Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Russia
Russia: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 12.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Russia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Russia recorded 12.4% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Russia peaked at 12.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 1955.
That places Russia 154th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.4% | 7.4% | 7.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 7.5% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 8.1% | 7.9% | 8.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 8.5% | 8.5% | 8.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 8.8% | 8.7% | 8.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 9.7% | 10.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 11.6% | 11.3% | 11.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.4% | 12.4% | 12.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Russia
More population data for Russia
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Population density 7.72 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.86 million people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.1% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.42 births per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.42 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 10,077 people (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.42 births per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious 1.45 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate accounting for survival until childbearing age 1.43 children per women (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Russia?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Russia was 12.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Russia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Russia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 1955.
- How does Russia rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Russia ranks 154th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Russia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Russia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.