Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in Russia
Russia: Population in the largest city (% of urban population) was 11.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population in the largest city in Russia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in Russia is 11.8%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Russia peaked at 11.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.2%, in 1989.
That places Russia 141st out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in Russia, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 9.5% | — |
| 1961 | 9.4% | -1.5% |
| 1962 | 9.3% | -1.1% |
| 1963 | 9.1% | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 9.0% | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 9.0% | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 8.9% | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 8.8% | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 8.8% | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 8.7% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 8.7% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 8.7% | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 8.6% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 8.6% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 8.5% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 8.5% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 8.5% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 8.4% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 8.4% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 8.4% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 8.3% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 8.3% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 8.3% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 8.3% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 8.3% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 8.2% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 8.2% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 8.2% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 8.2% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 8.3% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 8.3% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 8.4% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 8.4% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 8.5% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 8.6% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 8.8% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 9.0% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 9.2% | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 9.3% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 9.5% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 9.7% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 9.9% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 10.1% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 10.2% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 10.4% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 10.5% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 10.7% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 10.8% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 10.9% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 11.0% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 11.0% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 11.1% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 11.2% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 11.2% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 11.3% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 11.4% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 11.4% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 11.5% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 11.6% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 11.6% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 11.7% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 11.8% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 11.8% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 11.8% | +0.1% |
Russia compared with similar countries
- Russia's 11.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 28.2%, 42% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Russia's 11.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.2%, 45% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.1% | 8.7% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.5% | 8.4% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.3% | 8.2% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.6% | 8.2% | 9.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 9.3% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.2% | 10.9% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.7% | 11.6% | 11.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Russia
More urban development data for Russia
- Population density 8.77 people per sq. km of land area (2024)
- 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)
- Population in largest city 12.74 million (2025)
- 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 the largest city in Russia?
- Population in the largest city in Russia was 11.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Russia?
- The highest recorded value was 11.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Russia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.2% in 1989.
- How does Russia rank for population in the largest city?
- Russia ranks 141st out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Russia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. 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 the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.