Russia Population Carousel Resources

Russian PopulationThe Russian Federation is home to as many as 160 different ethnic groups and indigenous peoples.

According to an official estimate for 1 January 2014, the population of Russia is 143,700,000.

Russia's population density is 8.4 people per square kilometre (22 per square mile), making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. The population is most dense in the European part of the country, with milder climate, around Moscow and Saint Petersburg. 74% of the population is urban, making Russia a highly urbanized country.

Russian languagesOf all the languages of Russia, Russian is the only official language. 27 different languages are considered official languages in various regions of Russia, along with Russian. There are over 100 minority languages spoken in Russia today.

Armenian Georgian FrenchAzerbaijani Turkish UzbekBelarusian TurkmenKurdish KyrgyzCzech LatvianEstonian LithuanianFinnish PersianGerman PolishRomanian

Unofficial languages Numerous migrant workers from the near abroad (former USSR republics) and other countries live in Russia.

Endangered languages in RussiaThere are many endangered languages in Russia. Some are considered to be near extinction and put on the list of endangered languages in Russia, and some may have gone extinct since data was last reported. On the other hand, some languages may survive even with few speakers.

Russian Religion

Russia is a multi-ethnic and multi-faith nation.

Christianity is Russia's largest religion with 75% of the population belonging to the Orthodox Christian faith.

Islam is practised by 5% of the population.

Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism and Buddhism are professed by 1% of the population each.

Other religious denominations represent 1% of the population, while 8% consider themselves atheists.

Wealth in Russia

• A new report on global wealth has determined that Russia now has the highest level of wealth inequality in the world -- with the exception of a few small Caribbean nations where billionaires have taken up residency.

The annual global wealth study published by the financial services group Credit Suisse says a mere 110 Russian citizens now control 35 percent of the total household wealth across the vast country.

By comparison, billionaires worldwide account for just 1 to 2 percent of total wealth.

The report says Russia has one billionaire for every $11 billion in wealth while, across the rest of the world, there is one billionaire for every $170 billion.

Shorrocks says what is most striking about Russia's richest citizens is that most have made their money by controlling companies in the natural-resources sector -- like gas giant Gazprom, oil companies, or metals firms -- and use their political connections with the Kremlin to maintain their fortunes.