Share of population living in cities in Russia
Russia: Share of population living in cities was 47.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities in Russia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Russia recorded 47.6% for share of population living in cities in 2020.
That represents a change of up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities in Russia peaked at 48.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 31.9%, in 1950.
That places Russia 65th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities in Russia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 31.9% | — |
| 1955 | 34.0% | +6.4% |
| 1960 | 37.3% | +9.7% |
| 1965 | 40.0% | +7.4% |
| 1970 | 43.1% | +7.7% |
| 1975 | 45.8% | +6.1% |
| 1980 | 47.7% | +4.3% |
| 1985 | 48.5% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 48.7% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 47.7% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 47.4% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 47.4% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 47.1% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 47.2% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 47.6% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 33.0% | 31.9% | 34.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 38.7% | 37.3% | 40.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 44.5% | 43.1% | 45.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 48.1% | 47.7% | 48.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 48.2% | 47.7% | 48.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 47.4% | 47.4% | 47.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 47.2% | 47.1% | 47.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 47.6% | 47.6% | 47.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Russia
- 62 Democratic Republic of Congo 48.7% compare
- 63 Panama 48.6% compare
- 64 Bangladesh 47.6% compare
- 66 Sudan 47.6% compare
- 67 Costa Rica 47.5% compare
- 68 Mongolia 47.2% compare
More population data for Russia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0822 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.8 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0822 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.2412 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 133,133 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.2976 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.2771 % change on previous year (2100)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities in Russia?
- Share of population living in cities in Russia was 47.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities recorded in Russia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.7% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities recorded in Russia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.9% in 1950.
- How does Russia rank for share of population living in cities?
- Russia ranks 65th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities rising or falling in Russia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. 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 major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.