About 80% of Russians live in European Russia, the western part of the country, especially around the capital city of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, because of its milder climate, greater economic opportunities, better infrastructure, and historical settlement patterns, despite this area being only about 25% of Russia's vast landmass. The rest of the country, Siberia and the Far East, is sparsely populated due to harsh conditions, permafrost, and lack of development.
The vast majority of Russia's population live in the western core area of the country, the region around the capital city of Moscow.
🌍 Only about 25% of its land lies in Europe, but this small portion holds nearly 75% of Russia's population, including major cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Today the largest ethnic Russian diasporas outside of Russia exist in former Soviet states such as Ukraine (about 9 million), Kazakhstan (3,644,529 or 20.61% in 2016), Belarus (about 1.5 million), Uzbekistan (about 650,000) Kyrgyzstan (about 600,000) and Latvia (471,276 or 24.7% in 2020).
Everyone may freely leave the Russian Federation. Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right freely to return to the Russian Federation.
Russia has an estimated population of 146.0 million as of 1 January 2025, down from 147.2 million recorded in the 2021 census.
Many Russian government officials and successful businesspeople reside in the gated communities of Rublevka. Real-estate prices there are among the highest in the world. The New York Times called it "home to the sprawling villas of Russia's ruling class".
Most émigrés initially fled from Southern Russia and Ukraine to Turkey and then moved to other Slavic countries in Europe (the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland). A large number also fled to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Iran, Germany and France.
The leading cause of death in Russia is overwhelmingly diseases of the circulatory system, primarily ischemic heart disease and stroke, followed by cancers (especially lung cancer), with significant mortality also from external causes like accidents, alcohol poisoning, and suicide, reflecting high rates of preventable deaths compared to Western Europe. Cardiovascular diseases account for over half of all deaths, a much higher proportion than the European average.
In Russia. I spoke to twenty American expats, all men, who have moved to Russia over the past four years. They told me they moved to Moscow or St. Petersburg or the wild east—Siberia—because they no longer believed the one person they once thought could save America—Donald Trump—could still save it.
Knowledge of Russian opens up opportunities in various fields such as international relations, diplomacy, intelligence, journalism, and multinational corporations. As geopolitical tensions continue, experts with Russian language skills are in high demand to engage in dialogue and conflict resolution.
Russia life expectancy for 2022 was 72.55, a 3.78% increase from 2021.
Support for Vladimir Putin in Russia generally hovers high, with recent polls showing approval around 79-86%, boosted by events like the Ukraine invasion, though varying by pollster, age, and specific policies, with some analysts suggesting a portion of this support stems from a "rally around the flag" effect, while genuine enthusiastic support for the war itself might be lower (around 10-15%).
Duration of life in Russia varies greatly between regions. Russians in the predominantly Muslim, abstinent North Caucasus and in cities of federal importance have relatively high life expectancies, and Ingushetia is considered a "blue zone" due to its especially promising statistics.
While the average yearly salary in Russia sits around 1.24 million rubles (roughly $14,771), it's important to remember this doesn't show the whole picture. In Russia, salaries can vary greatly, with the lowest average being just 26,200 rubles and the highest reaching 463,000 rubles.
Russia. In Russia, a 500ml Coca-Cola is priced at 94 RUB (i.e. INR 94).
What Can You Buy in St. Petersburg for 100 Rubles in 2022?
Russia has the fifth-highest number of billionaires in the world. However, its income inequality remains comparatively high, caused by the variance of natural resources among its federal subjects, leading to regional economic disparities.
The KSSO: Russia's Special Operations Command. The Special Operations Forces Command has established itself as Russia's foremost special forces division. Known also as the “polite people”, Russian Special Forces or the KSSO and it rivals many tier-1 western special forces.
Saint Petersburg is the best city to live in Russia. It is a modern European city with all the facilities. It is still simple and quick to get around the city as it is not as huge as Moscow. It's a beautiful historical city with unique architecture, parks, rivers.
Gender ratio in Russia
In 2025, the sex ratio of the total population in Russia is 86.478 males per 100 females. There are 66,777,739, or 66.78 million males, and 77,219,654, or 77.22 million females in Russia. The percentage of the female population is 53.63 percent compared to 46.37 percent male population.
As of late 2025/early 2026, India has surpassed China to become the world's most populous country, with both nations having populations exceeding 1.4 billion people, followed by the United States, Indonesia, and Pakistan.
According to demographers, births continue to fall in Russian regions as the youth escape military conscriptions. Demographers say almost 40 per cent of Russian women of child-bearing age expressed economic insecurity and financial concerns in the nationwide survey held in 2023.