2018 Edition

Background

Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new ROMANOV Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the formation of a parliament and other reforms. Devastating defeats and food shortages in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the ROMANOV Dynasty. The communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. After defeating Germany in World War II as part of an alliance with the US (1939-1945), the USSR expanded its territory and influence in Eastern Europe and emerged as a global power. The USSR was the principal adversary of the US during the Cold War (1947-1991). The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the decades following Stalin's rule, until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 led to the dissolution of the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent states. Following economic and political turmoil during President Boris YELTSIN's term (1991-99), Russia shifted toward a centralized authoritarian state under President Vladimir PUTIN (2000-2008, 2012-present) in which the regime seeks to legitimize its rule through managed elections, populist appeals, a foreign policy focused on enhancing the country's geopolitical influence, and commodity-based economic growth. Russia faces a largely subdued rebel movement in Chechnya and some other surrounding regions, although violence still occurs throughout the North Caucasus.

Area

land

16,377,742 sq km

total

17,098,242 sq km

water

720,500 sq km

Area Comparative

approximately 1.8 times the size of the US

Climate

ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast

Coastline

37,653 km

Elevation

elevation extremes

-28 m lowest point: Caspian Sea

mean elevation

600 m

note

5642 highest point: Gora El'brus (highest point in Europe)

Environment Current Issues

air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; nuclear waste disposal; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination from toxic waste; urban solid waste management; abandoned stocks of obsolete pesticides

Environment International Agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Geographic Coordinates

60 00 N, 100 00 E

Geography Note

note

note 1: largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture note 2: Russia's far east, particularly the Kamchatka Peninsula, lies along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire note 3: Mount El'brus is Europe's tallest peak; Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, is estimated to hold one fifth of the world's fresh surface waternote 4: Kaliningrad oblast is an exclave annexed from Germany following World War II (it was formerly part of East Prussia); its capital city of Kaliningrad - formerly Koenigsberg - is the only Baltic port in Russia that remains ice free in the winter

Irrigated Land

43,000 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

border countries (15)

Azerbaijan 338 km, Belarus 1312 km, China (southeast) 4133 km, China (south) 46 km, Estonia 324 km, Finland 1309 km, Georgia 894 km, Kazakhstan 7644 km, North Korea 18 km, Latvia 332 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 261 km, Mongolia 3452 km, Norway 191 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 210 km, Ukraine 1944 km

total

22,408 km

Land Use

arable land: 7.3% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 0.1% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 5.7% (2011 est.)

agricultural land

13.1% (2011 est.)

forest

49.4% (2011 est.)

other

37.5% (2011 est.)

Location

North Asia bordering the Arctic Ocean, extending from Europe (the portion west of the Urals) to the North Pacific Ocean

Map References

Asia

Maritime Claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural Hazards

permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European Russiavolcanism: significant volcanic activity on the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands; the peninsula alone is home to some 29 historically active volcanoes, with dozens more in the Kuril Islands; Kliuchevskoi (4,835 m), which erupted in 2007 and 2010, is Kamchatka's most active volcano; Avachinsky and Koryaksky volcanoes, which pose a threat to the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Bezymianny, Chikurachki, Ebeko, Gorely, Grozny, Karymsky, Ketoi, Kronotsky, Ksudach, Medvezhia, Mutnovsky, Sarychev Peak, Shiveluch, Tiatia, Tolbachik, and Zheltovsky; see note 2 under "Geography - note"

Natural Resources

wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, bauxite, reserves of rare earth elements, timber, note, formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources

Population Distribution

population is heavily concentrated in the westernmost fifth of the country extending from the Baltic Sea, south to the Caspian Sea, and eastward parallel to the Kazakh border; elsewhere, sizeable pockets are isolated and generally found in the south

Terrain

broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions

Age Structure

0-14 years

17.21% (male 12,566,314 /female 11,896,416)

15-24 years

9.41% (male 6,840,759 /female 6,530,991)

25-54 years

44.21% (male 30,868,831 /female 31,960,407)

55-64 years

14.51% (male 8,907,031 /female 11,709,921)

65 years and over

14.66% (male 6,565,308 /female 14,276,798) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

10.7 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

68% (2011)

note

percent of women aged 15-44

Death Rate

13.4 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

elderly dependency ratio

19.4 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio

5.2 (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

43.5 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio

24.2 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

improved: urban: 98.9% of population

rural: 91.2% of population

total: 96.9% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.1% of population

rural: 8.8% of population

total: 3.1% of population (2015 est.)

Education Expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2012)

Ethnic Groups

Russian 77.7%, Tatar 3.7%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Bashkir 1.1%, Chuvash 1%, Chechen 1%, other 10.2%, unspecified 3.9% (2010 est.)

note

nearly 200 national and/or ethnic groups are represented in Russia's 2010 census

Health Expenditures

7.1% of GDP (2014)

Hiv Aids Adult Prevalence Rate

1.2% (2017 est.)

Hiv Aids Deaths

NA

Hiv Aids People Living With Hiv Aids

1 million (2017 est.)

Hospital Bed Density

8.2 beds/1,000 population (2013)

Infant Mortality Rate

female

5.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male

7.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

total

6.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Russian (official) 85.7%, Tatar 3.2%, Chechen 1%, other 10.1% (2010 est.)

note

data represent native language spoken

Life Expectancy At Birth

female

77.3 years (2018 est.)

male

65.6 years (2018 est.)

total population

71.3 years (2018 est.)

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

female

99.6% (2015 est.)

male

99.7% (2015 est.)

total population

99.7% (2015 est.)

Major Infectious Diseases

degree of risk

intermediate (2016)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea (2016)

vectorborne diseases

tickborne encephalitis (2016)

Major Urban Areas Population

12.41 million MOSCOW (capital), 5.383 million Saint Petersburg, 1.636 million Novosibirsk, 1.482 million Yekaterinburg, 1.264 million Nizhniy Novgorod, 1.164 million Samara (2018)

Maternal Mortality Rate

25 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

Median Age

female

42.7 years (2018 est.)

male

36.9 years

total

39.8 years

Mother S Mean Age At First Birth

24.6 years (2009 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Russian

noun

Russian(s)

Net Migration Rate

1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

23.1% (2016)

Physicians Density

3.98 physicians/1,000 population (2015)

Population

142,122,776 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

-0.11% (2018 est.)

Religions

Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.)

note

estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of official atheism under Soviet rule; Russia officially recognizes Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism as the country's traditional religions

Sanitation Facility Access

improved: urban: 77% of population (2015 est.)

rural: 58.7% of population (2015 est.)

total: 72.2% of population (2015 est.)

unimproved: urban: 23% of population (2015 est.)

rural: 41.3% of population (2015 est.)

total: 27.8% of population (2015 est.)

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

female

15 years (2014)

male

15 years (2014)

total

15 years (2014)

Sex Ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years

0.96 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years

0.75 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over

0.45 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population

0.86 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.61 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

female

17% (2015 est.)

male

15.4% (2015 est.)

total

16.1% (2015 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.18% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

urban population

74.4% of total population (2018)

Administrative Divisions

46 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respubliki, singular - respublika), 4 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnyye okrugi, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 9 krays (kraya, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (goroda, singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast (avtonomnaya oblast') oblasts: Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl'; republics: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan (Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya (Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas), Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk), Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola), Mordoviya (Saransk), North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz), Sakha [Yakutiya] (Yakutsk), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk); autonomous okrugs: Chukotka (Anadyr'), Khanty-Mansi-Yugra (Khanty-Mansiysk), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard); krays: Altay (Barnaul), Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Perm', Primorskiy [Maritime] (Vladivostok), Stavropol', Zabaykal'sk [Transbaikal] (Chita); federal cities: Moscow [Moskva], Saint Petersburg [Sankt-Peterburg]; autonomous oblast: Yevreyskaya [Jewish] (Birobidzhan)

note

administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) note: the United States does not recognize Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the municipality of Sevastopol, nor their redesignation as the "Republic of Crimea" and the "Federal City of Sevastopol"

Capital

geographic coordinates

55 45 N, 37 36 E

name

Moscow

note

Russia has 11 time zones, the largest number of contiguous time zones of any country in the world; in 2014, two time zones were added and DST dropped

time difference

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of Russia

dual citizenship recognized

yes

residency requirement for naturalization

3-5 years

Constitution

amendments

proposed by the president of the Russian Federation, by either house of the Federal Assembly, by the government of the Russian Federation, or by legislative (representative) bodies of the Federation's constituent entities; proposals to amend the government’s constitutional system, human and civil rights and freedoms, and procedures for amending or drafting a new constitution require formation of a Constitutional Assembly; passage of such amendments requires two-thirds majority vote of its total membership; passage in a referendum requires participation of an absolute majority of eligible voters and an absolute majority of valid votes; approval of proposed amendments to the government structure, authorities, and procedures requires approval by the legislative bodies of at least two-thirds of the Russian Federation's constituent entities; amended 2008, 2014 (2017)

history

several previous (during Russian Empire and Soviet era); latest drafted 12 July 1993, adopted by referendum 12 December 1993, effective 25 December 1993 (2017)

Country Name

conventional long form

Russian Federation

conventional short form

Russia

etymology

Russian lands were generally referred to as Muscovy until PETER I officially declared the Russian Empire in 1721; the new name sought to invoke the patrimony of the medieval eastern European Rus state centered on Kyiv in present-day Ukraine; the Rus were a Varangian (eastern Viking) elite that imposed their rule and eventually their name on their Slavic subjects

former

Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

local long form

Rossiyskaya Federatsiya

local short form

Rossiya

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

chief of mission

Ambassador Jon HUNTSMAN (since 3 October 2017)

consulate(s) general

Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg

embassy

Bolshoy Deviatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow

FAX

[7] (495) 728-5090

mailing address

PSC-77, APO AE 09721

telephone

[7] (495) 728-5000

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

chancery

2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Anatoliy Ivanovich ANTONOV (since 8 September 2017)

consulate(s) general

Houston, New York, Seattle

FAX

[1] (202) 298-5735

telephone

[1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708

Executive Branch

cabinet

the "Government" is composed of the premier, his deputies, and ministers, all appointed by the president; the premier is also confirmed by the Duma

chief of state

President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (since 7 May 2012)

election results

Vladimir PUTIN reelected president; percent of vote - Vladimir PUTIN (independent) 77.5%, Pavel GRUDININ (CPRF) 11.9%, Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY (LDPR) 5.7%, other 5.8%; Dmitriy MEDVEDEV (United Russia) reapproved as premier by Duma on 8 May 2018; vote - 374 to 56

elections/appointments

president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 18 March 2018 (next to be held in March 2024); note - term length extended to 6 years from 4 years in late 2008, effective after the 2012 election; there is no vice president; premier appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma

head of government

Premier Dmitriy Anatolyevich MEDVEDEV (since 8 May 2012); First Deputy Premier Anton Germanovich SILUANOV (since 18 May 2018); Deputy Premiers Maksim Alekseyevich AKIMOV (since 18 May 2018), Yuriy Ivanovich BORISOV (since 18 May 2018), Konstantin Anatolyevich CHUYCHENKO (since 18 May 2018), Tatyana Alekseyevna GOLIKOVA (since 18 May 2018), Olga Yuryevna GOLODETS (since 21 May 2012), Aleksey Vasilevich GORDEYEV (since 18 May 2018), Dmitriy Nikolayevich KOZAK (since 14 October 2008), Vitaliy Leontyevich MUTKO (since 19 October 2016); Yuriy Petrovich TRUTNEV (since 31 August 2013)

note

there is also a Presidential Administration that provides staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a Security Council also reports directly to the president

Flag Description

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red

note

the colors may have been based on those of the Dutch flag; despite many popular interpretations, there is no official meaning assigned to the colors of the Russian flag; this flag inspired several other Slav countries to adopt horizontal tricolors of the same colors but in different arrangements, and so red, blue, and white became the Pan-Slav colors

Government Type

semi-presidential federation

Independence

25 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union; Russian SFSR renamed Russian Federation); notable earlier dates: 1157 (Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal created); 16 January 1547 (Tsardom of Muscovy established); 22 October 1721 (Russian Empire proclaimed); 30 December 1922 (Soviet Union established)

International Law Organization Participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International Organization Participation

APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BRICS, BSEC, CBSS, CD, CE, CERN (observer), CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAEU, EAPC, EAS, EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-20, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UN Security Council (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial Branch

highest courts

Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (consists of 170 members organized into the Judicial Panel for Civil Affairs, the Judicial Panel for Criminal Affairs, and the Military Panel); Constitutional Court (consists of 19 members); note - in February 2014, Russia’s Superior Court of Arbitration was abolished and its former authorities transferred to the Supreme Court, which in addition is the country’s highest judicial authority for appeals, civil, criminal, administrative, and military cases, and the disciplinary judicial board, which has jurisdiction over economic disputes

judge selection and term of office

all members of Russia's 3 highest courts nominated by the president and appointed by the Federation Council (the upper house of the legislature); members of all 3 courts appointed for life

subordinate courts

Higher Arbitration Court; regional (kray) and provincial (oblast) courts; Moscow and St. Petersburg city courts; autonomous province and district courts; note - the 21 Russian Republics have court systems specified by their own constitutions

Legal System

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative Branch

description

bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of:Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (170 seats; 2 members in each of the 83 federal administrative units (see note below) - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg - appointed by the top executive and legislative officials; members serve 4-year terms) State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats (see note below); as of February 2014, the electoral system reverted to a mixed electoral system for the 2016 election, in which one-half of the members are directly elected by simple majority vote and one-half directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

State Duma - United Russia 54.2%, CPRF 13.3%, LDPR 13.1%, A Just Russia 6.2%, Rodina 1.5%, CP 0.2%, other minor parties 11.5%; seats by party - United Russia 343, CPRF 42, LDPR 39, A Just Russia 23, Rodina 1, CP 1, independent 1; seats by party as of December 2018 - United Russia 341, CPRF 43, LDPR 39, A Just Russia 23, independent 2, vacant 2

elections

State Duma - last held on 18 September 2016 (next to be held in fall 2021)

note

the State Duma now includes 3 representatives from the "Republic of Crimea," while the Federation Council includes 2 each from the "Republic of Crimea" and the "Federal City of Sevastopol," both regions that Russia occupied and attempted to annex from Ukraine and that the US does not recognize as part of Russia

National Anthem

lyrics/music

Sergey Vladimirovich MIKHALKOV/Aleksandr Vasilyevich ALEKSANDROV

name

"Gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii" (National Anthem of the Russian Federation)

note

in 2000, Russia adopted the tune of the anthem of the former Soviet Union (composed in 1939); the lyrics, also adopted in 2000, were written by the same person who authored the Soviet lyrics in 1943

National Holiday

Russia Day, 12 June (1990); note - commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR)

National Symbol S

bear, double-headed eagle; national colors: white, blue, red

Political Parties And Leaders

A Just Russia [Sergey MIRONOV]Civic Platform or CP [Rifat SHAYKHUTDINOV]Communist Party of the Russian Federation or CPRF [Gennadiy ZYUGANOV]Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR [Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY]Rodina [Aleksei ZHURAVLYOV]United Russia [Dmitriy MEDVEDEV]

note

 64 political parties are registered with Russia's Ministry of Justice (as of September 2018), but only four parties maintain representation in Russia's national legislature

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture Products

grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk

Budget

expenditures

281.4 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

258.6 billion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

-1.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

10% (31 December 2016 est.)

11% (3 August 2015)

note

this is the so-called refinancing rate, but in Russia banks do not get refinancing at this rate; this is a reference rate used primarily for fiscal purposes

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

10.55% (31 December 2017 est.)

12.59% (31 December 2016 est.)

Current Account Balance

$35.44 billion (2017 est.)

$24.4 billion (2016 est.)

Debt External

$539.6 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$434.8 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index

41.2 (2015)

41.9 (2013)

Economy Overview

Russia has undergone significant changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union, moving from a centrally planned economy towards a more market-based system. Both economic growth and reform have stalled in recent years, however, and Russia remains a predominantly statist economy with a high concentration of wealth in officials' hands. Economic reforms in the 1990s privatized most industry, with notable exceptions in the energy, transportation, banking, and defense-related sectors. The protection of property rights is still weak, and the state continues to interfere in the free operation of the private sector.Russia is one of the world's leading producers of oil and natural gas, and is also a top exporter of metals such as steel and primary aluminum. Russia is heavily dependent on the movement of world commodity prices as reliance on commodity exports makes it vulnerable to boom and bust cycles that follow the volatile swings in global prices. The economy, which had averaged 7% growth during the 1998-2008 period as oil prices rose rapidly, has seen diminishing growth rates since then due to the exhaustion of Russia’s commodity-based growth model.A combination of falling oil prices, international sanctions, and structural limitations pushed Russia into a deep recession in 2015, with GDP falling by close to 2.8%. The downturn continued through 2016, with GDP contracting another 0.2%, but was reversed in 2017 as world demand picked up. Government support for import substitution has increased recently in an effort to diversify the economy away from extractive industries.

Exchange Rates

Russian rubles (RUB) per US dollar -

58.39 (2017 est.)

67.056 (2016 est.)

67.056 (2015 est.)

60.938 (2014 est.)

38.378 (2013 est.)

Exports

$353 billion (2017 est.)

$281.9 billion (2016 est.)

Exports Commodities

petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood and wood products, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures

Exports Partners

China 10.9%, Netherlands 10%, Germany 7.1%, Belarus 5.1%, Turkey 4.9% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

Gdp Composition By End Use

exports of goods and services

26.2% (2017 est.)

government consumption

18% (2017 est.)

household consumption

52.4% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-20.6% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

21.6% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

2.3% (2017 est.)

Gdp Composition By Sector Of Origin

agriculture

4.7% (2017 est.)

industry

32.4% (2017 est.)

services

62.3% (2017 est.)

Gdp Official Exchange Rate

$1.578 trillion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

Gdp Per Capita Ppp

$27,900 (2017 est.)

$27,500 (2016 est.)

$27,500 (2015 est.)

note

data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp Purchasing Power Parity

$4.016 trillion (2017 est.)

$3.955 trillion (2016 est.)

$3.963 trillion (2015 est.)

note

data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp Real Growth Rate

1.5% (2017 est.)

-0.2% (2016 est.)

-2.5% (2015 est.)

Gross National Saving

26.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

25.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

26.8% of GDP (2015 est.)

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

highest 10%

32.2% (2012 est.)

lowest 10%

32.2% (2012 est.)

Imports

$238 billion (2017 est.)

$191.6 billion (2016 est.)

Imports Commodities

machinery, vehicles, pharmaceutical products, plastic, semi-finished metal products, meat, fruits and nuts, optical and medical instruments, iron, steel

Imports Partners

China 21.2%, Germany 10.7%, US 5.6%, Belarus 5%, Italy 4.5%, France 4.2% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

-1% (2017 est.)

Industries

complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; defense industries (including radar, missile production, advanced electronic components), shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

3.7% (2017 est.)

7.1% (2016 est.)

Labor Force

76.53 million (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

agriculture

9.4%

industry

27.6%

services

63% (2016 est.)

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

$635.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$393.2 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$385.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line

13.3% (2015 est.)

Public Debt

15.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

16.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

note

data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment, debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

$432.7 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$377.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Broad Money

$255.2 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$195.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

$470.9 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$418 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment At Home

$535.2 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$461.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Domestic Credit

$940.4 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$827.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Narrow Money

$255.2 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$195.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Taxes And Other Revenues

16.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

5.2% (2017 est.)

5.5% (2016 est.)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

1.847 billion Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

4.921 million bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

76,220 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Production

10.58 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

80 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

electrification - total population

100% (2016)

Electricity Consumption

909.6 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

13.13 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

68% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

21% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

11% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

3.194 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

244.9 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

1.031 trillion kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

467.5 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

210.2 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

15.77 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

665.6 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

47.8 trillion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

3.65 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

2.671 million bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

41,920 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

6.076 million bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

22 (2017 est.)

total

30,872,788 (2017 est.)

Broadcast Media

13 national TV stations with the federal government owning 1 and holding a controlling interest in a second; state-owned Gazprom maintains a controlling interest in 2 of the national channels; government-affiliated Bank Rossiya owns controlling interest in a fourth and fifth, while a sixth national channel is owned by the Moscow city administration; the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian military, respectively, own 2 additional national channels; roughly 3,300 national, regional, and local TV stations with over two-thirds completely or partially controlled by the federal or local governments; satellite TV services are available; 2 state-run national radio networks with a third majority-owned by Gazprom; roughly 2,400 public and commercial radio stations (2016)

Internet Country Code

.ru; note - Russia also has responsibility for a legacy domain ".su" that was allocated to the Soviet Union and is being phased out

Internet Users

percent of population

76.4% (July 2016 est.)

total

108,772,470 (July 2016 est.)

Telephone System

domestic

cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low-density (2016)

general assessment

telecom sector impacted by sanctions related to the annexations in Ukraine; mobile market dominaed by four major operators; the estimated number of mobile subscribers jumped from fewer than 1 million in 1998 to 255 million in 2016; fixed-line service has improved but a large demand remains (2016)

international

country code - 7; connected internationally by undersea fiber -optic cables; satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems (2016)

Telephones Fixed Lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

22 (2017 est.)

total subscriptions

31,190,855 (2017 est.)

Telephones Mobile Cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

160 (2017 est.)

total subscriptions

227,341,873 (2017 est.)

Airports

1,218 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

123 (2017)

2,438 to 3,047 m

197 (2017)

914 to 1,523 m

95 (2017)

over 3,047 m

54 (2017)

total

594 (2017)

under 914 m

125 (2017)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

69 (2013)

2,438 to 3,047 m

13 (2013)

914 to 1,523 m

81 (2013)

over 3,047 m

4 (2013)

total

624 (2013)

under 914 m

457 (2013)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

RA (2016)

Heliports

49 (2013)

Merchant Marine

by type

bulk carrier 16, container ship 13, general cargo 874, oil tanker 411, other 1258 (2017)

total

2,572 (2017)

National Air Transport System

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

4,761,047,070 mt-km (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

76,846,126 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

661 (2015)

number of registered air carriers

32 (2015)

Pipelines

177700 km gas, 54800 km oil, 19300 km refined products (2016)

Ports And Terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Saint Petersburg (1,457,800) (2016)

LNG terminal(s) (export)

Sakhalin Island

major seaport(s)

Kaliningrad, Nakhodka, Novorossiysk, Primorsk, Vostochnyy

oil terminal(s)

Kavkaz oil terminal

river port(s)

Saint Petersburg (Neva River)

Railways

broad gauge

86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified) (2014)

narrow gauge

957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island) (2014)

note

an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serve industries

total

87,157 km (2014)

Roadways

paved

927,721 km (includes 39,143 km of expressways) (2012)

total

1,283,387 km (2012)

unpaved

355,666 km (2012)

Waterways

102,000 km (including 48,000 km with guaranteed depth; the 72,000-km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea) (2009)

Military Branches

Ground Troops (Sukhoputnyye Voyskia, SV), Navy (Voyenno-Morskoy Flot, VMF), Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Sily, VKS); Airborne Troops (Vozdushno-Desantnyye Voyska, VDV) and Missile Troops of Strategic Purpose (Raketnyye Voyska Strategicheskogo Naznacheniya, RVSN) referred to commonly as Strategic Rocket Forces, are independent "combat arms," not subordinate to any of the three branches (2017)

Military Expenditures

4.24% of GDP (2017)

5.4% of GDP (2016)

4.86% of GDP (2015)

4.1% of GDP (2014)

3.96% of GDP (2013)

Military Service Age And Obligation

18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; 1-year service obligation (conscripts can only be sent to combat zones after 6 months of training); reserve obligation for non-officers to age 50; enrollment in military schools from the age of 16, cadets classified as members of the armed forces (2018)

note

from 2016 to 2018, Russian officials assessed that about 76-79% of draft age males were sufficiently fit for military service

Disputes International

Russia remains concerned about the smuggling of poppy derivatives from Afghanistan through Central Asian countriesChina and Russia have demarcated the once disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in accordance with the 2004 Agreement, ending their centuries-long border disputesthe sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kurils," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilitiesRussia's military support and subsequent recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia independence in 2008 continue to sour relations with GeorgiaAzerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratified Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the seaNorway and Russia signed a comprehensive maritime boundary agreement in 2010various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia (Kareliya) and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union following World War II but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demandsRussia and Estonia signed a technical border agreement in May 2005, but Russia recalled its signature in June 2005 after the Estonian parliament added to its domestic ratification act a historical preamble referencing the Soviet occupation and Estonia's pre-war borders under the 1920 Treaty of TartuRussia contends that the preamble allows Estonia to make territorial claims on Russia in the future, while Estonian officials deny that the preamble has any legal impact on the treaty textRussia demands better treatment of the Russian-speaking population in Estonia and Latvia; Russia remains involved in the conflict in eastern Ukraine while also occupying Ukraine’s territory of CrimeaLithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as an EU member state with an EU external border, where strict Schengen border rules applypreparations for the demarcation delimitation of land boundary with Ukraine have commencedthe dispute over the boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov is suspended due to the occupation of Crimea by RussiaKazakhstan and Russia boundary delimitation was ratified on November 2005 and field demarcation should commence in 2007Russian Duma has not yet ratified 1990 Bering Sea Maritime Boundary Agreement with the USDenmark (Greenland) and Norway have made submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) and Russia is collecting additional data to augment its 2001 CLCS submission

Illicit Drugs

limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer of methamphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active illicit crop eradication program; used as transshipment point for Asian opiates, cannabis, and Latin American cocaine bound for growing domestic markets, to a lesser extent Western and Central Europe, and occasionally to the US; major source of heroin precursor chemicals; corruption and organized crime are key concerns; major consumer of opiates

Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons

IDPs

19,000 (armed conflict, human rights violations, generalized violence in North Caucasus, particularly Chechnya and North Ossetia) (2017)

refugees (country of origin)

427,240 (Ukraine) (2017) note - estimate represents asylum applicants since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis in 2014 to September 2017

stateless persons

82,148 (2017); note - Russia's stateless population consists of Roma, Meskhetian Turks, and ex-Soviet citizens from the former republics; between 2003 and 2010 more than 600,000 stateless people were naturalized; most Meskhetian Turks, followers of Islam with origins in Georgia, fled or were evacuated from Uzbekistan after a 1989 pogrom and have lived in Russia for more than the required five-year residency period; they continue to be denied registration for citizenship and basic rights by local Krasnodar Krai authorities on the grounds that they are temporary illegal migrants

Trafficking In Persons

current situation

Russia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children who are subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; with millions of foreign workers, forced labor is Russia’s predominant human trafficking problem and sometimes involves organized crime syndicates; workers from Russia, other European countries, Central Asia, and East and Southeast Asia, including North Korea and Vietnam, are subjected to forced labor in the construction, manufacturing, agricultural, textile, grocery store, maritime, and domestic service industries, as well as in forced begging, waste sorting, and street sweeping; women and children from Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central Asia are subject to sex trafficking in Russia; Russian women and children are victims of sex trafficking domestically and in Northeast Asia, Europe, Central Asia, Africa, the US, and the Middle East

tier rating

Tier 3 - Russia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making a significant effort to do so; prosecutions of trafficking offenders remained low in comparison to the scope of Russia’s trafficking problem; the government did not develop or employ a formal system for identifying trafficking victims or referring them to protective services, although authorities reportedly assisted a limited number of victims on an ad hoc basis; foreign victims, the largest group in Russia, were not entitled to state-provided rehabilitative services and were routinely detained and deported; the government has not reported investigating reports of slave-like conditions among North Korean workers in Russia; authorities have made no effort to reduce the demand for forced labor or to develop public awareness of forced labor or sex trafficking (2015)

Terrorist Groups Foreign Based

Aum Shinrikyo (AUM)

aim(s): attract new members seeking religious guidance and exhibiting a willingness to financially support the organizationarea(s) of operation: between 1,500 and 30,000 AUM members live across Russia; recruitment efforts have intensified in recent years (April 2018)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Caucasus (ISIS-Caucasus)

aim(s): implement its strict interpretation of sharia in Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Kabardino-Balkariya; retaliate for Russian involvement in the Syria conflictarea(s) of operation: operational in the Russian North Caucasus, where the branch is known as Wilayat Kavkaz; recruits mainly from Central Asian migrant populations across Russia for domestic operations (April 2018)

Terrorist Groups Home Based

The Caucasus Emirate (Imarat Kavkaz, IK)

aim(s): establish an Islamic caliphate and end Moscow's rule in the majority-Muslim North Caucasus regionarea(s) of operation: the North Caucasus, primarily Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetiya, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay-Cherkessianote: most IK members switched allegiance to ISIS in 2015 (April 2018)