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 numbers is also in a leading position among other countries. The fact is that a significant part of the territory is occupied by deserted steppes and taiga, as the most remote regions of Siberia. Therefore, in terms of population density, Russia is far from the first positions in the world.
Indicators of the population of the Russian Federation
According to the first large-scale census in 1897, the population of Russia was more than 67.4 million people. They were people of different nationalities and races. The majority were rural dwellers. The reason for this was the developed farming industry and agriculture. In addition, as such, there were few large cities. Mostly artisans and merchants lived in them.
The literacy rate in the early 20th century in the country was catastrophically low. Only 21% of people have completed at least elementary school. By religion, population statistics show that the majority of the inhabitants of Russia at that time were Orthodox (about 70%). The rest belonged to such denominations as Islam, Catholicism and Judaism. Interestingly, three-quarters of the population were peasants. The number of philistinesamounted to about 10.7%, foreigners - up to 6.6%, Cossacks - a little more than 2%, nobles - 1.5%, etc.character. So, in 1926, the population of the country amounted to about 101 million people. At the start of World War II, the number of Russian residents exceeded 110 million, 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 reached its demographic peak in 1995. Then the population was about 148.5 million people. In 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. Currently, the population of the Russian Federation is equal to 146.3 million people.
Population density
The geography of Russia's population is very diverse and uneven across regions. Most of the inhabitants are concentrated in the territorial triangle between St. Petersburg, Irkutsk and Sochi. The reasons are favorable climate and positive economic background. Permafrost dominates to the north of this region, and endless deserts to the south.
Siberia occupies one of the last places in the world in terms of population density. Less than 29 people live in this regionmillion people. This is only one fifth of the entire population of Russia. Moreover, the area of Siberia is three-quarters of the Russian Federation. The most densely populated areas are the Derbent-Sochi and Ufa-Moscow strips.
In the Far East, high density is observed throughout the entire Trans-Siberian route. These are such cities as Omsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk, etc. Increased population density was also noted in the area of the Kuznechny coal basin. All these regions attract residents with their economic advantages. As the statistics of the population of the Russian Federation show, the largest demographic number is reflected in megacities and the capitals of autonomous republics. It is noteworthy that rural lands are emptying faster every year due to the relocation of local residents to large cities.
Demographic dynamics
Modern Russia is a territory whose population is growing mainly due to a significant influx of migrants from neighboring countries in search of prosperity. The fact is that in the Russian Federation at the moment there is a demographic crisis. The birth rate barely exceeds 1.5. Parallel to this, there is a catastrophically high death rate. This is due to several factors 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 terms of the number of deaths due to external causes (more than 14.5%). This is higher than the similar indicators of other European countries in 6once. Most of the deaths occur as a result of accidents, including at work. Every year, about 6,000 people become victims of murder. The death rate of underage Russians is kept at the level of 5% of the total.
In 2006, about 1.5 million children were born in the country. The corresponding ratio rose to 10.4 points. Nevertheless, the death toll was over 2.1 million. 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. Still, this is a rather low figure compared to other top European countries.
In 2007, the structure of Russia's population underwent significant changes. As a result of mass migration, the country was replenished by more than a quarter of a million people from different parts of the world. This made it possible to reduce the demographic gap in Russia. Interestingly, the highest birth rates were recorded for the first time in the Magadan region.
In 2008 and 2009. the increase in migration compensated for more than 70% of the numerical losses of society from the mortality rate. The birth rate exceeded the threshold of 1.7 million children, reaching a coefficient of 12.3. Such a positive trend was observed in 67 subjects of the country. In parallel with this, the overall life expectancy in the regions gradually increased.
In 2012, the death and birth rates were expected to equal 1.9 million people. At the same time, the increase in migrantsreached the threshold of 300 thousand. In 2013, the birth rate prevailed over the death rate: 1.9 against 1.87 million people. Natural population growth was observed in 43 regions of the federation. In 2014, the birth rate exceeded the death rate by 33.7 thousand people. Including Crimea, the population was 143.7 million inhabitants.
Commitment to Urbanization
Over the last 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. In the early stages of the reform, the country was shaken by a terrible famine, but subsequently a significant growth of the industrial sector was observed throughout the USSR. In the late 1940s, the rural part of the population began to gradually move to the cities in search of a better life. Decrease in the rate of urbanization was noted in the mid-1960s and also in the 1980s. For a long time, this figure was no more than 1.5%. Already at that time, the urban population was at around 74% of the total population of the country. The situation has not changed over the years until today. The percentage of urbanization in Russia is equal to 74.2%. This is about 106.7 million people. When rural areas barely exceed 39 million inhabitants.
Most of the population is represented in metropolitan areas. At the moment, there are 15 cities with more than 1 million inhabitants. Moscow tops the list (12.1 million people), followed by St. Petersburg (5.1 million people). Cities such as Novosibirsk, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Omsk, Perm, Novgorod, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, Voronezh, Krasnoyarsk, Rostov and Volgograd have population figures ranging from 1 to 1.5 million inhabitants.
Diversity of peoples
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 peoples live on the territory of 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 inexorably falling. Over the past 12 years, the number 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, the largest number of Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Circassians and Kumyks moved to Russia. The growth of the former was more than 22.5%. In parallel with this, there is a significant decline in some European peoples. This list includes such peoples as Finns, Poles, Ukrainians, Karelians and Belarusians. The largest negative percentage belongs tofirst (-40.5%). The largest ethnic groups (more than 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 population - Russians
This ethnic people of Russia represents the Eastern Slavs who have lived on the territory of 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 United States. This is the largest European ethnic group. At the moment, there are more than 133 million Russians on the planet. The overwhelming majority of them profess Orthodoxy.
There are more than 111 million Russians in Russia. They are concentrated in all regions of the country, from cities to villages. To date, the Russian people as a community of the nation is about 77.7% of the total population of the Russian Federation. Most of the representatives of the ethnic group live in Moscow - about 9.9 million people. There are just over 6.2 million Russians in the region adjacent to the capital. The next largest regions are the 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, a Russian person is called a Vodlozer or Zaonezhan, on the coast of the Barents Sea - Pomor, in the RepublicKomi - tsilemom. All these are the names of the ancient peoples who previously lived on the territory of Russia. Interestingly, Russians from the central part of the country also have their own names. For example: katskari, odnodvortsy, polekhs, meshcheryaks, sayans, tsukans, sevryuks, tudovlyans, talagai, etc. In the Caucasus and in the Asian region of the country, such subclasses are distinguished as Don Cossacks, Molokans, Kamchadals, Kerzhaks, Siberians, masons, gurans, Markovians and others. Mixed groups, for example, a Russian Jew, should be noted separately. However, there is no such division in official scientific papers.
Tatar people
The ethnic composition of Russia's population is 3.7% determined by representatives of the 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 has been 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: the Volga-Urals, Astrakhan and Siberian. Most of the representatives of the people live in the Republic of Tatarstan (more than 2.8 million people). Interestingly, the national language belongs to the Altaic class, and there can be several dialects at once: Kazan, Mishar and Siberian. Most of the Tatars are Sunni Muslims. In rare cases, they profess atheism and Orthodoxy. The Tatar nationality is partly included in some of the largest sub-ethnoi: Kazanly, Mishars, Urals, Kasimovtsy, Siberians, Teptyars, Kryashens, etc. Lesssignificant subgroups in terms of numbers: sticky and nagaybaks. Interestingly, the latter are Orthodox Christians.
Ukrainian nationality
The ethnic population of Russia is 1.35% of the West Slavic diaspora. Rusyns and Little Russians are considered bright representatives of the nation. Today this ethnic group is called Ukrainians. After Russians and Poles, this is the most numerous Slavic people in the world. They mostly live in Ukraine, but a significant part is also in Russia and North America. Historians attribute to Ukrainians such ethnographic subgroups as Poleschuks, Boikos, Lemkos and Hutsuls. Most of them inhabited the western regions of Russia. At present, they are all united into a single people. There are more than 1.9 million Ukrainians in Russia. Of these, almost 160,000 live in the Tyumen region, 154,000 live in Moscow, and slightly less than 120,000 live in the regional part of the capital. The next 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 the second largest in Europe after the Russian. Historically, it covers more than 600 thousand sq. km.
Bashkir nation
This Turkic-speaking people inhabited the territory of Russia since the Middle Ages. Bashkirs mostly live in Russia. Their cultural and historical center is the Republic of Bashkortostan. All indigenous people speak the Turkic-Altaic dialect.
These ethnic minorities in Russia make upabout 1.1% of the total population. Their number is just under 1.6 million. The vast 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 branch of Islam. Cattle breeding is still considered the main occupation of the population. 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. The women, in turn, plant entire bee plantations.
Weaving, embroidery, carpet production, and leather finishing are well developed crafts. Today, a significant part of the Republic's profits depends on the metallurgical industry. It is worth noting that the Bashkirs were famous for this type of activity back in the 16th-17th centuries. Over the years, the lifestyle of local residents has changed dramatically. Nevertheless, there are still settlements where the semi-nomadic way of life has been preserved.
Self-proclaimed Chuvash people
The ethnic composition of the population of Russia includes not only the above, but also many other nationalities. According to the latest census, about 1.5 million Chuvashs live in the country. Outside of Russia, there are only about 50 thousand indigenous representatives of the nationality. Most of the population is based in Chuvashia.
Today, there are 4 territorial subgroups. The Turi live in the west of the Republic, the Enchi in the north, the Anatri in the south, and the Hirti in the eastern steppe regions. The national language is Chuvash. It is a mixture of Turkic and Bulgar. May have several dialects depending on geographic allegiance.
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 Chuvashs are very respectful of their traditions and customs, national holidays. Cattle breeding remains the main economic sector of the region. Pigs, sheep, cattle, 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 people are engaged in agriculture.
Charisma and traditions of the Chechens
Initially, this people was called Nokhchi. Today, the ethnic composition of the population of Russia is 1% of 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, the Nokhchis inhabited 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. called the Nakh peoples. They included Ingush, Batsbi andKists. Today, 84.5% of the representatives of the ethnic group live in Chechnya, the rest - in Dagestan and Ingushetia. There are about 14.5 thousand descendants of the Nokhchi in Moscow. This is just over 1% of their total number.
Many historians believe that the Chechen people formed as a result of the internal consolidation of the Vainakh population in the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries. At this time there was an active Islamization of the region. Most of the Vainakhs began to develop mountainous areas. The religious and cultural background of modern Chechens gradually 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 huge number of Armenians in the world, but they are unevenly settled, so it is difficult to even theoretically determine the total number. 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. That's almost 1.2 million people. On the territory of Russia, the majority of Armenians are in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, in Moscow and the region, as well as in Rostov. About 98% of representatives of this ethnic group live in cities. 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 of its own. Back in the firstmillennium BC. e. Armenians moved to the territory of the Luvians and Hurrians, borrowing their customs. However, some scholars agree that the ancestors of this ethnic group were the migrating ancient Greeks.
Other nations
At the moment, the ethnic composition of the population of Russia is diluted not only by representatives of the Turks and Highlanders, but also by many other diasporas. For example, the Avars are a people that includes such ancient tribes as the Andians, Archins and Tsezi. 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 singled out. Russia's total population is about 3.7%. The ethnic composition of the Russian Federation also includes Kabardians, Yakuts, Buryats, Moldavians, Uzbeks, Komi, Gypsies, Kirghiz, Circassians and hundreds of other peoples. There are not so many Jews left in the country as in the early 2000s. Their number is 156.8 thousand people. Interestingly, during the last census, many representatives of this ethnic group noted the nationality "Russian Jew" in the column.
