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 is the largest country in Europe, and also the largest in the world, its total size amounting to 17 million square kilometers (km2). It should be noted, however, that over three quarters of Russia is located in Asia, and the Ural mountains are often viewed as the meeting point of the two continents in Russia; nonetheless, European Russia is still significantly larger than any other European country. Ukraine, the second largest country on the continent, is only 603,000 km2, making it about 28 times smaller than its eastern neighbor, or seven times smaller than the European part of Russia. France is the third largest country in Europe, but the largest in the European Union. The Vatican City, often referred to as the Holy Sea, is both the smallest country in Europe and in the world, at just one km2. Population Russia is also the most populous country in Europe. It has around 144 million inhabitants across the country; in this case, around three quarters of the population live in the European part, which still gives it the largest population in Europe. Despite having the largest population, Russia is a very sparsely populated country due to its size and the harsh winters. Germany is the second most populous country in Europe, with 83 million inhabitants, while the Vatican has the smallest population. Worldwide, India and China are the most populous countries, with approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants each. Cities Moscow in Russia is ranked as the most populous city in Europe with around 13 million inhabitants, although figures vary, due to differences in the methodologies used by countries and sources. Some statistics include Istanbul in Turkey* as the largest city in Europe with its 15 million inhabitants, bit it has been excluded here as most of the country and parts of the city is located in Asia. Worldwide, Tokyo is the most populous city, with Jakarta the second largest and Delhi the third.

The average for 2021 based on 196 countries was 656013 sq. km. The highest value was in Russia: 16376870 sq. km and the lowest value was in Monaco: 2 sq. km. The indicator is available from 1961 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Russia was the largest country in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, with a total area of over 17 million square kilometers in 2024. Furthermore, Russia was the largest country in the world, followed by Canada, the United States, and China. Ranking second among the CIS countries was Kazakhstan, whose land area comprised about 2.7 million square kilometers.

This statistic displays which countries spent the most during the 2018 world cup in Russia. Despite not even qualifying for the 2018 world cup, fans from the United States still had the largest expenditure of any country during the games with over 5.6 billion Russian rubles. Foreign citizens in Russia from China then spent the second highest amount despite also not qualifying for the world cup. The country with the highest overall expenditure who actually qualified was Mexico with spending that amounted to over 2.2 billion Russian rubles.

Russia's total Imports in 2021 were valued at US$293.50 Billion, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Russia's main import partners were: China, Germany and the United States. The top three import commodities were: Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers; Electrical, electronic equipment and Vehicles other than railway, tramway. Total Exports were valued at US$492.31 Billion. In 2021, Russia had a trade surplus of US$198.82 Billion.

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.

In 2024, Russia had the largest population among European countries at ***** million people. The next largest countries in terms of their population size were Turkey at **** million, Germany at **** million, the United Kingdom at **** million, and France at **** million. Europe is also home to some of the world’s smallest countries, such as the microstates of Liechtenstein and San Marino, with populations of ****** and ****** respectively. Europe’s largest economies Germany was Europe’s largest economy in 2023, with a Gross Domestic Product of around *** trillion Euros, while the UK and France are the second and third largest economies, at *** trillion and *** trillion euros respectively. Prior to the mid-2000s, Europe’s fourth-largest economy, Italy, had an economy that was of a similar sized to France and the UK, before diverging growth patterns saw the UK and France become far larger economies than Italy. Moscow and Istanbul the megacities of Europe Two cities on the eastern borders of Europe were Europe’s largest in 2023. The Turkish city of Istanbul, with a population of 15.8 million, and the Russian capital, Moscow, with a population of 12.7 million. Istanbul is arguably the world’s most famous transcontinental city with territory in both Europe and Asia and has been an important center for commerce and culture for over 2,000 years. Paris was the third largest European city with a population of ** million, with London being the fourth largest at *** million.

Russia's total Exports in 2021 were valued at US$492.31 Billion, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Russia's main export partners were: China, the Netherlands and Germany. The top three export commodities were: Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products; Commodities not specified according to kind and Pearls, precious stones, metals, coins. Total Imports were valued at US$293.50 Billion. In 2021, Russia had a trade surplus of US$198.82 Billion.

After occupying the leading position by FDI investment projects in Russia in 2018, the United States listed second with 15 FDI projects in 2020, tied with China. Germany led the ranking in the last observed period with 26 FDI projects in Russia.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) market overview  

Net balance of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in Russia recovered from a negative 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, to nearly 29 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. As for the number of FDI projects in the country, the figures have been in decline over the past years, shrinking twofold between 2017 and 2020. The agri-food sector was the most attractive industry for foreign direct investments in Russia. In 2020, only 42 FDI projects were signed in this sector.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market in Russia 

The highest mark in the Russian mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market was observed in 2012, at 99 billion euros. Ever since, the market dynamics have been rather fluctuant, measuring at over 45 billion euros in 2021. The largest deal in that year was the acquisition of TAIF Group by SIbur holding – the leading petrochemicals company in Russia and one of the major ones worldwide – for over six billion euros.

This graph shows the growth in the U.S. export volume of trade goods to Russia from 1992 to 2023. In 2023, U.S. exports to Russia amounted to about 600 million U.S. dollars. RussiaRussia is the largest country in the world, with a combined land and water area of about 17 million square kilometers between their borders. It covers more than one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. It is larger than Antarctica (14 million square kilometers) and larger than all of Europe (10.5 million square kilometers). In comparison to the country’s huge land mass, the population of Russia is rather minute; with a population of only about 144 million, which comes down to a population density of 8.4 inhabitants per square kilometer. Population density in the United States, which is the fourth largest country in the world, has about 33 inhabitants per sqkm. The Russian population is relatively concentrated around the big metropolitan areas of the country. About 75 percent of Russians live in an urban area. Moscow, the capital of Russia, has about 12 million inhabitants. The greater Moscow metropolitan area has about 16 million inhabitants and is the fifteenth largest metro area in the world. Most of the Russian population lives in the part of the country that is part of the European continent. About 74 percent of all Russians live west of the Ural on an area that encompasses only 23 percent of Russia's total land area.

Russia demonstrated the largest gross domestic product (GDP) in Eurasia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2024, at approximately *** trillion U.S. dollars. To compare, Kazakhstan's GDP was measured at around *** billion U.S. dollars in the same year. Tajikistan had the lowest GDP in Eurasia, at ** billion U.S. dollars. Commonwealth of Independent States The CIS is an organization of post-Soviet states founded after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1991. Its official members are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Energy in the CIS Several countries in the CIS are among the leading energy producers and exporters, such as Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. In 2023, the CIS countries exported around *** million barrels of oil daily. The region's overall primary energy consumption exceeded ** exajoules in 2023, which was close to the figure recorded for the Middle East.

As of January 1, 2025, more than 146 million people were estimated to be residing on the Russian territory, down approximately 30,000 from the previous year. From the second half of the 20th century, the population steadily grew until 1995. Furthermore, the population size saw an increase from 2009, getting closer to the 1995 figures. In which regions do most Russians live? With some parts of Russia known for their harsh climate, most people choose regions which offer more comfortable conditions. The largest share of the Russian population, or 40 million, reside in the Central Federal District. Moscow, the capital, is particularly populated, counting nearly 13 million residents. Russia’s population projections Despite having the largest country area worldwide, Russia’s population was predicted to follow a negative trend under both low and medium expectation forecasts. Under the low expectation forecast, the country’s population was expected to drop from 146 million in 2022 to 134 million in 2036. The medium expectation scenario projected a milder drop to 143 million in 2036. The issues of low birth rates and high death rates in Russia are aggravated by the increasing desire to emigrate among young people. In 2023, more than 20 percent of the residents aged 18 to 24 years expressed their willingness to leave Russia.

Russia had the highest population count among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, at an estimated 146.1 million in 2024, while the lowest figure was recorded in Moldova, at around 2.5 million. Between 2024 and 2029, the number of inhabitants was forecast to decrease in Russia, Belarus, and Moldova. The other members of the organization were expected to see their population grow. In total, roughly 251.8 million people resided in the CIS countries in 2024, and the population would expand by almost five million in the following five years. Demographic trends across the CIS countries The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is set to experience population shifts in the coming years until 2029, with Russia maintaining its position as the most populous member. Uzbekistan is expected to see significant growth, with its number of residents increasing from 36.9 million in 2024 to 41 million in 2029. Furthermore, Uzbekistan had the fastest-growing population in the CIS in 2023, at 2.1 percent compared to the previous year, closely followed by Tajikistan. In contrast, Russia and Azerbaijan recorded population declines of about 0.3 percent. This is reflected in fertility rates, with Tajikistan boasting the highest number of births per woman in the region, at 3.6 in 2024. Urbanization in the CIS and worldwide Urbanization levels differ significantly across the CIS. Belarus leads with over 80 percent of its population living in urban areas in 2023, followed by Russia. To compare, on a global level, the urbanization rate stood at 57 percent in 2023, up 4.4 percentage points from a decade back. The highest rates were recorded in Northern America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Across Europe, three-quarters of the population resided in cities.

In 2024, the total population of Russia was around 146.1 million people. Only a fraction of them live in the major Russian cities. With almost 12.5 million inhabitants, Moscow is the largest of them. In the upcoming years until 2030, the population was forecast to decline.Russia's economy Russia is one of the major economies in the world and is one of the wealthiest nations. Following the 1998 Russian financial crisis, Russia introduced several structural reforms that allowed for a fast economic recovery. Following these reforms, Russia experienced significant economic growth from the early 2000s and improved living standards in general for the country. A reason for the momentous economical boost was the rise in commodity prices as well as a boom in the total amount of consumer credit. Additionally, Russia is highly dependent on the mining and production of natural resources, primarily in the energy department, in order to promote economic growth in the country. Due to large energy reserves throughout the country, Russia has developed a stable economy capable of sustaining itself for many years into the future. The majority of Russian oil and energy reserves are located in the Western Siberian areas. These natural gas liquids, along with oil reserves that consist of crude oil, shale oil and oil sands are constantly used for the production of consumable oil, which is an annually growing industry in Russia. Oil products are one of Russia’s primary exports and the country is able to profit entirely off of sales due to high prices as well as high demand for such goods.

Russia's leading five export partners in 2023 were China, India, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Brazil. The value of total exports from Russia to its major trade partner — China — exceeded 128 billion U.S. dollars. Trade between Russia and China China was not only the leading export destination of Russian commodities, but also the major import partner of the country. Prior to 2018, the value of Russian imports from China prevailed the Russian exports’ worth to the country. It was in 2018 when for the first time, the trade balance of Russia with China turned positive and amounted to about 3.8 billion U.S. dollars. Russia's primary export goods, mineral and energy products, were also the most imported commodities by China from the country. Russian trade with Europe Trade flows between Russia and the EU have been in decline over the past years. In 2023, the EU export value to Russia exceeded 38 billion U.S. dollars — roughly 12 billion U.S. dollars below the EU imports’ worth from Russia in that year. Germany was the major importer of Russian goods in the region.

In 2022, India overtook China as the world's most populous country and now has almost 1.46 billion people. China now has the second-largest population in the world, still with just over 1.4 billion inhabitants, however, its population went into decline in 2023. Global population As of 2025, the world's population stands at almost 8.2 billion people and is expected to reach around 10.3 billion people in the 2080s, when it will then go into decline. Due to improved healthcare, sanitation, and general living conditions, the global population continues to increase; mortality rates (particularly among infants and children) are decreasing and the median age of the world population has steadily increased for decades. As for the average life expectancy in industrial and developing countries, the gap has narrowed significantly since the mid-20th century. Asia is the most populous continent on Earth; 11 of the 20 largest countries are located there. It leads the ranking of the global population by continent by far, reporting four times as many inhabitants as Africa. The Demographic Transition The population explosion over the past two centuries is part of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition. Simply put, this transition results from a drastic reduction in mortality, which then leads to a reduction in fertility, and increase in life expectancy; this interim period where death rates are low and birth rates are high is where this population explosion occurs, and population growth can remain high as the population ages. In today's most-developed countries, the transition generally began with industrialization in the 1800s, and growth has now stabilized as birth and mortality rates have re-balanced. Across less-developed countries, the stage of this transition varies; for example, China is at a later stage than India, which accounts for the change in which country is more populous - understanding the demographic transition can help understand the reason why China's population is now going into decline. The least-developed region is Sub-Saharan Africa, where fertility rates remain close to pre-industrial levels in some countries. As these countries transition, they will undergo significant rates of population growth

Research from February 2022 focused on the countries worldwide recording the highest cancellation rate in bookings for inbound flights from Russia made between February 24 and 26, 2022, following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. According to the study, Cyprus reported the highest cancellation rate from Russia, at 300 percent, followed by Egypt and Armenia. Meanwhile, Germany was the country with the highest cancellation rate in bookings for outbound flights to Russia.

Average export price of children’s toys from Russia to Vietnam was recorded at roughly 580 U.S. dollars per unit in 2018, which made it the highest compared to export costs to the rest of the countries. Romania ranked fifth with an average export price of about 24 U.S. dollars per toy.

In 2019, China was a foreign country with the highest revenue of Russian films, measured at 22.2 million U.S. dollars. Mexico, where movies of the Russian production earned 2.8 million U.S. dollars, ranked second.