2020 Edition

Background

Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy emerged from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and gradually conquered and absorbed surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new ROMANOV dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (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 of the ROMANOV Dynasty in 1917. The communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened communist control 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 US adversary 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. His initiatives inadvertently released political and economic forces that by December 1991 led to the dissolution of the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent states. In response to the ensuing 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. In 2014, Russia purported to annex Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and occupied large portions of two eastern Ukrainian oblasts. In sporadic fighting over the next eight years, more than 14,000 civilians were killed or wounded as a result of the Russian invasion in eastern Ukraine. On 24 February 2022, Russia escalated its conflict with Ukraine by invading the country on several fronts in what has become the largest conventional military attack on a sovereign state in Europe since World War II. The invasion received near-universal international condemnation, and many countries imposed sanctions on Russia and supplied humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. In September 2022, Russia unilaterally declared its annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts -- Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia -- even though none were fully under Russian control. The annexations remain unrecognized by the international community. 

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

highest point

Gora El'brus (highest point in Europe) 5,642 m

lowest point

Caspian Sea -28 m

mean elevation

600 m

Geographic coordinates

60 00 N, 100 00 E

Geography - note

note 1: largest country in the world in terms of area; despite its size, much of the country lacks the soil and climate (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture note 2: Russia's far east, particularly the Kamchatka Peninsula, lies along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes 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 water note 4: Kaliningrad oblast is an exclave annexed from Germany after World War II; 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

Azerbaijan 338 km; Belarus 1,312 km; China (southeast) 4,133 km and China (south) 46 km; Estonia 324 km; Finland 1,309 km; Georgia 894 km; Kazakhstan 7,644 km; North Korea 18 km; Latvia 332 km; Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 261 km; Mongolia 3,452 km; Norway 191 km; Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 209 km; Ukraine 1,944 km

total

22,407 km

Land use

agricultural land

13.2% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 7.4% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 5.6% (2023 est.)

forest

50.7% (2023 est.)

other

35.9% (2023 est.)

Location

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

Major aquifers

Angara-Lena Basin, Pechora Basin, North Caucasus Basin, East European Aquifer System, West Siberian Basin, Tunguss Basin, Yakut Basin

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s)

Lake Baikal - 31,500 sq km; Lake Ladoga - 18,130 sq km; Lake Onega - 9,720 sq km; Lake Khanka (shared with China) - 5,010 sq km; Lake Peipus - 4,300 sq km (shared with Estonia); Ozero Vygozero - 1,250 sq km; Ozero Beloye - 1,120 sq km

salt water lake(s)

Caspian Sea (shared with Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan) - 374,000 sq km; Ozero Malyye Chany - 2,500 sq km; Curonian Lagoon (shared with Lithuania) - 1,620 sq km note - the Caspian Sea is the World's largest lake

Major rivers (by length in km)

Yenisey-Angara - 5,539 km; Ob-Irtysh - 5,410 km;  Amur river mouth (shared with China [s] and Mongolia) - 4,444 km; Lena - 4,400 km; Volga - 3,645 km; Kolyma - 2,513 km; Ural river source (shared with Kazakhstan [m]) - 2,428 km; Dnepr (Dnieper) river source (shared with Belarus and Ukraine [m]) - 2,287 km; Don - 1,870 km; Pechora - 1,809 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Arctic Ocean drainage

Kolyma (679,934 sq km), Lena (2,306,743 sq km), Ob (2,972,493 sq km), Pechora (289,532 sq km), Yenisei (2,554,388 sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage

(Black Sea) Don (458,694 sq km), Dnieper (533,966 sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage

(Caspian Sea basin) Volga (1,410,951 sq km)

Pacific Ocean drainage

Amur (1,929,955 sq km)

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 in Siberia and parts of European Russia volcanism: Kamchatka Peninsula is home to 29 historically active volcanoes, with dozens more in the Kuril Islands; Kliuchevskoi (4,835 m) 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

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 population 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

16.5% (male 11,956,284/female 11,313,829)

15-64 years

65.7% (male 45,007,073/female 47,518,221)

65 years and over

17.8% (2024 est.) (male 8,533,448/female 16,491,955)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

3.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0.12 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

3.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

7.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.97 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

8.27 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15

0.3% (2017)

women married by age 18

6.2% (2017)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

57.6% (2021 est.)

Death rate

13.93 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

27.9 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

3.6 (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio

52.6 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

24.7 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 91.5% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 97.1% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 98.9% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 8.5% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 2.9% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 1.1% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP)

4.2% of GDP (2023 est.)

Education expenditure (% national budget)

14.3% national budget (2018 est.)

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.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.74 (2025 est.)

Health expenditure

Health expenditure (as % of GDP)

7.4% of GDP (2021)

Health expenditure (as % of national budget)

13.8% of national budget (2022 est.)

Hospital bed density

7 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

5.8 deaths/1,000 live births

male

7.2 deaths/1,000 live births

total

6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Languages

Languages

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

major-language sample(s)

Книга фактов о мире – незаменимый источник базовой информации. (Russian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

77.4 years

male

67.4 years

total population

72.3 years (2024 est.)

Literacy

female

99.9% (2021 est.)

male

99.9% (2021 est.)

total population

99.9% (2021 est.)

Major urban areas - population

12.680 million MOSCOW (capital), 5.561 million Saint Petersburg, 1.695 million Novosibirsk, 1.528 million Yekaterinburg, 1.292 million Kazan, 1.251 million Nizhniy Novgorod (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

9 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Median age

female

44.5 years

male

39.4 years

total

42.3 years (2025 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

25.2 years (2013 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Russian

noun

Russian(s)

Net migration rate

0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

23.1% (2016)

Physician density

5.11 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

Population

female

74,967,724

male

65,166,555

total

140,134,279 (2025 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.49% (2025 est.)

Religions

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

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 71.4% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 89.4% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 95.4% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 28.6% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 10.6% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 4.6% of population (2022 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

15 years (2023 est.)

male

15 years (2023 est.)

total

15 years (2023 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.52 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.87 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Tobacco use

female

15.1% (2025 est.)

male

40.2% (2025 est.)

total

26.5% (2025 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.52 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.11% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

75.3% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

46 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respubliki, singular - respublika), 4 autonomous districts (avtonomnyye okrugi, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 9 federal subjects (kraya, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (goroda, singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous province (avtonomnaya oblast') oblasts: Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad (Gatchina), 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, Ulyanovsk, 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 districts: Chukotka (Anadyr'), Khanty-Mansi-Yugra (Khanty-Mansiysk), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard) federal subjects: Altay (Barnaul), Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Primorskiy [Maritime] (Vladivostok), Stavropol, Zabaykalsk [Transbaikal] (Chita) federal cities: Moscow [Moskva], Saint Petersburg [Sankt-Peterburg] autonomous province: Yevreyskaya [Jewish] (Birobidzhan)

Capital

daylight saving time

does not observe daylight savings time (DST)

etymology

named after the Moskva River; the origin of the river's name is unclear

geographic coordinates

55 45 N, 37 36 E

name

Moscow

time difference

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

time zone 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

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

amendment process

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

history

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

Country name

conventional long form

Russian Federation

conventional short form

Russia

etymology

Russian lands were referred to as Muscovy until PETER I declared the Empire of All Russias in 1721; the new name aimed at identifying the new Russia with European political tradition; "Rus" was the Old Finnish name given to Varangians (eastern Vikings) who entered the area in the 9th century

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 (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires J. Douglas DYKHOUSE (since June 2025)

consulate(s) general

Vladivostok (suspended status), Yekaterinburg (suspended status)

email address and website

MoscowACS@state.gov https://ru.usembassy.gov/

embassy

55,75566° N, 37,58028° E

FAX

[7] (495) 728-5090

mailing address

5430 Moscow Place, Washington DC 20521-5430

telephone

[7] (495) 728-5000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Alexander Nikitich DARCHIEV (since 11 June 2025)

consulate(s) general

Houston, New York

email address and website

rusembusa@mid.ru https://washington.mid.ru/en/

FAX

[1] (202) 298-5735

telephone

[1] (202) 298-5700

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

2024: Vladimir PUTIN reelected president; percent of vote - Vladimir PUTIN (independent) 88.5%, Nikolay KHARITONOV (Communist Party) 4.4%, Vladislav DAVANKOV (New People party) 3.9%, Leonid SLUTSKY (Liberal Democrats) 3.2% 2018: Vladimir PUTIN reelected president; percent of vote - Vladimir PUTIN (independent) 77.5%, Pavel GRUDININ (CPRF) 11.9%, Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY (LDPR) 5.7%, other 4.9%; Mikhail MISHUSTIN (independent) approved as premier by Duma; vote - 383 to 0

election/appointment process

president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 6-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term)

expected date of next election

2030

head of government

Premier Mikhail Vladimirovich MISHUSTIN (since 16 January 2020)

most recent election date

15-17 March 2024

Flag

description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red meaning: colors may have been based on the Dutch flag, but no official meaning is assigned history: created when Russia built its first naval vessels, and was used mostly as a naval flag until the 19th century

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, UNOOSA, UN Security Council (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

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 11 members, including the chairperson and deputy)

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

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

Legal system

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative branch

legislative structure

bicameral

legislature name

Federal Assembly (Federalnoye Sobraniye)

Legislative branch - lower chamber

chamber name

State Duma (Gossoudarstvennaya Duma)

electoral system

mixed system

expected date of next election

September 2026

most recent election date

9/19/2021

number of seats

450 (all directly elected)

parties elected and seats per party

United Russia (326); Communist Party (KPRF) (57); A Just Russia (28); Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) (23); Other (16)

percentage of women in chamber

16.4%

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

Legislative branch - upper chamber

chamber name

Council of the Federation (Soviet Federatsii)

number of seats

170 (all appointed)

percentage of women in chamber

18.5%

National anthem(s)

history

adopted 2000; Russia adopted the tune of the Soviet Union's anthem (composed in 1939), as well as new lyrics; MIKHALKOV, who wrote the new lyrics, also authored the Soviet lyrics in 1943

lyrics/music

Sergey Vladimirovich MIKHALKOV/Aleksandr Vasilyevich ALEKSANDROV

title

“Gosudarstvenny Gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii” (National Anthem of the Russian Federation)

National coat of arms

the current coat of arms of Russia was adopted by presidential decree on 30 November 1993; the double-headed eagle was adopted as a Russian symbol in 1472 when Ivan III married Sophia Palaiologina, niece of the last Byzantine emperor in Constantinople -- the eagle was her family's emblem

National color(s)

white, blue, red

National heritage

selected World Heritage Site locales

Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments (c); Kizhi Pogost (c); Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow (c); Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings (c); White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal (c); Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad (c); Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye (c); Lake Baikal (n); Volcanoes of Kamchatka (n); Ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery (c); Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin (c); Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent (c); Uvs Nuur Basin (n); Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent (c); Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve (n); Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl (c); Lena Pillars Nature Park (n); Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex (c); Assumption Cathedral and Monastery of the town-island of Sviyazhsk (c); Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture (c); Petroglyphs of Lake Onega and the White Sea (c); Rock Paintings of Shulgan-Tash Cave (c)

total World Heritage Sites

33 (22 cultural, 11 natural)

National holiday

Russia Day, 12 June (1990)

National symbol(s)

bear, double-headed eagle

Political parties

A Just Russia for Truth or SRZP Civic Platform or CP Communists of Russia or CPCR Communist Party of the Russian Federation or CPRF Cossack Party of the Russian Federation or CosPRF Democratic Party of Russia or DPR Green Alternative or GA Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR New People or NP Party for Fairness! or PARZAS! Party of Direct Democracy or PDD Party of Progress or PP Party of Pensioners or RPPSJ Party of Russia's Rebirth or PRR Party of Social Protection or PSP Rodina Russian Ecological Party or The Greens Russian Party of Freedom and Justice or RPFJ Russia United Democratic Party or Yabloko United Russia or UR

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

wheat, sugar beets, milk, barley, potatoes, sunflower seeds, maize, soybeans, chicken, pork (2023)

Average household expenditures

on alcohol and tobacco

5.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on food

25.3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$635.809 billion (2023 est.)

revenues

$704.613 billion (2023 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2022

$237.735 billion (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

$49.439 billion (2023 est.)

Current account balance 2024

$62.287 billion (2024 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2022

$135.301 billion (2022 est.)

Economic overview

natural resource-rich Eurasian economy; leading energy exporter to Europe and Asia; decreased oil export reliance; endemic corruption, Ukrainian invasion, and lack of green infrastructure limit investment and have led to sanctions

Exchange rates

Currency

Russian rubles (RUB) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

64.738 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

72.105 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

73.654 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

68.485 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

85.162 (2023 est.)

Exports

Exports 2022

$640.878 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$465.22 billion (2023 est.)

Exports 2024

$475.277 billion (2024 est.)

Exports - commodities

crude petroleum, refined petroleum, natural gas, coal, fertilizers (2023)

Exports - partners

China 33%, India 17%, Turkey 8%, Kazakhstan 4%, Brazil 3% (2023)

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

21.9% (2024 est.)

government consumption

18.6% (2024 est.)

household consumption

49.4% (2024 est.)

imports of goods and services

-17.6% (2024 est.)

investment in fixed capital

22.1% (2024 est.)

investment in inventories

4.2% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

2.7% (2024 est.)

industry

30.7% (2024 est.)

services

57.5% (2024 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.174 trillion (2024 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2021

35.1 (2021 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

26.6% (2021 est.)

lowest 10%

2.7% (2021 est.)

Imports

Imports 2022

$347.384 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$379.659 billion (2023 est.)

Imports 2024

$381.45 billion (2024 est.)

Imports - commodities

cars, packaged medicine, broadcasting equipment, garments, plastic products (2023)

Imports - partners

China 53%, Turkey 5%, Germany 5%, Kazakhstan 5%, Italy 2% (2023)

Industrial production growth rate

4.1% (2024 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)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

4.5% (2019 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

3.4% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

6.7% (2021 est.)

Labor force

72.517 million (2024 est.)

Population below poverty line

12.1% (2020 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2023

18.5% of GDP (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$5.607 trillion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$5.835 trillion (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$6.089 trillion (2024 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2022

-1.4% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

4.1% (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2024

4.3% (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2022

$38,200 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$39,900 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2024

$41,700 (2024 est.)

Remittances

Remittances 2022

0.1% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

0.1% of GDP (2023 est.)

Remittances 2024

0.1% of GDP (2024 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$632.242 billion (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$581.71 billion (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$597.217 billion (2023 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

12.1% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2022

3.9% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

3.1% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2024

2.6% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

9.8% (2024 est.)

male

8.8% (2024 est.)

total

9.3% (2024 est.)

Coal

consumption

290.763 million metric tons (2023 est.)

exports

211.944 million metric tons (2023 est.)

imports

20.765 million metric tons (2023 est.)

production

531.13 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves

162.166 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

consumption

1.011 trillion kWh (2023 est.)

exports

18.66 billion kWh (2023 est.)

imports

2.852 billion kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

301.926 million kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

97.301 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - rural areas

100%

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

99.1%

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

fossil fuels

61.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

hydroelectricity

17.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

nuclear

19.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

solar

0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

wind

0.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2023

224.858 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

474.448 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

exports

124.479 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports

5.724 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

production

613.447 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves

47.805 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Nuclear energy

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors

26.8GW (2025 est.)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down

11 (2025)

Number of nuclear reactors under construction

4 (2025)

Number of operational nuclear reactors

36 (2025)

Percent of total electricity production

18.4% (2023 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil estimated reserves

80 billion barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

3.863 million bbl/day (2023 est.)

total petroleum production

10.879 million bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

25 (2022 est.)

total

35.9 million (2022 est.)

Broadcast media

13 national TV stations: the federal government owns 1 and controls a second, state-owned Gazprom controls 2, state-affiliated Bank Rossiya controls 2, Moscow city administration runs 1, the Russian Orthodox Church owns 1, and the Russian military owns 1; around 3,300 national, regional, and local TV stations, with over two-thirds completely or partially state-controlled; satellite TV available; 2 state-run national radio networks, with a third majority-owned by Gazprom; around 2,400 public and commercial radio stations

Internet country code

.ru

Internet users

percent of population

92% (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

15 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

20,816,300 (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

186 (2024 est.)

total subscriptions

270 million (2024 est.)

Airports

905 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

RA

Heliports

494 (2025)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 15, container ship 20, general cargo 976, oil tanker 387, other 1,512

total

2,910 (2023)

Ports

key ports

Arkhangels'k, De Kastri, Dudinka, Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Novorossiysk, Sankt-Peterburg, Vladivostok, Vyborg

large

4

medium

5

ports with oil terminals

32

size unknown

1

small

19

total ports

67 (2024)

very small

38

Railways

narrow gauge

957 km

total

85,494 km (2019)

Military - note

the Russian military is responsible for protecting the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, providing maritime security, and supporting Moscow's national security objectives, including projecting influence and power abroad and deterring perceived external threats; its missions include air, land, maritime, strategic missile, and expeditionary operations; it is also active in the areas of cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and space; the Russian military's focus is its ongoing war on Ukraine and the perceived threat from NATO and the US in February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, beginning what is the largest war in Europe since World War II ended in 1945; Russian military forces occupied Ukraine’s province of Crimea in 2014, and Moscow subsequently backed separatist forces in the Donbas region of Ukraine with arms, equipment, and training, as well as Russian military troops, although Moscow denied their presence prior to 2022 Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war at the request of the Syrian Government from September 2015 until the collapse of the ASAD regime in December 2024; it was Moscow’s first overseas military expeditionary operation since the Soviet era; Russian assistance included air support, arms and equipment, intelligence, military advisors, private military contractors, special operations forces, and training; Russia seized the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by force in 2008 (2025)

Military and security forces

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: Ground Forces (SV), Aerospace Forces (VKS), Navy (VMF); separate or independent troop branches include the Airborne Forces (VDV), Missile Troops of Strategic Purpose (RVSN; commonly to as Strategic Rocket Forces), Special Operations Forces, and Unmanned Systems Forces  Federal National Guard Troops Service of the Russian Federation (FSVNG, National Guard, Russian Guard, or Rosgvardiya) Federal Security Services (FSB): Federal Border Guard Service (includes land and maritime forces) (2025)

Military and security service personnel strengths

estimated 1.1-1.2 million active Armed Forces; estimated 350,000 Federal National Guard Troops (2025)

Military deployments

estimated 600,000 in Ukraine; more than 20,000 additional military personnel deployed in former Soviet states and elsewhere, including Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Moldova, Syria, sub-Saharan Africa, and Tajikistan (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Russian Federation's military and paramilitary services are equipped with domestically produced weapons systems, although in recent years Russia has imported military hardware from external suppliers such as Iran and North Korea to support its war on Ukraine; the Russian defense industry is capable of producing a full range of advanced air, land, missile, and naval systems; Russia is one of the world's largest exporters of military hardware (2025)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2020

4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

4% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

4.5% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

5% of GDP (2023 est.)

Military Expenditures 2024

7% of GDP (2024 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-30 years of age for compulsory service for men; 18-65 years of age for voluntary/contractual service; women and non-Russian citizens (18-30) may volunteer; minimum 12-month service obligation (2025)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

172,783 (2024 est.)

refugees

11,440 (2024 est.)

stateless persons

90,185 (2024 est.)

Trafficking in persons

tier rating

Tier 3 — Russia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Russia remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/russia/

Key space-program milestones

1957 - placed world’s first satellite (Sputnik-1) in orbit 1961-1964 - launched first man, first woman, and first multi-member crew into space 1965 - launched first probe to successfully land on the Moon 1967 - initial launch of Soviet-made Soyuz series space launch vehicle (SLV) 1971 - placed first space station (Salyut) in orbit and successfully landed a probe on Venus 1975 - joint Soviet (Soyuz)-US (Apollo) space mission 1986 - began operation of Mir space station (in orbit until 2001) 1995 - Global Navigation Satellite System (GLObalnaya NAvigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema or GLONASS) constellation completed  2014 - initial launch of Angara SLV series  2021 - announced agreements with China to send a robotic probe to an asteroid and jointly establish a station on the Moon  2023 - launch first of a planned series of Moon landers (Luna-25; crashed on Moon's surface); announced intent to place first module of a new space station in orbit by 2027

Space agency/agencies

State Space Corporation of the Russian Federation (Roscosmos; established 2015); Russian Space Forces (Kosmicheskie voyska Rossii, KV; under the Russian Aerospace Forces) (2025)

Space launch site(s)

Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan); Vostochny Cosmodrome (Amur Oblast); Plesetsk Cosmodrome (Arkhangel'sk Oblast) (2025)

Space program overview

has one of the world’s largest space programs and is active across all areas of the space sector; builds, launches, and operates satellite/space launch vehicles, satellites, space stations, interplanetary probes, and manned, robotic, and re-usable spacecraft; has astronaut (cosmonaut) training program and conducts human space flight; researching and developing a broad range of other space-related technologies; participates in international space programs such as the International Space Station; has had relations with dozens of foreign space agencies and commercial entities, including those of China, the ESA, India, Japan, and the US; Roscosmos and its public subsidiaries comprise the majority of the Russian space industry; Roscosmos has eight operating areas, including manned space flights, launch systems, unmanned spacecraft, rocket propulsion, military missiles, space avionics, special military space systems, and flight control systems; private companies are also involved in a range of space systems (2025)

Terrorist group(s)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

479.311 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from consumed natural gas

912.076 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

453.103 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

1.844 billion metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Environmental issues

air pollution from heavy industry, 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 agricultural chemicals; nuclear waste disposal; scattered areas of radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination from toxic waste; urban solid-waste management; abandoned stocks of pesticides

Geoparks

global geoparks and regional networks

Yangan-Tau (2023)

total global geoparks and regional networks

1

International environmental agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Methane emissions

agriculture

1,972.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)

energy

13,815.3 kt (2022-2024 est.)

other

363.2 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste

4,069.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

9.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Total renewable water resources

4.53 trillion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

18.64 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial

29.03 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

municipal

17.15 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

60 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

5.3% (2022 est.)