Demographics of Russian Federation
Population (in millions) of Russia 1960-2007.1
Population:	141,900,000 (November 2008)
Growth rate:	-0.08% (January-November 2008)
Birth rate:	11.28 births/1,000 population (2007)
Death rate:	14.65 deaths/1,000 population (2007)
Life expectancy:	67.7 years (2008 est.)
–male:	61.5 years
–female:	73.9 years
Fertility rate:	1.40 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:	14.6% (male 10,577,858/female 10,033,254)
Sex ratio:
At birth:	1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Under 15:	1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	0.93 male(s)/female
Nationality:
Nationality:	noun: Russian(s) adjective: Russian
Language:
Spoken:	Russian, others

The Demographics of Russia is about the demographic features of the population of Russia, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.

Russia's population is predominantly urban, with about 73% of its population of 141,900,000 citizens residing in urban areas as of 2005. Russia has experienced a population loss of about 5 million since it peaked shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. Currently, population growth is nearly stagnant, with a population loss of 0.08% from January-November 2008.²

Russia's area is about 17 million square kilometers (6.5 million sq. mi.). It is the largest country in the world, larger than Canada by more than 7 million square kilometers (2.5 million sq. mi.). Its population density is about 9 persons per square kilometer (22 per sq. mi.), 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.

Demographic trends

Declining population

The trend in the number of births and deaths 1990-2007.³

See also: Aging of Europe

Lower birth rates and higher death rates reduced Russia's population at a 0.5% annual rate, or about 750,000 to 800,000 people per year during the late 1990s and most of the 2000s. The UN warned that Russia's 2005 population of about 143 million could fall by a third by 2050.⁴ However, the number of Russians living in poverty has halved since the economic crisis following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the improving economy has had a positive impact on the country's low birth rate, as it rose from its lowest point at 8.27 births per 1000 people in 1999 to a rate of 11.3 per 1000 in 2007. 2007 marked the highest birth rate growth the country has seen in 25 years, according to the Minister for Health and Social Development, Tatyana Golikova.⁵ For comparison, the US and UK birth rates in 2007 were 14.16 and 10.67 per 1000 respectively.

While the Russian birth rate is comparable to that of other European countries, its population is declining much faster due to a higher death rate, especially among working-age males (due to an abnormally high rate of fatalities caused by alcohol induced heart disease).⁶ For comparison, the current US death rate is 8.26 per 1000 and the UK death rate is 10.09 per 1000. The Russian health ministry predicted that by 2011, the death rate will equal the birth rate due to increases in fertility and decline in mortality.⁷

In many developed countries rates of natural increase have also dropped below the long-term population replacement rate and immigration accounts for the continued rise in population.^{citation needed}

Government measures to halt the demographic crisis was a key subject of Vladimir Putin's 2006 state of the nation address.⁸ As a result, a national programme was developed to reverse the trend by 2020, the results of which are already being seen. A new study published in 2007 shows that, as a whole, the rate of population decrease has slowed: 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 in the 2007 period, there were just over 1 million births in Russia (981,600 in the 2006 period), 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 hopes that by 2020 the population will stabilize at 138-139 million, and by 2025, to increase again to its present day status of 143-145, raising the life expectancy to 75 years. ⁹

The demographic situation continued to improve in 2008, with the population declining 113.3 thousand (0.08%) from January-November, compared to 207.6 thousand (0.15%) during the same period in 2007.² The number of deaths exceeded the number of births by 1.2 times, compared to 1.3 in 2007.

Abortions

It is estimated that there are more abortions than births in Russia. In 2004, at least 1.6 million women had an abortion (a fifth of them under the age of 18) and about 1.5 million gave birth. One of the reasons behind the high abortion rate is the fact that the birth of a first child pushes many families into poverty. ¹⁰ However government steps to help curb the demographic crisis seem to have been taking effect. According to Andrei Seltsovsky, head of the Moscow health department, the number of recorded abortions in Moscow halved between 2000 and 2006, declining from 57,324 to 28,502.¹¹

Russia's fertility rate climbed from a low of 1.2 in 2000 to 1.39 in 2007. While still below the 2.1 replacement rate, it continues to show signs of improvement.¹²¹³

Ethnic groups

Main article: Ethnic groups in Russia

Further information: List of indigenous peoples of Russia

Most Russians derive from the Eastern Slavic family of peoples, the origins of which very little is known. ¹⁴

The Russian Federation is home to as many as 160 different ethnic groups and indigenous peoples. As of the 2002 census, 79.83% of the population (115,889,107 people) is ethnically Russian, followed by (groups larger than one million):

• 3.83% Tatars (5,554,601)
• 2.03% Ukrainians (2,942,961)
• 1.15% Bashkirs (1,673,389)
• 1.13% Chuvashs (1,637,094)
• 0.94% Chechens (1,360,253)
• 0.78% Armenians (1,130,491)

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 ethnicites resolved by the 2002 census, grouped by language:

Some 1.6% of the population are ethnicities not native to the Russian territory. The census has an additional group of 'other' ethnicities of 42,980 (0.03%), including Hungarians, Czechs, Albanians, Japanese, Spaniards, Italians, Scandinavians and Romanians.

An estimated 100,000 Africans either originating from Sub-Saharan Africa and North or South American nations are known to reside in Russia. Many of them came to Russia for college studies, while others were invited for political reasons or sought asylum. In the 1970s the U.S. media reported an African-American colony in Russia, estimated to number 20,000 voluntary migrants, made up of intellectuals involved in the Civil rights movement and the Soviet Union Communist Party.^{citation needed}

See also: Northern indigenous peoples of Russia, Detailed Table of 2002 census

Gradient

The demographic structure of Russia has gradually changed over time. In 1970, Russia had the third largest population of Jews in the world, estimated at 2,150,000, following only that of the United States and Israel. By 2002, due to Jewish emigration, their number fell as low as 230,000.^{citation needed} A sizeable emigration of other minorities has been enduring, too. Predominantly these are European peoples like Germans, Czechs, Greeks and members of their families. The main destinations are the USA (Jews, Belarussians, Chechens, Meskhetian Turks, Ukrainians and others), Israel (Jews), Germany (Germans and Jews), Canada (Finns and Ukrainians), Finland (Finns), France (Jews, Armenians and Romani) and Great Britain (mainly upper-class Russians).^{citation needed}

At the same time, Russia experiences a constant flow of immigration. On average, 200,000 legal immigrants enter the country every year; about half are ethnic Russians from the other republics of the former Soviet Union. In addition, There are an estimated 10 million illegal immigrants from the ex-Soviet states in Russia.¹⁵ There is a significant inflow of ethnic Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Tajiks, and Ukrainians into big Russian cities, something that is viewed very unfavorably by many citizens and even gives rise to nationalist sentiments.¹⁶ Some Chinese flee the overpopulation and birth control regulations of their home country and settle in the Far East and in southern Siberia. Many immigrant ethnic groups have much higher birth rates than native Russians, further shifting the balance.

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. ¹⁷ 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 following table shows the variation in median age and fertility rates according to 2002 census. ¹⁸

Languages

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

St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow.

The most widespread religion in Russia is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, represented by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Since the end of Soviet rule, up to 60% of citizens of Russia, including up to 80% of ethnic Russians, have identified themselves as Orthodox. Even non-religious ethnic Russians mostly associate themselves with Orthodox faith for cultural reasons ¹⁹. The Second largest religion is Islam, whose followers are estimated to comprise 10-15% of the population. The majority of Muslims live in the Volga-Urals region and the North Caucasus, although Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and parts of Siberia also have sizable Muslim populations.²⁰²¹ Other branches of Christianity present in Russia include various Protestant faiths (a tiny minority, mainly peoples of western European origins), Roman Catholicism, and Old Believers. There is some presence of Judaism, Buddhism, and Krishnaism, as well. These religions typically occur among minority groups and are quite rare among ethnic Russians and other Slavic peoples. Shamanism and other pagan beliefs are present to some extent in remote areas, sometimes syncretized with one of the mainstream religions.

Education

Main article: Education in Russia

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4% (2002)
male: 99.7%
female: 99.2%²²

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.^{citation needed} 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.²³

The number of physicians in relation to the population is high by world standards, although medical care in Russia, even in major cities, is generally below Western standards^{citations needed}.

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 5.9% as of 2007. Unemployment is highest among women and young people. Following the collapse 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 national poverty line, compared to 40% in 1999.²⁴²⁵ The average salary in Russia was $540 (about $920 PPP) per month in August 2007, up from $65 per month in August 1999.²⁶

Health

In 2007 the leading cause of death in Russia was cardiovascular disease, causing about 50% (1.1 million) of all deaths. Alcohol abuse, road accidents and cancer claimed about 500,000 lives, or a quarter of all deaths.²⁷

As of 2007, the average life expectancy in Russia is 61.5 years for males and 73.9 years for females.²⁸ The average Russian life expectancy of 67.7 years at birth is 10.8 years shorter than the overall figure in the European Union.²⁹ The biggest factor that contributes to the relatively low life expectancy is high mortality among working-age males due to preventable causes such as accidents, alcohol poisoning, violent crimes, heart disease etc.^{citation needed} Some infectious diseases are also implicated, such as AIDS/HIV and tuberculosis. Both diseases became widespread in Russia in the 1990s. However, the underlying problems with health care in Russia predate the post-Soviet period.^{citation needed} The Soviet Union had been increasingly lagging behind Western countries in terms of mortality and life expectancy since the late 1960s. By 1985, life expectancy for males was 62.7 years in Russia, compared to 71.6 in Great Britain and 74.8 in Japan.^{citation needed} The turmoil in the early 1990s and the economic crisis in 1998 caused^{citation needed} life expectancy in Russia to go down while it was steadily growing in the rest of the world. Recently however it has begun to rise again; Between 2005 - 2007 the male life expectancy in Russia rose from 58.9 years to 61.5, increasing the overall life expectancy by 2.4 years to 67.7.²⁸

HIV/AIDS

Main article: HIV/AIDS

As of 2008, the HIV epidemic in Russia continues to grow, but at a slower pace than in the late 1990s, according to a report by UNAIDS. At the end of December 2007, the number of registered HIV cases in Russia was 416,113, with 42,770 new registered cases that year. The actual number of people living with HIV in Russia is estimated to be about 940,000.³⁰ In 2007, 83% of HIV infections in Russia were registered among injecting drug users, 6% among sex workers, and 5% among prisoners.³¹ However, there is clear evidence of a significant rise in heterosexual transmission. In 2007, 93.19% of adults and children with advanced HIV infection were receiving antiretroviral therapy. ³⁰³²

The Russian Federation has demonstrated a high-level commitment in response to the AIDS epidemic. In April 2006, the State Council met with the Russian President to set goals for developing a strategy for responding to AIDS; improving coordination, through the creation of a high-level multisectoral governmental commission on AIDS; and establishing a unified monitoring and evaluation system. A new Federal AIDS Program for 2007 - 2011 was also developed and adopted. Federal funding for the national AIDS response in 2006 had increased more than twentyfold compared to 2005, and the 2007 budget doubled that of 2006, adding to the already substantial funds provided by the main donor organizations.³²

Coordination of activities in responding to AIDS remains a challenge for Russia, despite increased efforts. In 2006, treatment for some patients was interrupted due to delays in tender procedures and unexpected difficulties with customs. Additionally, lack of full commitment to an in-depth program for education on sex and drugs in schools hinders effective prevention programs for children.³²

Main cities

Moscow is the largest city (population 10.4 million) and is the capital of the Federation. Moscow continues to be the centre of Russian Government and is increasingly important as an economic and business centre. Its cultural tradition is rich, and there are many museums devoted to art, literature, music, dance, history, and science. It has hundreds of churches and dozens of notable cathedrals; it has become Russia's principal magnet for foreign investment and business presence.

Saint Petersburg (population 4.7 million), established in 1703 by Peter the Great as the capital of the Russian Empire, was called Petrograd during World War I and Leningrad after 1924. In 1991, as the result of a city referendum, it was renamed Saint Petersburg. Under the Tsars, the city was Russia's cultural, intellectual, financial, and industrial centre. After the capital was moved back to Moscow in 1918, the city's political significance declined, but it remained a cultural, scientific, and military-industrial centre.

Novosibirsk is the largest city in Siberia, a major industrial city and a transportation hub. The most prominent Russian university outside Moscow and Saint Petersburg—Novosibirsk State University—is located in a suburb of Novosibirsk.

Vladivostok, located in the Russian Far East, is becoming an important centre for trade with the Pacific Rim countries.

Rural life

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Rural life in the Russian Federation is distinct from many other nations. Villages close to larger cities are usually similar to American suburbs. However, villages far from towns are classified by poor living conditions: low salaries, well water, lack of heating equipment, and sometimes lack of electricity (mostly in Siberia). Sanitation and hygiene is also very poor in some areas that completely lack any plumbing whatsoever. Relatively few Russian people live in villages, called derevnyas in Russian (rural population accounted for 27% according to the latest census³⁴). Some people rent village houses and use them as dachas, summer houses. Most people in Russia live in the major urban areas.

Demographic statistics

Population

• Total population, 145,166,731 (2002 Russian Census)
• European Federal Districts (4), 106,003,702
• Asian Federal Districts (3), 39,129,729

As of November, 2008, Russia's population stood at 141,900,000 according to the Russian State Statistics Service.²⁷³⁵²

Births

1,602,387 (2007)^{27 5}

Deaths

2,080,087 (2007)²⁷

Population Growth Rate

-0.17%²⁷

Birth rate

11.28 births/1,000 population (2007)²⁷⁵

Death rate

14.65 deaths/1,000 population (2007)²⁷⁵

Net migration rate

0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)²²

Total fertility rate

1.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)²²

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.45 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2008 est.) ²²

Age structure

0-14 years: 14.6% (male 10,577,858/female 10,033,254)
15-64 years: 71.2% (male 48,187,807/female 52,045,102)
65 years and over: 14.1% (male 6,162,400/female 13,695,673) (2008 est.) ²²

Median Age

total: 38.3 years
male: 35.1 years
female: 41.4 years (2008 est.) ²²

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 67.7 years
male: 61.5 years
female: 73.9 years (2007) ²⁸

Infant mortality rate

total: 10.81 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 12.34 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) ²²

Suicide rate

Russia currently has a rate of 30 suicides per 100,000 people³⁶, which although among the highest suicide rates in the world, has been steadily decreasing since it peaked in the late 90s³⁷, including a 30% drop from 2001 to 2006. About 22% of all suicides are committed by people aged 40-49, and almost six times as many Russian males commit suicide than females.

In 2007, only 8 federal subjects in Russia had a Fertility rate above 2.1 child per woman (minimum required to ensure population growth). These federal subjects are Chechenya(3.43), Tyva(3.06), Agin Buryat(2.57), Altay Republic(2.47), Ost Ordinski Buryat(2.27), Evenk Okrug(2.24), Daghestan(2.14) and Ingushetia(2.10). Of these federal subjects, only two had ethnic Russian majority (Altay & Evenk). In eight more federal subjects, Fertility rate was high enough to ensure population growth in rural areas, but not so in urban areas. These federal subjects are: Buryat Republic(1.89 in Urban areas/2.16 in Rural areas), Sakha Republic(1.88/2.24), Okrug of Chukotka(1.70/2.55), Okrug of Nenets(1.80/2.20), Okrug of Taymir(1.48/2.81), Okrug of Yamalo-Nenets(1.66/2.53), Republic of Khakassia(1.56/2.10) and Oblast of Irkutsk(1.64/2.06). In most of the federal subjects in Far Eastern region, the fertility rates were high, but not enough to ensure natural growth. For example, Zabaykalski Kray had a TFR of 1.85, which is higher than the national average, but less than the 2.1 needed for population growth. Also rural areas reported higher TFR compared to urban areas. The difference is evident in federal sublects like Tyumen(1.76/1.94), Jewish Autonomous Oblast(1.54/1.81), Republic of udmurtia(1.48/1.86), Republic of Kabardino-Balkar(1.35/1.95), Amur(1.49/1.71), Perm Krai(1.40/1.83), Khabarovsk(1.38/1.72) and Kaliningrad(1.25/1.74). [1]

See also

• Demographics of the Soviet Union
• Demographics of Siberia
• Russian Empire Census

References

Other sources

• 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
• Iranians Diaspora in Russia :[2]

External links

• Results of population policy and current demographic situation (2008)
• Solution to the Russian Population Problem
• Interactive statistics for all countries, site of US Census bureau.
• 2006 World Population Data Sheet of 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
• Russian Empire:
  • The Red Book of the peoples of the Russian Empire
• Iranians Diaspora in Russia: [3]
  • (Russian) В погоне за малыми, an article about treatment of minorities in the Russian Empire, Kommersant-Money, October 25, 2005
• Death of a nation, a documentary about the dwindling Russian population: causes and consequences
• Choice between mass migration and birth rate increase as possible solutions of depopulation problem in Russia (in Russian)

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