk	Ижевск	Udmurtia	611,043
	20	Yaroslavl	Ярославль	Yaroslavl	606,336
Rosstat (2009)

Rural life

Rural life in Russia is distinct from many other nations. Russia is one of few nations that have small towns hundreds of kilometres from major population centres. Relatively few Russian people live in villages—rural population accounted for 26% of the total population according to the 2010 Russian Census. Some people rent village houses and use them as dachas (summer houses).

See also

• Demographics of Siberia
• Demographics of the Soviet Union
• Demography of Central Asia
• Health in Russia
• List of Russian people
• Soviet Census
• Russian Empire Census (1897)
• Russian Census (2002)
• Russian Census (2010)

Further reading

• Gavrilova N.S., Gavrilov L.A. Aging Populations: Russia/Eastern Europe. In: P. Uhlenberg (Editor), International Handbook of the Demography of Aging, New York: Springer-Verlag, 2009, pp. 113–131.
• Gavrilova N.S., Semyonova V.G., Dubrovina E., Evdokushkina G.N., Ivanova A.E., Gavrilov L.A. Russian Mortality Crisis and the Quality of Vital Statistics. Population Research and Policy Review, 2008, 27: 551-574.
• Gavrilova, N.S., Gavrilov, L.A., Semyonova, V.G., Evdokushkina, G.N., Ivanova, A.E. 2005. Patterns of violent crime in Russia. In: Pridemore, W.A. (ed.). Ruling Russia: Law, Crime, and Justice in a Changing Society. Boulder, CO: Rowman & Littlefield Publ., Inc, 117-145
• Gavrilova, N.S., Semyonova, V.G., Evdokushkina G.N., Gavrilov, L.A. The response of violent mortality to economic crisis in Russia. Population Research and Policy Review, 2000, 19: 397-419.

External links

• Igor Beloborodov, Demographic situation in Russia in 1992–2010 (report at the Moscow Demographic Summit — June, 2011)
• Nicholas Eberstadt, Russia’s Peacetime Demographic Crisis: Dimensions, Causes, Implications (National Bureau of Asian Research Project Report, May 2010)
• Edited by Julie DaVanzo, Gwen Farnsworth Russia's Demographic "Crisis" 1996 RAND ISBN 0-8330-2446-9
• Jessica Griffith The Regional Consequences of Russia’s Demographic Crisis University of Leicester
• Results of population policy and current demographic situation (2008)
• Interactive statistics for all countries, site of US Census bureau.
• 2009 World Population Data Sheet by the Population Reference Bureau
• Population density and distribution maps (text is in Russian; the topmost map shows population density based on 1996 data)
• Ethnic groups of Russia
• Problems with mortality data in Russia
• V. Borisov “Demographic situation in Russia and the role of mortality in reproduction of population”, 2005 (in English)
• Russian Empire:
  • The Red Book of the peoples of the Russian Empire
• Iranians Diaspora in Russia: "The Persian Diaspora, List of Persians and Farsi Speaking Peoples living outside of Iran, Worldwide Outreach to Persians, Outreach to Muslims around the Globe". Farsinet.com. http://www.farsinet.com/pwo/diaspora.html. Retrieved 14 May 2011. 
• (Russian) В погоне за малыми, an article about treatment of minorities in the Russian Empire, Kommersant-Money, 25 October 2005
• Choice between mass migration and birth rate increase as possible solutions of depopulation problem in Russia (in Russian)