The demographics of Russia is about the demographic features of the population of the Russian Federation, 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 73% of its population of 141,903,979 citizens residing in urban areas. [ Retrieved on March 29, 2009] 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 growth rate of -0.01% as of September 1, 2009. [ Rosstat Retrieved on October 21, 2009]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 trendsDeclining populationthumb|right|300px|Natural population growth of Russia since 1950.
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 in 2005 that Russia's then population of about 143 million could fall by a third by 2050 if trends did not improve. 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, as it rose from its lowest point at 8.27 births per 1000 people in 1999 to a rate of 12.1 per 1000 in 2008. 2007 marked the highest growth in birth rate that the country had seen in 25 years, and 2008 marked the highest total birth rate since 1991. [ The Economic Times March 21, 2008] 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 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 of death. The Russian death rate in 2008 was 14.6 per 1000 citizens. For comparison, the US death rate in 2008 was 8.26 per 1000 and the UK death rate was 10.09 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 collapse 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. It argues that correlation is not causation, mass privatization was not the most important part of "shock therapy", and the rise in death rates is out of sync with economic reform efforts. [ The Economist Retrieved on 02-12-09] 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 them, the rise of the death rate in the early 1990s was caused by the exhaustion of the effect of the anti-alcohol campaign, while the marketing reforms were of only secondary importance. The authors also claimed the Lancet's study is flawed as they use 1985 death rate as the base, while it 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.
The population decline has continued to slow through 2008 and the first eight months of 2009 due to declining death rates and increasing birth rates, bringing population growth to near stagnation.[ Rosstat Retrieved on 02-20-09] 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.AbortionsIn 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 lead 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 collapse 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).[, UNDP,pages 47-49, Retrieved on 2009-10-10]
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 twice lower than in Russia today.Ethnic groups
Most Russians derive from the Eastern Slavic family of peoples, the origins of which very little is known.
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):[, 2002 census, Demoscope Weekly. Retrieved 5 February 2009][, Vol. 4, Table 1. Retrieved 5 February 2009]
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:
- Turkic 12,106,587 (total 8.36%)
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.
See also: Northern indigenous peoples of Russia, Detailed Table of 2002 censusGradientThe demographic structure of Russia has gradually changed over time. In 1970, Soviet Union 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. 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), Poland (Poles and Jews), Canada (Finns and Ukrainians), Finland (Finns), France (Jews, Armenians and Romani) and Great Britain (mainly upper-class Russians).
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. 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. 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 fertilityMedian 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.
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.
The following table shows the variation in median age and fertility rates according to 2002 census.LanguagesRussian 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.ReligionThe 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.
Of these approximately 2-4%[ Retrieved on March 29, 2008][ 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.]EducationLiteracydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4% (2002)
male: 99.7%
female: 99.2%[[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html#People Russia CIA World Factbook] CIA World Factbook updated 6 March, 2008]
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.
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.
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.Labour forceThe 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 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. The average monthly salary in Russia was $640 (about $1150 PPP) as of May 2008, up from $65 per month in August 1999.Healththumb|left|300px|Russian male and female life expectancy since 1950.
In 2008, 1,185,993, or 57% of all deaths in Russia were caused by cardiovascular disease. The second leading cause of death was cancer which claimed 289,257 lives (14%). External causes of death such as suicide (1.8%), road accidents (1.7%), murders (1.1%), accidental alcohol poisoning (1.1%), and accidental drowning (0.5%), claimed 244,463 lives in total (11%). Other major causes of death were diseases of the digestive system (4.3%), respiratory disease (3.8%), infectious and parasitic diseases (1.6%), and tuberculosis (1.2%).
As of 2008, the average life expectancy in Russia was 61.83 years for males and 74.16 years for females.[ Rosstat Retrieved on October 30, 2009] The average Russian life expectancy of 67.88 years at birth is nearly 11 years shorter than the overall average figure for the European Union, or the United States. The largest contributing factor 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. Some infectious diseases are also implicated, such as AIDS/HIV and tuberculosis, which became more widespread in Russia in the 1990s because of the deterioration in the healthcare system. 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 2005-2008 the male life expectancy in Russia rose by three years, increasing the overall life expectancy by 2.5 years to 67.88.Main citiesMoscow 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 lifeRural life in the Russian Federation is distinct from many other nations. In many ways it is similar to rural U.S. in that Russia is one of few nations that have small towns hundreds of miles from major population centers. 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 census). Some people rent village houses and use them as dachas, summer houses. Most people in Russia live in the major urban areas.Demographic statistics thumb|right|300px|Population pyramid of Russia as of January 1, 2009Population
As of January 1, 2009, Russia's population stood at 141,903,979 according to the Russian State Statistics Service.Population growth rate -0.085% (2008)[ Federal State Statistics Service, Retrieved on June 3, 2009] Births 1,713,947 (2008) Deaths 2,075,954 (2008) Birth rate 12.1 births/1,000 population (2008) Death rate 14.6 deaths/1,000 population (2008) Net migration rate 1.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008) Natural population growth rate -2.5 persons/1,000 population (2008) Total fertility rate 1.494 children born/woman (2008) Infant mortality ratetotal: 8.5 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008)Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 67.88 years
male: 61.83 years
female: 74.16 years (2008)
Sex ratioat 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)
Age structure0–14 years: 14.9% (male 10,806,895/female 10,285,532)
15–64 years: 71.8% (male 48,864,763/female 53,048,315)
65 years and over: 13.3% (male 5,969,976/female 12,928,498) (2009)[ Rosstat Retrieved on 2009-10-08]Median agetotal: 38.8 years
male: 36.1 years
female: 41.1 years (2009)Regional TFRRussia's fertility rate has climbed from a low of 1.16 in 1999 to 1.5 in 2008.[ Demoscope.ru Retrieved on September 10, 2009] In 2008, 7 of Russia's federal subjects had total fertility rates (TFR) above 2.1 children per woman (the minimum required to ensure population replacement). These federal subjects are Chechnya (3.40), Tyva (2.68), Agin-Buryat Okrug (2.64), Altai Republic (2.48), Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug (2.73), Evenk Okrug (2.41), Komi-Permyak (2.12). Of these federal subjects, two have an ethnic Russian majority (Altai and Evenk).
In 12 more federal subjects, the TFR was high enough to ensure population replacement in rural areas, but not so in urban areas. These federal subjects are: Buryat Republic (1.71 in urban areas/2.29 in rural areas), Sakha Republic (1.71/2.54), Chukotka Okrug (1.71/2.73), Nenets Okrug (1.76/2.87), Taymyr Okrug (1.38/3.94), Yamalo-Nenets Okrug (1.56/2.70), Republic of Khakassia (1.49/2.35), Republic of Komi (1.27/2.23), Karachay-Cherkessia (1.45/2.10), Tyumen Oblast (1.59/2.2), Koryak Okrug (1.27/2.34) and Irkutsk Oblast (1.59/2.39). Of these federal subjects, all but two have an ethnic Russian majority (Sakha and Karachay-Cherkessia).
In most of the federal subjects in Siberia and the Russian Far East, the total fertility rates were high, but not 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. Also rural areas reported higher TFR compared to urban areas. The difference is evident in Tyumen Oblast (1.59/2.20), Jewish Autonomous Oblast (1.50/1.86), Udmurtia (1.40/2.21), Kabardino-Balkaria (1.28/1.82), Amur Oblast (1.37/1.85), Perm Krai (1.40/2.15), Khabarovsk Krai (1.35/1.84), and Kaliningrad Oblast (1.32/1.74).[http://www.gks.ru/dbscripts/Cbsd/DBInet.cgi?pl=2415002]See also
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