Urban and rural population. The largest cities in Russia

Russia is a country with enough high level urbanization. Today there are 15 million-plus cities in our country. Which Russian cities are currently leading in terms of population? You will find the answer to this question in this fascinating article.

Urbanization and Russia

Is urbanization an achievement or a scourge of our time? It's difficult to answer this question. After all, this process is characterized by enormous inconsistency, provoking both positive and negative consequences.

This concept in a broad sense understands the growing role of the city in human life. This process, having burst into our lives in the twentieth century, fundamentally changed not only the reality around us, but also the person himself.

In mathematical terms, urbanization is an indicator that marks the proportion of the urban population of a country or region. Countries in which this indicator exceeds 65% are considered highly urbanized. IN Russian Federation about 73% of the population lives in cities. You can find a list of cities in Russia below.

It should be noted that the processes of urbanization in Russia took place (and are taking place) in two aspects:

1. The emergence of new cities that covered new areas of the country.
2. Expansion of existing cities and the formation of large agglomerations.

History of Russian cities

In 1897, within modern Russia The all-Russian counted 430 cities. Most of them were small towns; at that time there were only seven large ones. And all of them were located up to the line of the Ural Mountains. But in Irkutsk - the current center of Siberia - there were barely 50 thousand inhabitants.

A century later, the situation with cities in Russia has changed dramatically. It is quite possible that the main reason for this was the completely reasonable regional policy pursued by Soviet authorities in the twentieth century. One way or another, by 1997 the number of cities in the country had increased to 1087, and the share of the urban population had grown to 73 percent. At the same time, the number of cities increased twenty-three times! And today almost 50% of the total population of Russia lives in them.

Thus, only a hundred years have passed, and Russia has transformed from a country of villages into a state of big cities.

Russia is a country of megacities

The largest cities in Russia in terms of population are distributed quite unevenly across its territory. Most of them are located in the most populated part of the country. Moreover, in Russia there is a steady trend towards the formation of agglomerations. It is they who form the framework network (socio-economic and cultural) on which the entire settlement system, as well as the country’s economy, is strung.

850 cities (out of 1087) are located within European Russia and the Urals. In terms of area, this is only 25% of the state's territory. But in the vast Siberian and Far Eastern expanses there are only 250 cities. This nuance extremely complicates the process of development of the Asian part of Russia: the shortage of large megacities is felt especially acutely here. After all, there are colossal mineral deposits here. However, there is simply no one to develop them.

The Russian North also cannot boast of a dense network of large cities. This region is also characterized by focal population distribution. The same can be said about the south of the country, where only lonely and brave daredevil cities “survive” in the mountainous and foothill regions.

So can Russia be called a country of big cities? Of course. Nevertheless, in this country, with its vast expanses and colossal natural resources, there is still a shortage of large cities.

The largest cities in Russia by population: TOP-5

As mentioned above, in Russia as of 2015 there are 15 million-plus cities. This title, as is known, is given to that settlement whose number of inhabitants has exceeded one million.

So, let's list the most big cities Russia by population:

1. Moscow (from 12 to 14 million inhabitants according to various sources).
2. St. Petersburg (5.13 million people).
3. Novosibirsk (1.54 million people).
4. Yekaterinburg (1.45 million people).
5. Nizhny Novgorod (1.27 million people).

If you carefully analyze the population (namely, its upper part), you can notice one interesting feature. It's about about a fairly large gap in the number of residents between the first, second and third lines of this rating.

Thus, over twelve million people live in the capital, and about five million in St. Petersburg. But the third largest city in Russia - Novosibirsk - is inhabited by only one and a half million inhabitants.

Moscow is the largest metropolis on the planet

The capital of the Russian Federation is one of the largest megacities in the world. It is very difficult to say how many residents live in Moscow. Official sources talk about twelve million people, unofficial sources give other figures: from thirteen to fifteen million. Experts, in turn, predict that in the coming decades the population of Moscow may even increase to twenty million people.

Moscow is included in the list of 25 so-called “global” cities (according to Foreign Policy magazine). These are the cities that make the most significant contribution to the development of world civilization.

Moscow is not only a significant industrial, political, scientific, educational and financial center of Europe, but also a tourist center. Four sites of the Russian capital are included in the UNESCO heritage list.

Finally...

In total, approximately 25% of the country’s population lives in 15 million-plus cities in Russia. And all these cities continue to attract everything large quantity of people.

The largest cities in Russia by population are, of course, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. All of them have significant industrial, cultural, as well as scientific and educational potential.

Moscow, July 19 - “News. Economy". Every year the population of Russian cities is increasing. Demographics is one of the main economic indicators urban development, so it is important to monitor the dynamics of population changes. INNOV has prepared a list of the largest cities in Russia. The population of cities was used as the main indicator. According to Rosstat, large cities in Russia can be divided into several groups according to population size. Among them are cities with a population of 1.5 million to 500 thousand inhabitants (15 cities), 43 cities with a population of 500 thousand to 250 thousand inhabitants, and 90 cities with a population of 250 thousand to 100 thousand people. Below we present the top 10 largest cities in Russia. 1. Moscow

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 12,330,126 Change since 2015: +1.09% Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation, a city of federal significance, the administrative center of the Central Federal District and the center of the Moscow Region, which it is not part of. The largest city in Russia by population and its subject, the most populous of the cities located entirely in Europe, is among the top ten cities in the world by population. Center of the Moscow urban agglomeration. 2. St. Petersburg

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 5,225,690 Change since 2015: +0.65% St. Petersburg is the second most populous city in Russia. City of federal significance. Administrative center of the Northwestern Federal District and Leningrad Region. St. Petersburg is the northernmost city in the world with a population of more than one million people. Among cities entirely located in Europe, St. Petersburg is the third most populous and also the first non-capital city in terms of population. 3. Novosibirsk

Population: (as of January 1, 2016): 1,584,138 Change since 2015: +1.09% Novosibirsk is the third largest city in Russia by population and thirteenth by area, and has the status of an urban district. The administrative center of the Siberian Federal District, the Novosibirsk Region and its constituent Novosibirsk District; the city is the center of the Novosibirsk agglomeration. Trade, business, cultural, industrial, transport and science Center federal significance. 4. Ekaterinburg

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,444,439 Change since 2015: 1.15% Ekaterinburg is a city in Russia, the administrative center of the Ural Federal District and the Sverdlovsk Region. It is the largest administrative, cultural, scientific and educational center of the Ural region. Ekaterinburg is the fourth most populous city (after Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk) in Russia. The Yekaterinburg agglomeration is the fourth largest agglomeration in Russia. Refers to number three the most developed post-industrial agglomerations of the country. 5. Nizhny Novgorod

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,266,871 Change since 2015: -0.07% Nizhny Novgorod is a city in central Russia, the administrative center of the Volga Federal District and the Nizhny Novgorod Region. Nizhny Novgorod is an important economic, industrial, scientific, educational and cultural center of Russia, the largest transport hub and government center of the entire Volga Federal District. The city is one of the main destinations for river tourism in Russia. The historical part of the city is rich in attractions and is a popular tourist center. 6. Kazan

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,216,965 Change since 2015: +0.94% Kazan is a city in the Russian Federation, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, a large port on the left bank of the Volga River, at the confluence of the Kazanka River. One of the largest religious, economic, political, scientific, educational, cultural and sports centers in Russia. The Kazan Kremlin is among the objects World Heritage UNESCO. The city has a registered brand “the third capital of Russia”. Kazan is the largest city in the Volga economic region. A compact spatial grouping of settlements has formed around Kazan, constituting one of the largest urban agglomerations in the Russian Federation. 7. Chelyabinsk

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,191,994 Change since 2015: +0.73% Chelyabinsk is the seventh largest city in the Russian Federation by number of inhabitants, the fourteenth largest by area, the administrative center of the Chelyabinsk region. Chelyabinsk is the seventh largest city in the Russian Federation by population and the second in the Urals federal district. In 2016, a forecast was made according to which the population of Chelyabinsk should decline from this year, but the number of residents continues to grow. 8. Omsk

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,178,079 Change since 2015: +0.36% Omsk is one of the largest cities in Russia, the administrative center of the Omsk region, located at the confluence of the Irtysh and Om rivers. Omsk is a large industrial center with enterprises in various industries, including defense and aerospace. It is a million-plus city, the second most populous in Siberia and the eighth in Russia. The Omsk agglomeration has more than 1.2 million people. 9. Samara

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,170,910 Change since 2015: -0.08% Samara is a city in the Middle Volga region of Russia, the center of the Volga economic region and the Samara region, forms the Samara urban district. It is the ninth most populous city in Russia. Over 2.7 million people live within the agglomeration (the third most populous in Russia). A large economic, transport, scientific, educational and cultural center. Main industries: mechanical engineering, oil refining and food industry. 10. Rostov-on-Don

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,119,875 Change since 2015: +0.45% Rostov-on-Don is the largest city in the south of the Russian Federation, the administrative center of the Southern Federal District and the Rostov region. With a population of 1,119,875 people, it is the tenth most populous city in Russia. It is also the 30th most populous city in Europe. Ranks 1st among cities in the Southern Federal District. Over 2.16 million people live within the Rostov agglomeration (the fourth largest agglomeration in the country), the Rostov-Shakhty polycentric agglomeration-conurbation has about 2.7 million inhabitants (the third largest in the country). The city is a large administrative, cultural, scientific, educational, industrial center and the most important transport hub in the South of Russia. Unofficially, Rostov is called the “Gateway of the Caucasus” and southern capital Russia.

According to operational data from Rosstat as of July 1, 2017: the estimated permanent population of the Russian Federation was 146.8 million people. Since the beginning of the year, the number of residents of Russia has decreased by 17.0 thousand people, or 0.01% as a result of the current natural population decline. Migration growth by 85.7% compensated for the numerical losses of the population. This picture has developed largely due to a decrease in the birth rate compared to the same period last year by 107.4 thousand people.
The urban population of the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2017 is 109,032,363 people, the rural population is 37,772,009 people.

Past years

The total population of Russia as of January 1, 2016 was 146,544,710 people (including Crimea) according to Rosstat. (according to data from 03/09/2016 on population estimates as of 01/01/2016).
The population of Russia as of January 1, 2015 was 146,267,288 people.

The population of the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2014 was 143,666,931 people. In 2014, the population increased by 2,600,357 people. The increase in population in 2014 occurred not only due to migration and natural growth, but also due to the formation of two new subjects of the Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

Chart of fertility and mortality by years 1950-2014.

Dynamics of changes in the population of Russia by year

The data is given: 1926 - according to the census as of December 17, 1939 - according to the census as of January 17, 1970. - according to the census as of January 15, 2010 - according to the census as of October 14, for other years - the estimate as of January 1 of the corresponding year. 1897, 1926, 1939 - current population, for subsequent years - permanent population.
The table shows the population within the borders of modern Russia:
1897: 45 central, Siberian and North Caucasian provinces, with the exception of Central Asian, Transcaucasian, Polish, Baltic, Little Russian, Belarusian and Novorossiysk (including Crimea). 1926: borders of the RSFSR (minus the Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Crimean ASSR) and Tuva. 1939: borders of the RSFSR (minus the Crimean ASSR) and Tuva. 1970: borders of the RSFSR. 2015: including Crimea.

Russia population statistics

The population density of Russia is 8.57 people/km2 (2017). The population is distributed extremely unevenly: 68.3% of Russians live in the European part of Russia, which makes up 20.82% of the territory. The population density of European Russia is 27 people/km2, and Asian Russia is 3 people/km2. Urban population -74.27% (2017).

Russia is the largest country in the world by area. The area of ​​Russia is 17,125,191 km² (with Crimea) (as of 2017).

Fertility in Russia (fertility rate): 12.9 births/1000 population, mortality in Russia: 12.9 deaths/1000 population. Natural increase: −0.02. Total fertility rate: 1,762 children/woman. Migration growth rate: 1.8 migrants / 1000 population. (as of 2017).
Life expectancy for 2016 (for 2015): 71.39 years (Men - 65.92 years, Women - 76.71 years).

According to operational media information dated December 7, 2017: according to the Russian Minister of Health: “In less than a year in 2017, the life expectancy of Russians reached a national historical [maximum] of 72.6 years. At the same time, since 2005, life expectancy in the Russian Federation has increased by an average of 7.2 years. For men by 8.6 years, for women – by five years.”

Age structure of the Russian population: 0-14 years old 17.4%, 15-64 years old 68.2%, 65 years old and older 14.4% (2017).
Ratio of men and women in Russia: General – 1.157 women/men: 0-4 years – 0.946, 30-34 years – 1, 65-69 years – 1.595, 80 years and older – 3.041. (2017).

Population of Russian regions

In total, there are 85 regions in Russia - subjects of the Russian Federation, including 22 republics, 9 territories, 46 regions, 3 federal cities, 1 autonomous region, 4 autonomous districts.

The most populated region of Russia is the city of Moscow with a population of 12,380,664 people as of January 1, 2017. The second largest region of Russia is the Moscow region with a population of 7,423,470 people. Third - Krasnodar region with a population of 5,570,945 people.

Population of Russian cities

As of January 1, 2017, there are 15 million-plus cities in Russia, a total of 170 cities with a population of more than 100 thousand people. Most populated city Russia - Moscow with a population of 12,380,664 people as of January 1, 2017, according to data. Next comes St. Petersburg with a population of 5,281,579 people.

Population of federal districts of Russia

There are 8 federal districts in Russia.

Central federal district– the largest federal district of Russia. The population of the Central Federal District in 2016 is 39,209,582 people. Next is the Volga Federal District with a population of 29,636,574 people. The population of the Siberian Federal District is 19,326,196 people.

In federal districts, the largest population increase in 2016 (as of January 1, 2017) was observed in the Central Federal District - by 105,263 people. Next is the Southern Federal District with an increase of 60,509 people and the North Caucasus Federal District with an increase of 57,769 people. The largest decline was recorded in the Volga Federal District by 37,070 people.

National composition of Russia

Data on the national composition of Russia are determined through a written survey of the population as part of the All-Russian population census. The population of Russia according to the 2010 census was 142,856,536 people, of which 137,227,107 people or 96.06% indicated their nationality. There are only 7 peoples in the Russian Federation with a population of more than 1 million people: Russians (111,016,896 or 80.9% of those who indicated nationality), Tatars (5,310,649 or 3.87%), Ukrainians (1,927,988 or 1. 41%), Bashkirs (1,584,554 or 1.16%), Chuvash (1,435,872 or 1.05%), Chechens (1,431,360 or 1.04%) and Armenians (1,182,388 or 0.86% ).

Rate of natural population growth in Russia by region (per thousand people).

Population density map of Russia by municipality. entities (districts) as of January 1. 2013, in Crimea as of 01/01/2016.

Map of Russia by region with Crimea. Federal structure of Russia.

Percentage of Russians by regions/regions of Russia.

Main demographic indicators of Russia. Statistics

TFR - total fertility rate (total), LE - life expectancy, OK - general coefficient (for example, natural increase), OK - General coefficient (per 1000), OKS - General mortality rate (per 1000), OK EP - General coefficient natural increase
Before the Great Patriotic War
Natural movement of the population before the Great Patriotic War according to demographers E. M. Andreev, L. E. Darsky, T. L. Kharkova

In the section on the question at what population size is city status assigned? given by the author Separate yourself the best answer is
Source:

Answer from Iadomir Piglitsin[master]
In Russia, a settlement can acquire the status of a city if it is home to at least 12 thousand inhabitants and at least 85% of the population is employed outside Agriculture.

Answer from pregnant[newbie]
In Russia, a settlement can acquire the status of a city if it is home to at least 12 thousand inhabitants and at least 85% of the population is employed outside agriculture. However, in Russia there are quite a lot (208 out of 1092) cities with a population of less than 12 thousand people. Their city status is associated with historical factors, as well as with changes in the population of settlements that already had city status. On the other hand, some settlements that meet these requirements do not seek to obtain city status, so as not to lose certain benefits.
Source: Wikipedia

Answer from Oleg Abarnikov[guru]
IN different countries differently. In Russia, the approximate threshold is 12 thousand, but the functional-sectoral structure of the city must correspond to this status, i.e. the majority of the population should be involved not in agriculture, but in industry, the service sector, tertiary, quaternary sectors of the economy.
In other countries, the criteria generally differ radically. Thus, in Australia, a settlement with 250 inhabitants can also receive city status (in addition, we remember that in English language“city” can be expressed in several words - city - large city, town - small town, etc.), in the USA there are states with approximately the same requirements, and there are those, like Wyoming, where town status will be given to a city with a population of at least 4 thousand inhabitants. On the other hand, in India, if a settlement has not reached 20 thousand inhabitants, then it is considered a village :) In Japan, the threshold is generally 30 thousand.

Answer from chevron[guru]
There are at least 10,000 people in Ukraine.

Answer from Antonov Konstantin[active]
In Russia with a population >12000

Answer from Kate[active]
In Russia, a settlement can acquire the status of a city if it is home to at least 12 thousand inhabitants and at least 85% of the population is employed outside agriculture. However, in Russia there are quite a lot (208 out of 1092) cities with a population of less than 12 thousand people. Their city status is associated with historical factors, as well as with changes in the population of settlements that already had city status. On the other hand, some settlements that meet these requirements do not seek to obtain city status, so as not to lose certain benefits.

The largest settlements in the Russian Federation are traditionally selected according to two criteria: occupied territory and population. The area is determined by the city master plan. Population – the All-Russian Population Census, or Rosstat data, taking into account birth and death rates, if they are current.

There are 15 largest cities in Russia with a population of more than 1 million people. According to this indicator, Russia ranks third in the world. And their number continues to grow. More recently, Krasnoyarsk and Voronezh entered this category. We present to you the top ten most densely populated Russian megacities.

Population: 1,125 thousand people.

Rostov-on-Don became a million-plus city relatively recently - only thirty years ago. It is the only one among the ten largest cities in Russia that does not have its own metro. Its construction in 2018 will only be discussed. For now, the Rostov administration is busy preparing for the upcoming World Cup.

Population: 1,170 thousand people.

In penultimate place in the list of the largest cities in Russia by population is the administrative center of the Volga region - Samara. True, starting from 1985, the population preferred to leave Samara as soon as possible, until by 2005 the situation improved. And now the city is even experiencing a slight increase in migration.

Population: 1,178 thousand people.

The migration situation in Omsk is not brilliant - many educated Omsk residents prefer to move to Moscow, St. Petersburg and neighboring Novosibirsk and Tyumen. However, since 2010, the population in the city has been growing steadily, mostly due to the redistribution of the population in the region.

Population: 1,199 thousand people.

Unfortunately, Chelyabinsk is experiencing problems with livability: residents complain about an abundance of dirt, giant puddles in the spring and summer, when due to non-working storm sewer entire neighborhoods are turning into something like Venice. It is not surprising that about 70% of Chelyabinsk residents are thinking about changing their place of residence.

Population: 1,232 thousand people.

The capital of the Republic of Tatarstan rightfully bears the title of one of the most comfortable cities in Russia. This is likely one of the reasons why the city has experienced steady population growth since the mid-90s. And since 2009, Kazan has become a plus not only due to migration, but also due to natural growth.

Population: 1,262 thousand people.

Ancient and very beautiful city not worried better times in terms of the number of residents. The peak was in 1991, when its population exceeded 1,445 thousand people, and since then it has only been falling. A slight increase was observed only in 2012–2015, when the population increased by approximately 10 thousand people.

Population: 1,456 thousand people.

The “Capital of the Urals” became a million-plus city exactly 50 years ago, in 1967. Since then, having survived the population decline in the “hungry 90s,” the city’s population has been growing slowly but steadily. It is increasing, as in all large cities of Russia, mainly due to migrants. But not the ones you thought about - the population replenishment mainly (more than 50%) comes from the Sverdlovsk region.

Population: 1,602 thousand people.

The third place in the list of the largest cities in Russia is occupied by the center of the Novosibirsk region. In addition to its million-plus status, the city can also boast of being among the top 50 cities in the world with the longest traffic jams. True, Novosibirsk residents are hardly happy about such a record.

However, unlike traffic jams, the demographic situation in the city is more or less successful. A number of regional and state programs aimed at increasing the birth rate and reducing mortality are being implemented in Novosibirsk. For example, at the birth of a third or subsequent child, the family is awarded a regional certificate for 100 thousand rubles.

According to city authorities, if the current dynamics of population growth continue, then by 2025 the number of residents of the Novosibirsk region will increase to 2.9 million people.

Population: 5,282 thousand people.

The cultural capital of Russia, where polite intellectuals bow to each other, raising their berets, and where such animals as the “bun” and “curb” live, is demonstrating steady growth in both area and population.

True, this was not always the case; Since the end of the USSR, the population preferred to leave St. Petersburg. And only since 2012, positive dynamics began to be observed. In the same year, the city's five millionth resident was born (for the second time in its history).

1. Moscow

Population: 12,381 thousand people.

It is unlikely that the answer to the question: “Which is the most Big city in Russia?" came as a surprise to someone. Moscow is the largest city in Europe by population, but is not among the first.

More than 12 million people live here, and if we add to this the population of the near Moscow region, who regularly travel to Moscow for work and shopping, then the figure turns out to be more than impressive - 16 million. Due to the current economic situation in the country, the population is both modern Babylon and the surrounding areas will only increase. According to experts, by 2030 this number could reach 13.6 million people.

Muscovites are traditionally not happy with those who have come in large numbers, and those who have come in large numbers shrug their shoulders: “I want to live, and I even want to live well.”

The largest cities in Russia by area

It would seem that the list of the largest cities in Russia by area should coincide with the list of the most populated cities, but this is not the case. In addition to the simple population size, the area of ​​the city is influenced by many factors - from the historical method of territorial growth to the number of industrial enterprises in the city. Therefore, some positions in the ranking can surprise the reader.

Area: 541.4 km²

Samara opens the top 10 largest cities in Russia. It stretches along the western bank of the Volga River for more than 50 km with a width of 20 km.

Area: 566.9 km²

The population of Omsk exceeded a million people back in 1979, the city’s territory is large and, according to Soviet tradition, the city should have acquired a metro. However, the nineties struck, and construction since then has been going neither shaky nor slow, but in general nothing. There is not even enough money for conservation.

Area: 596.51 km²

Voronezh became a million-plus city quite recently - in 2013. Some areas in it are almost exclusively private sector - houses, from comfortable cottages to village ones, garages, vegetable gardens.

Area: 614.16 km²

Thanks to the historically established radial-ring development, Kazan is a fairly compact city with a convenient layout. Despite its size, the capital of Tatarstan is the only million-plus city in Russia that completely recycles its waste and has managed to maintain a more or less favorable environmental situation.

Area: 621 km²

The only regional city that is not an administrative center and a million-plus population, Orsk seems to have been included in this rating by mistake. Its population is only 230 thousand people, who occupy an area of ​​621 km2, with a very low density (only 370 people per km2). The reason for such a huge territory with a small number of inhabitants is the large number of industrial enterprises within the city.

Area: 707.93 km²

Ufa residents have a spacious place to live - each person has 698 m2 of the total territory of the city. At the same time, Ufa has the lowest density of the street network among Russian megacities, which often manifests itself in huge multi-kilometer traffic jams.

Area: 799.68 km²

Perm became a million-plus city in 1979, then in the nineties, due to a general decline in the population, it lost this status for more than 20 years. Only in 2012 was it possible to return it. Permians live freely (the population density is not too high, 1310 people per km2) and green - total area green spaces account for more than a third of the citywide total.

Area: 859.4 km²

Although Volgograd became a million-plus city relatively recently - in 1991, it has long been in the top three in terms of territory size. The reason is the historically uneven urban development, where apartment buildings, village houses with plots and empty steppe spaces.

Area: 1439 km²

Unlike the compact radial-beam “old” Moscow, St. Petersburg is freely spread out at the mouth of the Neva. The length of the city is more than 90 km. One of the features of the city is the abundance of water spaces, occupying 7% of the entire territory.

1. Moscow

Area: 2561.5 km²

And the absolute first place among the largest cities in Russia is given to Moscow. Its area is 1.5 times larger than the area of ​​the second place in the ranking, St. Petersburg. True, until 2012, the territory of Moscow was not so impressive - only 1100 km2. It grew so significantly due to the annexation of the southwestern territories, the total area of ​​which reaches 1480 km2.