Russia is a huge country. Its population lives in various kinds of cities and rural settlements. Many cities in our country have a rich history, valuable architectural monuments and picturesque surroundings. There are also quite “young” cities with modern buildings, developed infrastructure and economy. Let's find out how many cities there are in Russia.
How many cities in Russia
According to the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation, the population of Russia as of January 1, 2018 is 146 million 880 thousand people. According to this indicator, our country ranks 9th in the world, behind such states as China, India, the United States and Brazil. 109 million Russians, or 74.2% of the total population, live in cities and urban-type settlements, and 37.8 million (25.8%) - in rural areas. There are 1112 cities in the Russian Federation.
Urban settlements are divided into different categories: small urban settlements have a population of up to 20 thousand inhabitants, medium-sized ones - up to 100 thousand, and large ones - up to 250 thousand. If a city has 250 to 500 thousand people, then it is already considered large city, and settlements with a population of half a million to a million are the largest.
Millions of cities
The population of millionaire cities is over 1 million. There are 15 such cities in our country:
- Moscow - 12 million 380 thousand people - the capital of Russia, the main and largest city in Russia in terms of population and area, in which all state authorities and the residence of the President are located;
- St. Petersburg - 5 million 281 thousand people - the largest scientific, educational, economic and transport center in the North-West, it is often called the "cultural capital of Russia";
- Novosibirsk - 1 million 602 thousand people - one of the largest Siberian cities, which is a commercial, industrial, educational and scientific center of the region;
- Yekaterinburg - 1 million 455 thousand people - the largest city in the Ural Federal District, the scientific and cultural center of the region;
- Nizhny Novgorod - 1 million 261 thousand people - one of the oldest Russian cities, founded 8 centuries ago and is today the leading cultural, industrial and economic center of the Volga Federal District;
- Kazan - 1 million 231 thousand people - the capital of Tatarstan, a rapidly developing city in the political, economic, educational and tourist directions;
- Chelyabinsk - 1 million 198 thousand people - “The city of labor valor and glory”, with many military industry enterprises, but with a rather unfavorable environmental situation, which significantly affects the outflow of residents from the region;
- Omsk - 1 million 178 thousand people - the center of the military and aerospace industry of the Siberian Federal District;
- Samara - 1 million 169 thousand people - "City of labor valor and glory", with a developed food, oil refining and machine-building industries;
- Rostov-on-Don - 1 million 125 thousand people - the largest city in the Southern Federal District, the scientific, educational, economic and transport center of the south of Russia, is rightfully considered the southern capital of the country;
- Ufa - 1 million 115 thousand people - the capital of Bashkortostan, where all the authorities of the Republic are located, the 5th largest city in the country, the oil, industrial and sports center of the region;
- Krasnoyarsk - 1 million 82 thousand people - the center of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the second in the territory of the RF subject, with a developed chemical and woodworking industry;
- Perm city - 1 million 48 thousand people - the most important transport hub, industrial, economic and logistics center in the Urals;
- Voronezh - 1 million 39 thousand people - the homeland of the Russian airborne troops and the Russian Navy, at the shipyard of which in the distant 1700 the first domestic battleship was built according to the design of Peter I himself;
- Volgograd - 1 million 15 thousand people - unfortunately, one of the most disadvantaged cities with a million inhabitants, in which over 8 years the number of citizens has decreased by 8 thousand.
It is easy to calculate that as many as 30% of the total urban population of Russia live in these 15 megalopolises.
In the next few years, the list of cities-millionaires may be replenished with cities, the number of citizens of which is close to 1 million:
- Krasnodar - 881 thousand people - one of the most beautiful and actively developing administrative centers of the south of Russia, the number of inhabitants of which annually increases by 30 thousand people, which has been repeatedly recognized by Forbes magazine as the “Russian city with the best conditions for doing business”;
- Saratov - 845 thousand people - a large economic and cultural center, as well as the main transport hub of the Volga region with a fairly developed machine-building and chemical industry;
- Tyumen city - 744 thousand people - a growing economic, transport, scientific and educational center in the Ural Federal District, with many enterprises producing metal structures, electrical equipment, as well as electronic and optical devices.
The remaining 70% of urban residents are in all other cities of the country, the number of which is less than 1 million. The largest settlements with a population of 500 thousand to 1 million people in Russia are 25, large (up to half a million inhabitants) - 37, and cities with a population of less than 250 thousand - 1035, and most of all small and medium-sized cities with a population of less than 50 thousand inhabitants - 788.
Ratings of Russian cities
Attractive for tourists
As you know, analysts are very fond of creating various kinds of ratings. They also pay attention to Russian cities. So, following the results of the tourist season in 2017, the analytical center "TurStat" determined the most attractive cities for tourists in our country. The top three undoubtedly include Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi. The insanely distant Vladivostok and the distinctive and dynamically developing Kazan were also very popular. The top ten also includes Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Astrakhan, as well as the cities of the golden ring of Russia Suzdal, Sergiev Posad and Vladimir. The twenty most popular tourist destinations include Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Sevastopol, Veliky Novgorod, Kolomna and Vologda. All cities with a rich historical and cultural heritage. But the favorite southern resorts of Anapa, Gelendzhik and Yalta were not included in this list.
The poorest
The top 10 poorest cities in Russia take into account the standard of living of their residents, socio-economic situation, environmental situation and several other factors. Voronezh, Naberezhnye Chelny, Barnaul, Lipetsk, Rostov-on-Don, Saratov, Volgograd, Penza, Astrakhan and Tolyatti have the highest poverty index indicators. In these cities, more than 50% of the population belongs to the poor, and in Lipetsk, more than 15% of residents are below the poverty line. Many of these cities are "famous" for their bumpy roads, muddy streets, and poorly developed social and health sectors. In Volgograd, more than 35% of university graduates experience employment problems. And the inability of the domestic auto industry to compete with foreign manufacturers affected the incomes of citizens and the economy of the whole city of Togliatti.
The best for living
However, there is also an opposite rating - a list of the best cities for living in Russia. When compiling it, the following indicators were taken into account: purchasing power and employment of residents, living conditions and demographic situation in the village, as well as environmental conditions and the level of crime. The first place, oddly enough, is taken by Tyumen. Of course, one can argue for a long time about the ecology of this region, but a set of indicators is important in creating a rating, which is why Tyumen took the lead. The second and third places are taken by Moscow and Kazan, respectively. The top five include the southern cities of Krasnodar and Grozny. In the top ten you can also see St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk.
