Population in largest city in Russia
Russia: Population in largest city was 12.74 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
12.74 million
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
15th
of 153 countries
All-time high
12.74 million
in 2025
All-time low
6.17 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in largest city in Russia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in largest city in Russia is 12.74 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in largest city in Russia peaked at 12.74 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.17 million, in 1960.
That places Russia 15th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in largest city in Russia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.17 million | — |
| 1961 | 6.26 million | +1.4% |
| 1962 | 6.35 million | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 6.44 million | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 6.53 million | +1.4% |
| 1965 | 6.62 million | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 6.72 million | +1.4% |
| 1967 | 6.81 million | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 6.91 million | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 7.01 million | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 7.11 million | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 7.21 million | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 7.31 million | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 7.41 million | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 7.52 million | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 7.62 million | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 7.73 million | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 7.84 million | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 7.95 million | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 8.05 million | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 8.14 million | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 8.22 million | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 8.31 million | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 8.40 million | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 8.49 million | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 8.58 million | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 8.67 million | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 8.76 million | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 8.86 million | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 8.93 million | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 8.99 million | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 9.04 million | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 9.07 million | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 9.07 million | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 9.11 million | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 9.20 million | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 9.33 million | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 9.51 million | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 9.68 million | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 9.84 million | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 10.00 million | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 10.17 million | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 10.34 million | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 10.48 million | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 10.62 million | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 10.75 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 10.89 million | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 11.03 million | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 11.17 million | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 11.32 million | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 11.46 million | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 11.58 million | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 11.70 million | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 11.81 million | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 11.93 million | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 12.05 million | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 12.17 million | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 12.29 million | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 12.41 million | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 12.48 million | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 12.54 million | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 12.59 million | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 12.64 million | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 12.68 million | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 12.71 million | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 12.74 million | +0.2% |
Russia compared with similar countries
- Russia's 12.74 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.80 million, 7.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Russia's 12.74 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.41 million, 9.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.58 million | 6.17 million | 7.01 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.57 million | 7.11 million | 8.05 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.54 million | 8.14 million | 8.93 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.28 million | 8.99 million | 9.84 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.68 million | 10.00 million | 11.32 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.99 million | 11.46 million | 12.48 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.65 million | 12.54 million | 12.74 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Russia
More urban development data for Russia
- Population in the largest city 11.8% (2025)
- Population density 8.78 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 11.57 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.2393 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 34.34 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.1882 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 2.09 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 90.8 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 2,656 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in largest city in Russia?
- Population in largest city in Russia was 12.74 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in largest city recorded in Russia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.74 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in largest city recorded in Russia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.17 million in 1960.
- How does Russia rank for population in largest city?
- Russia ranks 15th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in largest city rising or falling in Russia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Russia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.