Russia's population stood at 146152802 on January 1 2024. The total reflects a 0.31 percent decline from the previous year driven by excess deaths over births. The working-age share is projected to fall to 58 percent by 2046 as the median age holds at 40.3 years.
Key Takeaways
- Russia's median age in 2023 was 40.3 years, indicating advanced demographic aging
- Population aged 0-14 years comprised 17.2% of total in 2022, down from 25% in 1990
- Working-age population (15-64) was 65.8% in 2023, projected to drop to 58% by 2046
- Russians (ethnic) comprise 80.85% of population per 2021 census
- Tatars second largest at 3.87% or 5.3 million in 2021 census
- Ukrainians 1.35% (1.9M) in 2021, down from 1.4% in 2010 due to migration
- Russia's sex ratio at birth was 105.8 males per 100 females in 2022
- Overall sex ratio in 2023 was 86.8 males per 100 females, due to higher male mortality
- Male population was 67.9 million (46.4%) vs females 78.3 million (53.6%) in 2023
- As of January 1, 2024, Russia's total population was 146,152,802 persons, reflecting a 0.31% decline from the previous year due to negative natural increase and net migration
- Russia's population density in 2023 averaged 8.5 persons per square kilometer, with vast disparities between European and Siberian regions
- In 2022, Russia's population growth rate was -0.49%, one of the lowest globally, driven by a crude death rate exceeding births
- Urban population share reached 75.0% in 2023, up from 73.7% in 2010
- Rural population declined to 36.6 million (25%) in 2023, accelerating depopulation
- Moscow urban agglomeration population was 20.0 million in 2023, 13.7% national share
Russia is rapidly aging, with fewer children and a shrinking workforce projected to strain pensions.
Related reading
01 · Category
Age Structure and Dependency17 stats
01
Russia's median age in 2023 was 40.3 years, indicating advanced demographic aging
02
Population aged 0-14 years comprised 17.2% of total in 2022, down from 25% in 1990
03
Working-age population (15-64) was 65.8% in 2023, projected to drop to 58% by 2046
04
Elderly population (65+) reached 15.9% in 2023, highest in Moscow at 19.4%
05
Youth dependency ratio in 2022 was 26.1 dependents per 100 working-age
06
Old-age dependency ratio was 24.2 in 2023, straining pension systems
07
Total dependency ratio peaked at 52.0 in 2006, now 50.3 in 2023
08
In 2023, 20.7 million Russians were over 65, with women outnumbering men 2:1
09
Centenarians (100+) numbered 24,320 in 2023, up 12% from 2022
10
Moscow's median age was 39.8 years in 2023, younger than national average due to migrants
11
Siberia's age dependency ratio was 55.2 in 2023, highest regionally due to youth outmigration
12
Children under 5 numbered 8.9 million in 2022, 6.1% of population
13
Population aged 80+ was 3.2 million in 2023, projected to double by 2050
14
Rural elderly share was 28% vs 14% urban in 2023, exacerbating rural decline
15
Life expectancy at birth shapes age pyramid, with 73.4 years average in 2023
16
School-age population (7-17) was 17.5 million in 2023, declining 1.2% yearly
17
Pension-age population eligibility covers 28 million in 2023 under current laws
Interpretation
Age Structure and Dependency Interpretation
Russia is aging like a fine but neglected wine, with a dwindling youth population to pour it, a ballooning elderly cohort to drink it, and a shrinking workforce stuck with the tab.
02 · Category
Ethnic and Cultural Demographics15 stats
01
Russians (ethnic) comprise 80.85% of population per 2021 census
02
Tatars second largest at 3.87% or 5.3 million in 2021 census
03
Ukrainians 1.35% (1.9M) in 2021, down from 1.4% in 2010 due to migration
04
Bashkirs 1.15% (1.57M), concentrated in Bashkortostan republic 2021
05
Chuvash 0.97% (1.3M), Volga-Ural autonomous group 2021 census
06
Chechens 1.43% (2M), North Caucasus largest minority growth 2021
07
Armenians 0.86% (1.18M), largest diaspora in Moscow/Siberia 2021
08
Avars 0.70% (970K), Dagestan dominant group 2021 census
09
Mordvins 0.44% (600K), Finno-Ugric decline from 2010 2021
10
Yakuts (Sakha) 0.46% (640K), Far East indigenous majority 2021
11
Indigenous small-numbered peoples total 300K or 0.2% in 2023, 40 groups
12
Muslims estimated 14-20 million (10-14%) in 2023, growing via fertility
13
Russian Orthodox adherents 41% self-identify in 2023 Levada poll
14
Buryats 0.36% (500K), Mongolian group in Baikal region 2021
15
Languages: Russian spoken by 97.6%, Tatar 3.2% in 2021 census
Interpretation
Ethnic and Cultural Demographics Interpretation
Even as Russia often presents itself as a monolith, its own census reveals a stubbornly diverse, multi-ethnic empire where the majority's 80% share masks a complex tapestry of growing, shrinking, and migrating peoples, all under one vast and complicated roof.
03 · Category
Gender Distribution and Ratios16 stats
01
Russia's sex ratio at birth was 105.8 males per 100 females in 2022
02
Overall sex ratio in 2023 was 86.8 males per 100 females, due to higher male mortality
03
Male population was 67.9 million (46.4%) vs females 78.3 million (53.6%) in 2023
04
Sex ratio for 0-14 age group was 105.2 males/100 females in 2023
05
For 15-64, sex ratio was 92.1 males/100 females, reflecting war losses and health gaps
06
Over 65, sex ratio was 44.5 males/100 females, extreme feminization
07
Moscow's sex ratio was 88.6 males/100 females in 2023, less imbalanced than national
08
Rural areas had 78.2 males/100 females vs urban 89.4 in 2023
09
Life expectancy gap: males 68.5 years, females 78.4 years in 2023
10
Male crude death rate was 16.2 per 1000 vs female 12.1 in 2022
11
Working-age males outnumbered in industrial regions like Chelyabinsk at 95/100
12
Tuva Republic's sex ratio was 96.5/100, highest nationally due to nomadic traditions
13
Infant mortality sex ratio favors females at 1.15 male deaths per female in 2023
14
Suicide rates: males 45.2 per 100,000 vs females 8.1 in 2022
15
Alcohol-related deaths: 70% male in 2023 statistics
16
Military-age males (18-27) totaled 10.2 million in 2023 pre-mobilization
Interpretation
Gender Distribution and Ratios Interpretation
While Russia starts with a promising surplus of baby boys, a grim cocktail of war, work, vodka, and a health gap ruthlessly culls them, leaving a nation where women increasingly outnumber men from middle age onward, and grandmothers profoundly outnumber grandfathers.
More related reading
04 · Category
Overall Population Metrics21 stats
01
As of January 1, 2024, Russia's total population was 146,152,802 persons, reflecting a 0.31% decline from the previous year due to negative natural increase and net migration
02
Russia's population density in 2023 averaged 8.5 persons per square kilometer, with vast disparities between European and Siberian regions
03
In 2022, Russia's population growth rate was -0.49%, one of the lowest globally, driven by a crude death rate exceeding births
04
Projected population for Russia in 2050 by UN medium variant is 132,349,000, assuming continued low fertility and moderate migration
05
As of 2023, Russia's de jure population (registered residents) stood at 146.4 million, while de facto was lower due to unregistered migrants
06
Russia's population in 1897 census was 125,640,021, marking the start of modern demographic records
07
In 2023, total population of Moscow federal city reached 13,097,577, the largest urban agglomeration in Europe
08
Siberia Federal District's population in 2023 was 17,028,217, comprising 11.6% of national total with low density
09
Far Eastern Federal District's population declined to 7,976,558 in 2023, a 0.7% drop due to out-migration
10
Northwestern Federal District's 2023 population was 13,859,635, with high urbanization rates
11
Southern Federal District's population grew to 16,746,486 in 2023, boosted by internal migration
12
North Caucasian Federal District's 2023 population was 10,171,556, with highest fertility rates in Russia
13
Central Federal District's population in 2023 was 40,318,986, 27.6% of Russia's total
14
Volga Federal District's 2023 population stood at 28,567,287, featuring diverse ethnic groups
15
Ural Federal District's population was 12,080,747 in 2023, industrial hub with aging populace
16
Russia's population at 2021 census was 147,182,123 including Crimea, up from preliminary estimates
17
Crimea Federal District's 2023 population was 1,905,762, post-annexation growth via migration
18
Kaliningrad Oblast's 2023 population was 1,032,228, exclave with unique demographic pressures
19
Nenets Autonomous Okrug's population in 2023 was 44,058, lowest among federal subjects
20
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug's 2023 population was 47,945, with extreme density challenges
21
Magadan Oblast's population fell to 136,085 in 2023, severe depopulation trend
Interpretation
Overall Population Metrics Interpretation
Russia's vast but sparsely populated landscape is slowly hollowing out, as the relentless arithmetic of low birth rates, high mortality, and a westward drift of its citizens gradually turns its immense eastern frontiers into echoing, empty spaces.
05 · Category
Spatial Distribution13 stats
01
Urban population share reached 75.0% in 2023, up from 73.7% in 2010
02
Rural population declined to 36.6 million (25%) in 2023, accelerating depopulation
03
Moscow urban agglomeration population was 20.0 million in 2023, 13.7% national share
04
St. Petersburg metro area had 6.4 million residents in 2023, second largest
05
Novosibirsk oblast urbanized at 81.2% in 2023, Siberian tech hub
06
Over 1,100 cities and towns house 74% of urban dwellers in 2023
07
Rural density in Central Russia averages 40/km² vs 1/km² in Far East 2023
08
15 mono-cities with over 75% population in single enterprise, 2.5M people 2023
09
Northern urban areas like Murmansk have 95% urbanization despite harsh climate
10
Black Sea coast cities grew 1.2% in 2023 via tourism migration
11
Transbaikal region's rural share 45.6% in 2023, high for east
12
Arctic zone population 2.4 million across 18 subjects in 2023, shrinking
13
Volga region's urban density 250/km² in key areas like Tatarstan 2023
Interpretation
Spatial Distribution Interpretation
Russia is becoming a nation of urban clusters, from Moscow's mammoth dominance to resilient Arctic cities, while its vast rural heartland empties out—a transformation both impressive and, for many remote communities, quietly alarming.
06 · Category
Vital Rates and Migration14 stats
01
Total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.41 births per woman in 2023, below replacement 2.1
02
Crude birth rate 8.6 per 1000 in 2023, lowest since 1999 except COVID
03
1,264,000 births registered in 2023, down 3.5% from 2022
04
Crude death rate 15.9 per 1000 in 2023, elevated post-COVID
05
Natural increase -908,000 in 2023, 113th consecutive month negative
06
Net migration +144,000 in 2023, offsetting half natural loss
07
Infant mortality rate fell to 4.6 per 1000 live births in 2023
08
Maternal mortality 11.2 per 100,000 live births in 2022 WHO data
09
Life expectancy at birth 73.4 years in 2023, males 68.5, females 78.4
10
Abortion rate 36.5 per 1000 women 15-49 in 2023, halved since 2010
11
International migrants 11.6 million (8%) in 2020 UN data, mostly CIS
12
Emigration peaked at 1.1 million in 2022 post-mobilization
13
Remittances inflow $13.4 billion in 2023, Central Asian labor migrants
14
Internal migration net to Moscow +200,000 yearly average 2018-2023
Interpretation
Vital Rates and Migration Interpretation
Russia is caught in a long-term demographic vise: its people are having too few children to replace themselves while death rates stubbornly climb, leaving the nation reliant on migrants to partially fill the deepening human deficit.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Russia Population Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/russia-population-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Russia Population Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/russia-population-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Russia Population Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/russia-population-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level