While many know Russia as the world's largest nation by land, few realize that with a population density of just 8.5 people per square kilometer and a current growth rate of -0.39%, it is a country of vast, empty spaces quietly grappling with a declining and aging populace.
Key Takeaways
- Russia's total population as of January 1, 2023, was 146,447,424 people
- Russia's population density is 8.5 people per square kilometer as of 2023
- The median age in Russia is 40.3 years as of 2023
- Russia's GDP (nominal) was 2.240 trillion USD in 2022
- GDP per capita (nominal) in Russia was 15,345 USD in 2022
- GDP (PPP) in Russia was 5.336 trillion international dollars in 2022
- Total land area of Russia is 17,098,242 square kilometers
- Russia's exclusive economic zone is 4,667,700 square kilometers in the Arctic Ocean
- Highest point is Mount Elbrus at 5,642 meters
- Russia's government is a federal semi-presidential republic
- President Vladimir Putin has been in office since May 7, 2012
- Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin appointed January 16, 2020
- Russia's Gini coefficient (income inequality) was 36.0 in 2021
- Homicide rate is 5.4 per 100,000 population as of 2021
- Internet users penetration is 85% of population (123 million) as of 2023
Russia is a vast, sparsely populated nation experiencing demographic decline and economic strain.
Demographics
- Russia's total population as of January 1, 2023, was 146,447,424 people
- Russia's population density is 8.5 people per square kilometer as of 2023
- The median age in Russia is 40.3 years as of 2023
- Russia's total fertility rate is 1.5 children per woman as of 2023
- Life expectancy at birth in Russia is 73.1 years for the total population as of 2023
- 74.7% of Russia's population lives in urban areas as of 2023
- Russia's population growth rate is -0.39% annually as of 2023
- Net migration rate into Russia is 0.4 migrants per 1,000 population as of 2023
- 79.8% of Russians are ethnic Russians as of 2023
- Tatar ethnicity makes up 3.7% of Russia's population as of 2023
- Ukrainian ethnicity comprises 1.4% of Russia's population as of 2023
- 71.3% of Russians speak Russian as their first language as of 2023
- Age structure 0-14 years: 17.2% of population as of 2023
- Age structure 15-64 years: 66.5% of population as of 2023
- Age structure 65+ years: 16.3% of population as of 2023
- Dependency ratio total in Russia is 50.4 as of 2023
- Russia's sex ratio at birth is 1.06 male(s)/female as of 2023
- Maternal mortality rate is 14 deaths/100,000 live births as of 2020
- Infant mortality rate is 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births as of 2023
- Total migrant stock in Russia is 11,644,000 people or 7.9% of population as of 2020
- Russia's population pyramid shows a contracting population trend as of 2023
- Literacy rate for population 15+ years is 99.7% in Russia as of 2023
- School life expectancy is 15 years in Russia as of 2023
- Youth unemployment rate (15-24 years) is 12.3% as of 2022
- Obesity rate among adults is 23.1% as of 2016
- HIV/AIDS prevalence is 1.2% among adults 15-49 as of 2021
- Drinking water access is 98.9% of population as of 2020
- Sanitation services access is 94.2% of population as of 2020
- Suicide rate is 20.1 per 100,000 population as of 2021
- Population below poverty line is 12.1% as of 2019
Demographics Interpretation
Russia, a nation spanning one-eighth of the world's landmass, presents a portrait of a highly educated, urbanized, yet slowly shrinking society, where a near-universal literacy rate grapples with the sobering mathematics of a low birth rate, an aging population, and the heavy psychological toll reflected in its statistics.
Economy
- Russia's GDP (nominal) was 2.240 trillion USD in 2022
- GDP per capita (nominal) in Russia was 15,345 USD in 2022
- GDP (PPP) in Russia was 5.336 trillion international dollars in 2022
- GDP per capita (PPP) was 36,485 international dollars in Russia in 2022
- Real GDP growth rate in Russia was -2.1% in 2022
- Inflation rate (CPI) averaged 13.8% in Russia in 2022
- Unemployment rate was 3.9% in Russia in 2022
- Public debt was 19.2% of GDP in Russia in 2022
- Russia's budget balance was -2.0% of GDP in 2022
- Current account balance was 10.5% of GDP in Russia in 2022
- Exports of goods and services were 29.5% of GDP in Russia in 2022
- Imports of goods and services were 22.4% of GDP in Russia in 2022
- Foreign direct investment net inflows were 1.2 billion USD in Russia in 2022
- Russia's oil exports revenue accounted for 45% of federal budget in 2022
- Natural gas production was 616 billion cubic meters in Russia in 2022
- Crude oil production averaged 10.95 million barrels per day in Russia in 2022
- Gold production was 331 tons in Russia in 2022
- Wheat production reached 92 million tons in Russia in 2022
- Labor force participation rate was 61.6% in Russia in 2022
- Corporate tax rate is 20% in Russia as of 2023
- VAT (consumption tax) standard rate is 20% in Russia as of 2023
- Minimum monthly wage is 16,242 RUB (about 177 USD) as of 2023
- Average monthly wage was 73,709 RUB (about 803 USD) in 2023
- Stock market capitalization was 0.68 trillion USD in Russia in 2022
- Ease of doing business rank was 28th out of 190 countries in 2020
Economy Interpretation
Russia's economy resembles a robust but rudderless tank, boasting vast resource wealth and a shockingly low unemployment rate, yet it is fundamentally hobbled by a staggering over-reliance on volatile energy exports, a plummeting GDP, and crippling inflation that leaves its citizens feeling much poorer than the raw PPP numbers suggest.
Geography
- Total land area of Russia is 17,098,242 square kilometers
- Russia's exclusive economic zone is 4,667,700 square kilometers in the Arctic Ocean
- Highest point is Mount Elbrus at 5,642 meters
- Lowest point is Caspian Sea at -28 meters
- Mean elevation is 600 meters in Russia
- Longest river is Lena River at 4,400 kilometers
- Largest lake is Caspian Sea with 374,000 square kilometers area
- Russia has 23,889 kilometers of coastline
- Climate varies from steppes to subarctic in Russia
- Natural hazards include permafrost over half territory and volcanoes
- Irrigated land covers 48,000 square kilometers as of 2012
- Renewable water resources total 4,508 cubic kilometers per year
- Land use arable land 7.4%, permanent crops 0%, permanent pasture 8.4% as of 2018
- Forest coverage is 49.8% of land area as of 2020
- Protected areas cover 13.2% of land and sea territory as of 2022
- Average annual precipitation in Moscow is 707 mm
- Permafrost covers 65% of Russia's territory
- Number of earthquakes annually exceeds 1,000 with magnitude over 2.0
- Active volcanoes number 12 in Kamchatka Peninsula
- Biodiversity includes 766 mammal species in Russia
- Siberia covers 77% of Russia's land area
- Volga River basin drains 8% of European Russia
- Ural Mountains span 2,500 km dividing Europe and Asia
- Baikal Lake holds 23% of world's fresh surface water
- Tundra biome covers northern coastal regions
- Steppe grasslands in southern Russia cover millions of sq km
Geography Interpretation
While Russia's vast and formidable landscape, from its frostbitten permafrost to its fiery volcanoes, might seem like an epic novel of extremes, it is ultimately a fragile and colossal national portfolio where managing the delicate balance between immense resources and immense vulnerabilities is the only plot that truly matters.
Government
- Russia's government is a federal semi-presidential republic
- President Vladimir Putin has been in office since May 7, 2012
- Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin appointed January 16, 2020
- Federal Assembly consists of Federation Council (170 seats) and State Duma (450 seats)
- Constitution adopted December 12, 1993
- Suffrage age is 18 years universal
- Executive branch power vested in president elected for 6-year term
- Judicial review by Constitutional Court and Supreme Court
- 85 federal subjects including 22 republics and 46 oblasts
- Corruption Perceptions Index score 28/100 in 2022 (CPI rank 137/180)
- Human Freedom Index rank 114th out of 165 in 2022
- Press Freedom Index rank 155th out of 180 in 2023
- Political parties registered: 37 active as of 2023
- State Duma election last held September 2021, next due 2026
- Presidential election last March 2018, next March 2024
- Federal budget revenue 492.7 billion USD, expenditure 496.6 billion USD in 2022
- Tax revenue 29.5% of GDP in 2021
- Military expenditure 4.1% of GDP in 2022 ($86.4 billion)
- Citizenship by birth no, by descent yes under certain conditions
- Independence from Soviet Union December 25, 1991
- National holiday Russia Day June 12
- Diplomatic relations with 190 UN member states
- UN Security Council permanent member with veto power
- Administrative divisions include 3 federal cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sevastopol
- Central Bank interest rate was 16% as of December 2023
Government Interpretation
Russia's political system boasts all the formal machinery of a modern democracy—a lively 37-party landscape, two legislative chambers, and regular elections—yet the gears seem to be permanently aligned to produce outcomes favoring a singular, long-standing authority, a reality underscored by its dismal rankings on corruption, press freedom, and human liberty.
Society
- Russia's Gini coefficient (income inequality) was 36.0 in 2021
- Homicide rate is 5.4 per 100,000 population as of 2021
- Internet users penetration is 85% of population (123 million) as of 2023
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 170 per 100 people as of 2022
- Electricity access 100% of population as of 2020
- Physicians density 4.7 per 1,000 population as of 2020
- Hospital beds 7 per 1,000 population as of 2020
- Railways total length 85,497 km as of 2022
- Roadways paved 1,283,387 km total as of 2022
- Telephones fixed lines 19.5 per 100 as of 2021
- Orthodox Christianity adherents 71-75% of population
- Muslim population 10-15% as of 2023
- No official religion but Orthodox Christianity predominant
- Time zones UTC+2 to UTC+12 across 11 zones
- Drives on the right side
- Electricity voltage 220V 50Hz
- Broadband fixed subscriptions 30 per 100 as of 2022
- Television broadcast stations over 7,300 as of 2021
- Daily newspapers over 400 as of 2021
- Life satisfaction score 5.5/10 in 2022 World Happiness Report (rank 70)
- PISA score average 478 in reading (2022)
- Tertiary education enrollment 56% gross as of 2020
- Gender parity index in primary education 0.99 as of 2020
Society Interpretation
Russia presents a portrait of sprawling infrastructure and near-universal connectivity where one can easily surf the web, make a call, or travel by rail, yet these threads of modern life are woven through a social fabric of modest life satisfaction, persistent inequality, and a homicide rate that quietly underscores the distance between technical access and human contentment.
Sources & References
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