Today, Russia ranks first in the world in terms of area. However, this does not mean that the population of the Russian Federation in terms of size is also a leader among other countries. The fact is that a significant part of the territory is occupied by deserted steppes and taiga, as the most remote areas of Siberia. Therefore, in terms of population density, Russia is far from the first in the world.
The numbers of the Russian Federation
According to the first large-scale census in 1897, the population of Russia amounted to more than 67.4 million people. These were people of different nationalities and races. Mostly rural residents prevailed . The reason for this was a developed farming industry and agriculture. In addition, there were few large cities as such. They lived mainly artisans and merchants.
The literacy rate at the beginning of the 20th century in the country was catastrophically low. Only 21% of people have completed at least elementary school. By religion, population statistics show that most of the inhabitants of Russia at that time were Orthodox (about 70%). The rest belonged to such faiths as Islam, Catholicism and Judaism. Interestingly, three quarters of the population were peasants. The number of philistines was about 10.7%, foreigners - up to 6.6%, Cossacks - a little more than 2%, nobles - 1.5%, etc.
In the mid-1920s, the dynamics of the population of Russia began to be stably positive. So, in 1926, the country's population was about 101 million people. At the beginning of World War II, the number of Russian residents exceeded 110 million, and at the end of hostilities - about 97.5 million. This is the only significant decline in the country's demographic indicators in the entire history of the Russian Federation. And only after 10 years the situation stabilized. By 1955, the population of Russia again reached the mark of 110 million people.
The country waited for its demographic peak in 1995. Then the number was about 148.5 million people. Over the next 15 years, there was a slight decline in indicators due to the mass emigration of
indigenous people to Western countries. In total, more than 6 million people left Russia during this period.
To date,
the population of the Russian Federation is equal to 146.3 million people.
Demographic density
The geography of the population of Russia is very diverse and uneven across the subjects. Most of the residents are concentrated in the territorial triangle between St. Petersburg, Irkutsk and Sochi. The reasons are a favorable climate and a positive economic background. Permafrost predominates to the north of this region, and endless deserts to the south.
In terms of population density, Siberia is one of the last places in the world. Less than 29 million people live in this region. This is only a fifth of the total population of Russia. Moreover, Siberia is three quarters of the Russian Federation in terms of area. The most densely populated points are the strip Derbent-Sochi and Ufa-Moscow.
In the Far East, a high density is observed throughout the Trans-Siberian route. These are cities such as Omsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk, etc. Elevated population density indicators are also noted in the area of the Kuznechny coal basin. All these regions attract residents with their economic merits.
As the population statistics of the Russian Federation show, the largest demographic numbers are reflected in megacities and capitals of the autonomous republics. It is noteworthy that rural areas are becoming increasingly empty every year due to the relocation of local residents to large cities.
Demographic dynamics
Modern Russia is a territory whose population grows mainly due to a significant influx of migrants from neighboring countries in search of prosperity. The fact is that in Russia at the moment there is a demographic crisis. The birth rate barely exceeds 1.5. At the same time, a catastrophically high mortality rate is observed. The reason for this are several components at once. According to statistics, more than half of deaths occur due to heart disease, about 15% - from cancer and its consequences, more than 4% - from damage to internal organs.
It is worth noting that Russia is one of the first places in the world in the number of deaths due to external causes (more than 14.5%). This is 6 times higher than similar indicators in other European countries. Most deaths occur as a result of accidents, including those at work. Every year, about 6 thousand people become victims of murder. The mortality rate of underage Russians is kept at 5% of the total.
In 2006, about 1.5 million children were born in the country. The corresponding coefficient rose to 10.4 points. However, mortality amounted to more than 2.1 million people. Together with migration indicators, the population of the Russian Federation decreased by almost 0.7 million inhabitants. In the same year, there was a slight positive trend in life expectancy, which amounted to 66.8 years. Nevertheless, this is a rather low indicator compared to other top European countries.
In 2007, the population structure of Russia underwent important changes. As a result of mass migration, more than a quarter of a million people from different parts of the planet joined the country. This allowed Russia to reduce the demographic gap. Interestingly, the highest birth rates were first recorded in the Magadan region.
In 2008 and 2009
migration growth offset more than 70% of the numerical losses of society from the rate of mortality. Fertility exceeded the threshold of 1.7 million children, reaching a coefficient of 12.3. This positive trend was observed in 67 regions of the country. In parallel with this, the total life expectancy in the regions gradually increased.
In 2012, mortality and birth rates were expected to equal the level of 1.9 million people. At the same time, the growth of migrants reached the threshold of 300 thousand. In 2013, the birth rate prevailed over mortality: 1.9 versus 1.87 million people.
Natural population growth was observed in 43 regions of the federation.
In 2014, birth rates exceeded the mortality rate by 33.7 thousand people. Including
Crimea, the population was 143.7 million.
Commitment to urbanization
Over the past century, the rural population of Russia has decreased by 4 times. By 1914, 82.5% of people lived in the outskirts and villages, by 2014 - less than 26%. Today, the main population of Russia is residents of large and small cities.
The main reason for this increase was the systematic economic policy of the Soviet Union. For the period from 1929 to 1939 in rural areas, rapid collectivization and industrialization of society was carried out. At the early stages of the reform, the country was shocked by a terrible famine, but subsequently throughout the USSR there was a significant growth in the industrial sector. In the late 1940s, the rural part of the population began to gradually move to cities in search of a better life.
A decrease in the rate of urbanization was noted in the mid-1960s, as well as in the 1980s. For a long time, this indicator was no more than 1.5%. Even at that time, the urban population was at around 74% of the total population of the country. Over the years to this day, the situation has not changed. The percentage of urbanization in Russia is equal to 74.2%. This is about 106.7 million people. When in rural areas the population barely exceeds 39 million inhabitants.
Most of the population is represented in megacities. Currently, 15 cities with more than 1 million inhabitants are allocated. The top of the list is Moscow (12.1 million people), followed by St. Petersburg (5.1 million people). In cities such as Novosibirsk, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Omsk, Perm, Novgorod, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, Voronezh, Krasnoyarsk, Rostov and Volgograd, population figures range from 1 to 1.5 million inhabitants.
Diversity of nations
Today, the ethnic and religious composition of Russia includes hundreds of nations and is fully reflected in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. About 200 nations live in the country. Each of them has its own culture, traditions and religious views.
The main ethnic people of Russia are Russians. According to the results of a large-scale census in 2010, this nation occupies almost 81% of the total population of the country. This is more than 111 million people. All other nationalities are included in the remaining 19.1%. It is noteworthy that every year the number of Russians in the Russian Federation is falling inexorably. Over the past 12 years, the size of this ethnic mass has decreased by almost 5 million people. In turn, during the reporting period, there has been a significant increase in migrants from Asia.
Over the past 10 years, most of the Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Circassians and Kumyks moved to Russia. The growth of the former amounted to more than 22.5%. In parallel with this, there is a significant decline in some European peoples. The list includes such peoples as Finns, Poles, Ukrainians, Karelians and Belarusians. The largest negative percentage belongs to the first (-40.5%).
The largest nations (over 1 million people) are Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Chechens and Armenians. Each of these ethnic groups is considered the main element of the foundation of Russian society.
Indigenous people - Russians
This ethnic people of Russia is the Eastern Slavs who lived in Russia since time immemorial. Most of the Russian population is in the Russian Federation, but large diasporas are also observed in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus and the USA. This is the largest European ethnic group. At the moment, there are more than 133 million Russians on the planet. The vast majority of them profess Orthodoxy.
In Russia, there are more than 111 million Russians. They are concentrated in all subjects of the country, from cities to villages. Today, Russian people as a community of the nation make up about 77.7% of the total population of the Russian Federation. Most of the ethnic group lives in Moscow - about 9.9 million people. In the region adjacent to the capital there are a little more than 6.2 million Russians. The next largest regions are Krasnodar Territory, St. Petersburg, Rostov and Sverdlovsk Regions. A total of about 16 million Russians live there.
It is noteworthy that a number of ethnographic subclasses are distinguished in this national group. In Karelia, Russian people are called Vodlozero or Zaonezhan, on the coast of the Barents Sea - Pomors, in the Komi Republic - Tsilem. All these are the names of ancient peoples who previously lived on the territory of Russia. Interestingly, Russians from the central part of the country have their own names. For example: katskari, classmates, poleshchiki, Meshcheryak, Sayans, zucans, stellate sturgeons, Tudovlyans, Talagai, etc. In the Caucasus and in the Asian region of the country, there are such subclasses as Don Cossacks, Molokans, Kamchadals, Kerzhaks, Siberians, masons, Goranes, Markovites other.
Separately, it is worth noting mixed groups, for example, a Russian Jew. However, in official scientific works, such a separation does not exist.
Tatar people
The ethnic composition of the Russian population by 3.7% is determined by representatives of Turkic-speaking tribes. Tatars live mainly in the Volga region, Siberia, the Urals and in the Asian region of the country. Recently, a significant number is noted in the Far East. In total, more than 5.3 million Tatars live in Russia . This is the second largest ethnic group in the Russian Federation.
Tatars are usually divided into 3 main territorial groups: Volga-Ural, Astrakhan and Siberian. Most of the people live in the Republic of Tatarstan (more than 2.8 million people). It is interesting that the national language belongs to the Altai class, and there can be several dialects at once: Kazan, Mishar and Siberian.
Most Tatars are Sunni Muslims. In rare cases, atheism and Orthodoxy are professed. Tatar nationality is partly included in some of the largest sub-ethnic groups: Kazanlans, Mishars, Urals, Kasimovites, Siberians, Teppyar, Kryashen, etc. Subgroups that are less significant in number: Lipki and Nagaybaki. Interestingly, the latter are Orthodox Christians.
Ukrainian nationality
The ethnic population of Russia is 1.35% composed of the West Slavic diaspora. Bright representatives of the nation consider Rusyns and Little Russians. Today this ethnic group is called Ukrainians. After the Russians and Poles, this is the most numerous Slavic people in the world. Mostly live in Ukraine, but a significant part is located in Russia and North America.
Historians attribute such ethnographic subgroups to Ukrainians as Poleshchuk, Boyki, Lemki and Hutsuls. Most of them inhabited the western regions of Russia. Currently, they are all united in a single people. In Russia, there are more than 1.9 million Ukrainians. Of these, almost 160 thousand live in the Tyumen region, 154 thousand in Moscow, a little less than 120 thousand in the regional part of the capital. The following regions in terms of the number of Ukrainian people are Krasnodar Territory, St. Petersburg, Rostov, Omsk, Orenburg, Primorye, etc.
It is noteworthy that the ethnic territory of the nation is considered in Europe the second largest after Russian. Historically, it covers more than 600 thousand square kilometers.
Bashkir nation
This Turkic-speaking people inhabited the territory of Russia from the Middle Ages. Bashkirs mainly live in Russia. The Republic of Bashkortostan is considered their cultural and historical center. All indigenous people speak the Turkic-Altai dialect.
These ethnic minorities in Russia make up about 1.1% of the total population. Their number is slightly less than 1.6 million. The overwhelming majority of Bashkirs live in their native republic (74%). More than 160 thousand are located in the Chelyabinsk region. Also, an increased number of Bashkirs is noted in Tyumen, Orenburg, Perm and Sverdlov.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, all national writing was Arabic, then it was translated into Latin and Cyrillic. Since ancient times, the Bashkirs have been adherents of the Sunni movement of Islam. The main occupation of the population is still considered cattle breeding. On the other hand, in recent years, the development of agriculture, poultry farming and fishing has been noted in Bashkortostan. The male part of the population is often engaged in hunting. Women, in turn, breed whole bee plantations.
Of the crafts, weaving, embroidery, carpet production, and leather finishing are well developed. Today, a significant part of the Republic’s profit depends on the metallurgical industry. It is worth noting that the Bashkirs were famous for this type of activity in the 16-17th century.
Over the years, the lifestyle of local residents has changed dramatically. Nevertheless, there are still settlements where a semi-nomadic way has been preserved.
Self-proclaimed Chuvash people
The ethnic composition of the population of Russia includes not only those listed, but also many other nationalities. According to the latest census, about 1.5 million Chuvash people live in the country. Outside Russia, there are only about 50 thousand indigenous representatives of nationality. Most of the population is based in Chuvashia.
To date, 4 territorial subgroups share. Turi live in the west of the Republic, jenchi live in the north, anatri live in the south, and hirti in the eastern steppe regions. The national language is Chuvash. It is a mixture of Turkic and Bulgarian. May have several dialects depending on geographic commitment.
The main religion is Orthodoxy. A small part of the population adheres to Islam. Small villages remained in the east of the Republic, in which ancient shamanism remains the only religion. All Chuvash people greatly honor their traditions and customs, national holidays.
The main economic sector in the region remains livestock. Pigs, sheep, cattle, and large birds are raised in the republic. In the southern regions, the historical traditions of horse breeding have been preserved. Chuvashia is rich in meat and dairy products. Local products are exported far beyond the borders of the Republic. In total, more than 20% of the Chuvash are engaged in agriculture.
Charisma and traditions of the Chechens
Initially, this people was called Nokhchi. Today, the ethnic composition of Russia's population is 1% represented by the descendants of the ancient upland tribes - the Chechens. The vast majority of indigenous people are based in the North Caucasus. In the Middle Ages, Nokhchis populated such historical regions of Dagestan as Khasavyurt, Kazbekov, Kizilyurt, Novolak and others. The total number of representatives of the nation is 1.55 million people, in Russia - 1.4 million.
Before the 1917 revolution, the Nakh peoples were called Chechens.They included Ingush, Bazbi and Kistinians. Today, 84.5% of the ethnic group live in Chechnya, the rest in Dagestan and Ingushetia. In Moscow, there are about 14.5 thousand descendants nokhchy. This is slightly more than 1% of their total number.
Many historians believe that the Chechen people formed as a result of the internal consolidation of the Vainakh population from the 16th to the 18th centuries. At this time, there was an active Islamization of the region. Most Vainakhs began to explore the highlands. Gradually, the religious and cultural background of modern Chechens was formed. At the moment, it is impossible to finally determine all the ethnic factors of the Vainakhs.
Armenian Diaspora
This is one of the most ancient peoples belonging to the Indo-European family. There are a lot of Armenians in the world, but they are unevenly settled, so the total number is even theoretically difficult to identify. Most of them are in Armenia, the Karabakh Republic, Georgia, Lebanon, Abkhazia, Jordan and the Russian Federation.
These ethnic minorities in Russia make up about 0.8% of the population. This is almost 1.2 million people. On the territory of Russia, Armenians are most of all in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, in Moscow and the region, as well as in Rostov. In the cities of this ethnic group, about 98% live.
The carriers of the proto-Armenian dialect were the Brig and Luvian peoples. In the modern sense, the national language of Armenians is considered the historical heritage of the ancient tribes of the highlands. The diaspora has almost no culture left. Even in the first millennium BC. e. the Armenians moved to the territory of the Luvians and Hurrites, borrowing their customs. Nevertheless, some scholars agree that the ancestors of this ethnic group were migrating ancient Greeks.
Other nations
At present, the ethnic composition of the Russian population is diluted not only by representatives of the Turks and Nagorno-Karabakh, but also by many other diasporas. For example, the Avars are a people whose structure includes such ancient tribes as the Andeans, Archinians and Tses. Their number in Russia is more than 0.9 million people.
Ethnic groups such as Kazakhs, Mordovians, Dargins, Azerbaijanis, Maris, Udmurts, Ossetians, Belarusians, Kumyks, etc., should be distinguished. Their total share of the total population of Russia is about 3.7%. The ethnic composition of the Russian Federation also includes Kabardians, Yakuts, Buryats, Moldavians, Uzbeks, Komi, Gypsies, Kyrgyz, Circassians and hundreds of other peoples.
There are not so many Jews in the country as in the early 2000s. Their number is 156.8 thousand people. It is interesting that during the last census, many representatives of this ethnogroup noted the nationality “Russian Jew” in the column.