Russia's capital, Moscow, was the largest city in the country with over **** million residents as of January 1, 2024. Less than a half of Moscow's population resided in Saint Petersburg, the second-most populous city in the country. The third-largest city, Novosibirsk, was located in the Siberian Federal District, being the highest-populated city in the Asian part of Russia. Why is Moscow so populated? The Russian capital is the center of political, industrial, business, and cultural life in Russia. Despite being one of the most expensive cities worldwide, it continues to attract people from Russia and abroad, with its resident population following a generally upward trend over the past decade. Wages in Moscow are higher than in Russia on average, and more opportunities for employment and investment are available in the capital. Furthermore, the number of people living in Moscow was forecast to continue rising, exceeding **** million by 2035. Urbanization in Russia In 2024, around *** million Russian residents lived in cities. That was approximately three-quarters of the country’s population. The urbanization rate increased steadily over the 20th century, leading to a decline in the rural population. Among the country’s regions, the Northwestern Federal District had the highest share of residents in urban areas, measured at ** percent. In the Central Federal District, the tendency was that more people moved to Moscow and cities in the Moscow Oblast.

Among Russian cities with more than one million inhabitants, the country's capital Moscow received the highest urban environmental quality index score of *** out of 360 points in 2024, based on six criteria and six types of area. The second-leading city in this category was Saint Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, while Kazan ranked third.

In 2025, Moscow was the largest city in Europe with an estimated urban agglomeration of 12.74 million people. The French capital, Paris, was the second largest city in 2025 at 11.35 million, followed by the capitals of the United Kingdom and Spain, with London at 9.84 million and Madrid at 6.81 million people. Istanbul, which would otherwise be the largest city in Europe in 2025, is excluded as it is only partially in Europe, with a sizeable part of its population living in Asia. Europe’s population is almost 750 million Since 1950, the population of Europe has increased by approximately 200 million people, increasing from 550 million to 750 million in these seventy years. Before the turn of the millennium, Europe was the second-most populated continent, before it was overtaken by Africa, which saw its population increase from 228 million in 1950 to 817 million by 2000. Asia has consistently had the largest population of the world’s continents and was estimated to have a population of 4.6 billion. Europe’s largest countries Including its territory in Asia, Russia is by far the largest country in the world, with a territory of around 17 million square kilometers, almost double that of the next largest country, Canada. Within Europe, Russia also has the continent's largest population at 145 million, followed by Germany at 83 million and the United Kingdom at almost 68 million. By contrast, Europe is also home to various micro-states such as San Marino, which has a population of just 30 thousand.

Russia Number of Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: CF: City of Moscow data was reported at 4,047.000 Unit in Dec 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 3,882.000 Unit for Sep 2016. Russia Number of Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: CF: City of Moscow data is updated quarterly, averaging 3,473.000 Unit from Jun 2000 (Median) to Dec 2016, with 67 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,751.000 Unit in Dec 2012 and a record low of 2,046.000 Unit in Mar 2014. Russia Number of Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: CF: City of Moscow data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Investment – Table RU.OE001: Number of Foreign Capital Enterprises: Big and Medium: by Region (Discontinued).

Russia Number of Employees: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: CF: City of Moscow data was reported at 545.700 Person th in Dec 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 542.000 Person th for Sep 2016. Russia Number of Employees: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: CF: City of Moscow data is updated quarterly, averaging 514.800 Person th from Jun 2000 (Median) to Dec 2016, with 67 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 681.200 Person th in Dec 2012 and a record low of 146.000 Person th in Jun 2000. Russia Number of Employees: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: CF: City of Moscow data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Investment – Table RU.OE002: Number of Employees in Foreign Capital Enterprises: Big and Medium: by Region (Discontinued).

With a score of *****, Moscow was the leading city for startups in Russia in 2024. Saint Petersburg followed, having earned a score of **** in the period observed. Furthermore, the Russia's capital ranked the major city for startups in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The score was based on several indicators, such as the number of startups in each city, the startups' qualitative results, and the cities' business and economic indicators.

The statistic shows the 30 largest countries in the world by area. Russia is the largest country by far, with a total area of about 17 million square kilometers.

Population of Russia

Despite its large area, Russia - nowadays the largest country in the world - has a relatively small total population. However, its population is still rather large in numbers in comparison to those of other countries. In mid-2014, it was ranked ninth on a list of countries with the largest population, a ranking led by China with a population of over 1.37 billion people. In 2015, the estimated total population of Russia amounted to around 146 million people. The aforementioned low population density in Russia is a result of its vast landmass; in 2014, there were only around 8.78 inhabitants per square kilometer living in the country. Most of the Russian population lives in the nation’s capital and largest city, Moscow: In 2015, over 12 million people lived in the metropolis.

Russia Number of Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: NW: City of St Petersburg data was reported at 1,605.000 Unit in Dec 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,589.000 Unit for Sep 2016. Russia Number of Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: NW: City of St Petersburg data is updated quarterly, averaging 777.000 Unit from Jun 2000 (Median) to Dec 2016, with 67 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,605.000 Unit in Dec 2016 and a record low of 564.000 Unit in Mar 2001. Russia Number of Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: NW: City of St Petersburg data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Investment – Table RU.OE001: Number of Foreign Capital Enterprises: Big and Medium: by Region (Discontinued).

As of September 2020, Moscow had the biggest amount of public routes, among which the largest number was accounted for bus routes and tram lines. The Russian northern capital Saint Petersburg, followed next with a total number of *** routes of public transport.

Russia Trade Turnover: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: Year to Date: CF: City of Moscow data was reported at 8,783.400 RUB bn in Dec 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 6,199.000 RUB bn for Sep 2016. Russia Trade Turnover: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: Year to Date: CF: City of Moscow data is updated quarterly, averaging 3,919.231 RUB bn from Mar 2005 (Median) to Dec 2016, with 48 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,293.700 RUB bn in Dec 2011 and a record low of 863.613 RUB bn in Mar 2005. Russia Trade Turnover: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: Year to Date: CF: City of Moscow data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Investment – Table RU.OE003: Foreign Capital Enterprises Trade Turnover: Big and Medium: by Region: ytd (Discontinued).

Russia Number of Employees: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: SF: City of Sevastopol data was reported at 6.000 Person th in Dec 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.000 Person th for Sep 2016. Russia Number of Employees: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: SF: City of Sevastopol data is updated quarterly, averaging 5.100 Person th from Mar 2015 (Median) to Dec 2016, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.000 Person th in Dec 2016 and a record low of 4.800 Person th in Mar 2015. Russia Number of Employees: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: SF: City of Sevastopol data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Investment – Table RU.OE002: Number of Employees in Foreign Capital Enterprises: Big and Medium: by Region (Discontinued).

Russia Number of Employees: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: NW: City of St Petersburg data was reported at 206.900 Person th in Dec 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 205.700 Person th for Sep 2016. Russia Number of Employees: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: NW: City of St Petersburg data is updated quarterly, averaging 194.500 Person th from Jun 2000 (Median) to Dec 2016, with 67 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 229.200 Person th in Sep 2012 and a record low of 90.900 Person th in Mar 2001. Russia Number of Employees: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: NW: City of St Petersburg data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Investment – Table RU.OE002: Number of Employees in Foreign Capital Enterprises: Big and Medium: by Region (Discontinued).

Russia Trade Turnover: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: Year to Date: NW: City of St Petersburg data was reported at 2,160.100 RUB bn in Dec 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,554.300 RUB bn for Sep 2016. Russia Trade Turnover: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: Year to Date: NW: City of St Petersburg data is updated quarterly, averaging 663.950 RUB bn from Mar 2005 (Median) to Dec 2016, with 48 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,954.300 RUB bn in Dec 2014 and a record low of 68.207 RUB bn in Mar 2005. Russia Trade Turnover: Foreign Capital Enterprises: BM: Year to Date: NW: City of St Petersburg data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Investment – Table RU.OE003: Foreign Capital Enterprises Trade Turnover: Big and Medium: by Region: ytd (Discontinued).

On Sunday, September 12, 2021, the highest self-isolation index among Russian cities with over one million inhabitants was measured in Omsk at 2.8 points, indicating that there was a high number of people on the streets. In the capital Moscow, where most COVID-19 cases in Russia were recorded, the index reached two points. The non-working period in Russia ended on May 12, 2020.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

As of January 1, 2023, over 13.1 million persons resided in Moscow, the largest city in Russia and Europe. The population of the Russian capital increased slightly from the previous year. The number of Moscow residents crossed the 13-million mark in 2021. Starting from 2012, the city’s population grew by roughly 1.5 million. Moscow is one of the world’s megacities with the largest land area, which exceeds 6,600 square kilometers. Cost of living in Moscow While prices in Moscow are higher than in most other cities of Russia, they are lower than in many other megacities around the world, such as Singapore, New York, and Paris. In 2023, Moscow recorded the largest drop in the rank in the list of the most expensive cities worldwide, at 105 positions. Moscow residents earned an average net salary of 128,300 Russian rubles per month in 2022. Immigration to Moscow Due to the presence of various companies, job opportunities, higher salaries than in most other regions of the country, acclaimed universities, and highly developed infrastructure, Moscow is an attractive destination for both internal and international immigrants. In 2022, more than 940,000 Russian residents migrated to the Central Federal District of the country, where Moscow is located. From the international immigrants, the largest share comes from Central Asian countries.

The best city to study abroad in Russia was Moscow, having gained 82.6 points in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities ranking 2022. The Russian capital ranked 25th worldwide. The country's second-largest city, Saint Petersburg, had the second-highest score nationwide at 59.8 points.

London was by far the largest urban agglomeration in the United Kingdom in 2025, with an estimated population of *** million people, more than three times as large as Manchester, the UK’s second-biggest urban agglomeration. The agglomerations of Birmingham and Leeds / Bradford had the third and fourth-largest populations, respectively, while the biggest city in Scotland, Glasgow, was the fifth largest. Largest cities in Europe Two cities in Europe had larger urban areas than London, with Istanbul having a population of around **** million and the Russian capital Moscow having a population of over **** million. The city of Paris, located just over 200 miles away from London, was the second-largest city in Europe, with a population of more than **** million people. Paris was followed by London in terms of population size, and then by the Spanish cities of Madrid and Barcelona, at *** million and *** million people, respectively. The Italian capital, Rome, was the next largest city at *** million, followed by Berlin at *** million. London’s population growth Throughout the 1980s, the population of London fluctuated from a high of **** million people in 1981 to a low of **** million inhabitants in 1988. During the 1990s, the population of London increased once again, growing from ****million at the start of the decade to **** million by 1999. London's population has continued to grow since the turn of the century, and despite declining between 2019 and 2021, it reached *** million people in 2023 and is forecast to reach almost *** million by 2047.

Kyiv is the largest city of Ukraine, with approximately 2.95 million inhabitants as of January 1, 2022. Kharkiv had the second-largest population of around 1.42 million, followed by Odesa and Dnipro. Economic situation in Ukraine Ukraine has a population of around 42 million inhabitants - close to 70 percent of which live in urban areas, with almost three million living in Ukraine’s largest city and capital, Kyiv. The city is located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River and is one of the largest in Europe. The country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, is about half of Kyiv's size and located in the northeast. Kharkiv was the first city to be occupied by the Soviet Union in 1917 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since the collapse, Ukraine has been largely divided between east and west. Many inhabitants speak Ukrainian to the west, whereas Russian is dominant in parts of the east and south. Like Kharkiv, many of Ukraine’s other biggest cities which have fewer than one million inhabitants are located to the east of the country – a region which has uprooted and displaced many of its inhabitants because of the military actions that started in 2014. In 2015, Ukrainians across the country were affected by a huge spike in inflation, which reached near 49 percent. In the following years, it marked a decrease, measuring below three percent in 2020. The country’s GDP has also been significantly impacted by the crisis, which has left approximately 1.5 million Ukrainians internally displaced since 2014, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The unemployment rate was above nine percent in 2020.

Moscow had nearly ** CCTV cameras per 1,000 inhabitants in 2023. In total, ******* such devices were recorded in the Russian capital. The second-largest city of the country, Saint Petersburg, recorded a density of approximately **** surveillance cameras per 1,000 population.

In June 2024, the Russian capital remained an irreplaceable leader among the cities with over one million inhabitants by price of primary housing per square meter countrywide. One square meter in Moscow's primary housing market cost ******* Russian rubles in that month.