General Information about Russia

The official name is Russia, the Russian Federation (Russian Federation). It is located in the eastern part of Europe and in the northern part of Asia. The area is 17,075.4 thousand km2, the population is 145.537 million people. (according to preliminary data of the population census held on October 9, 2002). The state language is Russian (according to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the republics — the subjects of the Federation, along with Russian, have the right to establish their own state languages). The capital is Moscow (10.358 million people – according to preliminary data from the population census held on October 9, 2002).

Public holidays – Day of the Declaration of State Sovereignty on June 12 (since 1990), Constitution Day on December 12 (since 1993). The monetary unit is the ruble (equal to 100 kopecks).

Member of the UN (since 1945), CIS (since 1991).

Population of Russia

According to Countryaah, Russia ranks 7th in the world in terms of population after China, India, USA, Indonesia, Brazil and Pakistan. In 1985, the population of the RSFSR was 183.5 million people, in 1989 – 147 million, in 1992 the population of Russia was 148.3 million people. In 2002, the population of Russia was 145.537 million people. Of these, 67.806 million men, 77.731 million women. The permanently resident population of Russia is 145.182 million people.

During 1989–2002, the permanent population of Russia decreased by 1.84 million people, or by 1.3% (Table 3). The natural decline in the population amounted to 7.4 million people. The migration increase was positive and amounted to 5.56 million people: 10.976 million people arrived in the country for permanent residence, 5.416 million people left.

Table 3. Dynamics of the resident population, according to the latest censuses

Year Total population, thousand people Including In % of the previous population census
urban, thousand people rural, thousand people the entire population urban rural
1970
(as of January 15)
129 941.2 80,631.4 49,309.8 111 132 88
1979
(as of January 17)
137,409.9 94,942.3 42,467.6 106 118 86
1989
(as of January 12)
147,021.9 107 959.0 39,062.9 107 114 92
2002
(as of October 9)
145 181.9 106 470.2 38,711.7 99 99 99

Distribution of the population by federal districts (in % of the total population): Central (26.2), Volga (21.5), Southern (15.8), Siberian (13.8), Northwestern (9.6), Ural (8.5), Far East (4.6). The population has declined in 66 subjects of Russia (especially in the Far East, North, Siberia and the central regions of the country). The population of the southern regions increased: in particular, in Dagestan – by 43%, in Kabardino-Balkaria – by 20%, in the Stavropol Territory – by 17%, in the Krasnodar Territory – by 11%. In the 1990s part of the townspeople and most of the migrants from the CIS countries moved to the countryside, which led to a reduction in the urban population of Russia by 1.5 million people, while the rural population stabilized at 39 million people. However, the stability of the rural population of Russia is partly fictitious; people are registered (registered) in villages, but live and work in cities. As the latest census revealed, about 12.5 thousand out of 155 thousand rural settlements in Russia turned out to be completely extinct. According to documents, citizens live in these villages, but in reality there is no one there. The number of villages, in each of which no more than 10 people live, is 22% of all rural settlements.

The predominant part of the country’s urban population (64%) lives in cities with a population of 100,000 people. and more. In 2002, 40% of the inhabitants of large cities were concentrated in 13 million-plus cities, compared to 37% in 1989 (Table 4).

Table 4. Population in the largest cities of Russia

City Thousand people In % to 1989
Moscow 10,357.8 117
St. Petersburg 4669.4 94
Novosibirsk 1425.6 99
Nizhny Novgorod 1311.2 91
Yekaterinburg 1293.0 95
Samara 1,158.1 92
Omsk 1,133.9 99
Kazan 1105.3 102
Chelyabinsk 1078.3 94
Rostov-on-Don 1070.2 106
Ufa 1042.4 97
Volgograd 1012.8 102
Permian 1000.1 92

The annual natural decline in the population is 930-960 thousand people. During 1970-2001, the death rate per 100,000 people more than doubled. from diseases of the circulatory system, digestion, accidental alcohol poisoning. Mortality from homicide increased more than 4 times (Table 5). 30-40 thousand people die in car accidents. in year. For 1970-2001, relative infant mortality (children under 1 year old) per 10,000 newborns tends to decrease (Table 6).

Table 5. Mortality by main classes of causes of death (per 100,000 people)

1970 1980 1990 2000 2001
Died of all causes 868 1100 1117 1535 1564
Including from some infectious and parasitic diseases 24 21 12 25 25
neoplasms 147 164 194 206 204
diseases of the circulatory system 412 580 617 849 869
respiratory diseases 87 92 59 71 66
diseases of the digestive system 23 thirty 29 45 48
accidents, poisoning and injuries 125 165 134 220 230
Of which from:– accidental alcohol poisoning
– suicide
– homicide
14
30
7
23
35
13
11
26
14
26
39
28
29
40
30

Table 6. Infant mortality by main classes of causes of death (per 10 thousand newborns)

1970 1980 1990 2000 2001
Deaths under 1 year of age from all causes 230 221 174 153 147
Including from some infectious and parasitic diseases eleven 31 thirteen nine eight
respiratory diseases 94 78 25 17 fourteen
diseases of the digestive system 12 4 one one one
congenital anomalies (malformations), deformities and chromosomal disorders 31 35 37 36 34
individual conditions arising in the perinatal period 62 52 80 68 66
accidents, poisoning and injury eleven eleven 7 ten nine

Life expectancy is 58.96 years for men and 72.34 years for women (2001 estimate). These figures in 2000 are 59 years and 72.2 years, in 1999 – 59.93 and 72.38, in 1990 – 63.79 and 74.27 years. More than 100 different peoples live on the territory of Russia. Ethnic composition: Russians – 83%, Tatars – 3.8, Ukrainians – 2.4, Chuvashs – 1.2, Bashkirs – 0.9, Belarusians, Chechens and Mordovians – 0.7 each, Germans, Udmurts, Armenians – each 0.5, Avars, Mari, Kazakhs – 0.4 each, Ossetians, Buryats, Sakha (Yakuts), Kabardians, Jews – 0.3 each, Komi, Lezgins, Kumyks, Ingush – 0.2 each, Tuvans – 0, one. The remaining peoples make up less than 0.1% of the total population of Russia (population microcensus 1994).

The population of Russia belongs to various religious denominations. The officially registered religious denominations are: Russian Orthodox Church, Islam, Roman Catholic Church, Judaism, Buddhism, etc. In the 1990s. The number of believers has increased significantly. The importance of the two main religions, Orthodox Christianity and Islam, has especially grown.

People of Russia