Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Russian Federation

Russian Federation: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 78.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
78.8%
World rank
85th
of 236 countries
All-time high
78.8%
in 2020
All-time low
71.3%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Russian Federation, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 71.3 %1955: 73 %1960: 74.7 %1965: 75.9 %1970: 76.5 %1975: 77 %1980: 77.7 %1985: 78 %1990: 78.2 %1995: 78.3 %2000: 78.5 %2005: 78.5 %2010: 78.5 %2015: 78.6 %2020: 78.8 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban and rural areas in Russian Federation is 78.8%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Russian Federation peaked at 78.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 71.3%, in 1950.

Russian Federation ranks 85th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Russian Federation, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Russian Federation, 1950 to 2020.
Year % Change
1950 71.3%
1955 73.0% +2.4%
1960 74.7% +2.3%
1965 75.9% +1.6%
1970 76.5% +0.8%
1975 77.0% +0.6%
1980 77.7% +1.0%
1985 78.0% +0.4%
1990 78.2% +0.2%
1995 78.3% +0.1%
2000 78.5% +0.3%
2005 78.5% +0.0%
2010 78.5% -0.1%
2015 78.6% +0.2%
2020 78.8% +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 72.2% 71.3% 73.0% 2
1960s 75.3% 74.7% 75.9% 2
1970s 76.7% 76.5% 77.0% 2
1980s 77.9% 77.7% 78.0% 2
1990s 78.2% 78.2% 78.3% 2
2000s 78.5% 78.5% 78.5% 2
2010s 78.5% 78.5% 78.6% 2
2020s 78.8% 78.8% 78.8% 1

Countries ranked near Russian Federation

  1. 82 Brazil 79.2% compare
  2. 83 Syrian Arab Republic 79.0% compare
  3. 84 Azerbaijan 78.9% compare
  4. 86 Seychelles 78.7% compare
  5. 87 American Samoa 78.7% compare
  6. 88 Spain 78.6% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Russian Federation

All data for Russian Federation →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Russian Federation?
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Russian Federation was 78.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Russian Federation?
The highest recorded value was 78.8% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Russian Federation?
The lowest recorded value was 71.3% in 1950.
How does Russian Federation rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
Russian Federation ranks 85th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Russian Federation?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Russian Federation data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Russian Federation. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-living-in-urban-and-rural-areas-degurba/russian-federation/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.