Emergency housing in Russia: how much there is and where it is most prevalent
· Жильё
At the end of 2024, Russia's emergency housing stock amounted to 23.8 million square meters, which is 0.5 percent of the country's total housing. Over ten years, the stock grew by one and a half times: in 2015 it was 15.2 million square meters. Emergency buildings house 0.51 percent of the urban population, but the regional spread is sixteenfold: in Yakutia it is 8.4 percent of city dwellers, while in most regions of central Russia it is less than a third of a percent. Rosstat data.
Below is the year‑by‑year dynamics, leading regions, an explanation of why resettlement does not reduce the emergency stock, and interactive charts.
Emergency housing stock by year
Thousands of square meters of total area at the end of the year.
| Year | Area | Share in housing stock |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 15,188 | 0.4% |
| 2020 | 19,616 | 0.5% |
| 2021 | 22,059 | 0.5% |
| 2022 | 23,357 | 0.5% |
| 2023 | 24,086 | 0.5% |
| 2024 | 23,831 | 0.5% |
The year 2024 saw the first decline in the entire series: minus 255 thousand square meters. The amount is symbolic (about one percent of the stock), but the direction changed for the first time. Dataset is updated annually together with the rest of the housing statistics.
Why Resettlement Does Not Reduce the Dilapidated Housing Fund
It may seem strange: resettlement programs have been operating since 2008, and in that time millions of square meters have been resettled, yet the fund has grown by one and a half times. There is no contradiction here, and it is explained by the arithmetic of two streams.
The dilapidated housing fund is replenished when the inter‑agency commission declares a building unfit. This happens with houses built in the 1950–1970s, and their number increases each year simply due to age. At the same time the fund decreases when a resettled building is demolished and written off the register.
While the first stream is larger than the second, the overall figure rises, even if resettlement proceeds at full speed. In addition there is a reporting effect: a building that residents have been trying for many years to have declared dilapidated enters the statistics precisely at the moment of declaration, even though it was already worn out earlier.
Share of City Residents Living in Dilapidated Housing
A separate Rosstat indicator counts people, not square meters, and only urban residents.
For Russia this is 0.66 percent in 2019, 0.48 in 2020, 0.57 in 2022 and 0.51 percent in 2024. The series fluctuates around half a percent and slowly declines: in absolute numbers this is about half a million city dwellers.
Regions: Yakutia, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
The top eight of 2024 by share of urban population in the emergency housing fund:
- Republic of Sakha (Yakutia): 8.4%;
- Nenets Autonomous Okrug: 7.7%;
- Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug: 5.9%;
- Arkhangelsk Oblast without the district: 3.7%;
- Jewish Autonomous Oblast: 3.2%;
- Komi Republic: 2.8%;
- Amur Oblast: 2.2%;
- Republic of Karelia: 2.1%.
Almost the entire list is the North and the Far East, and the reason is common: wooden two‑storey buildings and panel houses built as temporary housing during the development of the territory in the 1960–1970s. They turned out to be temporary, lasting sixty years instead of twenty‑five. Permafrost adds its part: thawing ground leads a house to become unsafe faster than any wear.
In Yakutia one out of every twelve city dwellers lives in an emergency house, which is sixteen times higher than the Russian average. Full breakdown for 85 regions with a series by years opens on the dataset page.
Questions and Answers
How much emergency housing is there in Russia?
23.8 million square meters as of the end of 2024, or 0.5 percent of the country's housing stock.
How does emergency housing differ from dilapidated housing?
A building is classified as emergency by an inter‑agency commission, which is a legal status granting the right to relocation. Dilapidation is a technical condition (wear above 65–70 percent for stone houses) that by itself does not give the right to a new apartment. Dilapidated housing in the country is many times more than emergency housing, and it is not published as a separate line in Rosstat's current reporting.
Which region has the most emergency housing?
By share of the population, Yakutia leads (8.4 percent of urban residents). By absolute area, the large regions with big housing stocks lead, so comparing shares is more appropriate.
Is the emergency stock growing?
Rosstat recorded a decline of 255 thousand square meters in 2024, the first drop in nine consecutive years. It is too early to consider this change stable.
Where can I view data for my region?
In the dataset "Share of urban population living in emergency housing stock" on roschart.ru: there is a row from 2019 for each subject. Related indicators on new housing construction are on the page housing input by year.
In Brief
- Emergency stock: 23.8 million sq. m at the end of 2024, 0.5 percent of all housing.
- Over ten years it grew by one and a half times, but 2024 saw the first decline.
- Emergency houses are inhabited by 0.51 percent of Russia's urban population.
- Leaders: Yakutia (8.4%), Nenets Autonomous Okrug (7.7%), Yamal (5.9%).
- The stock grows because houses built in the 1950–1970s are classified as emergency faster than they can be demolished and relocated.
Data source: Rosstat, collection "Housing and household services in Russia" and the national list of SDG indicators.