Population of Krasnodar and Krasnodar Krai: Rosstat data by year
As of January 1, 2024, 1,138,654 people lived in Krasnodar. This is the 12th city in Russia, and it is 1,833 residents away from the 11th place: Rostov‑on‑Don still has that many more. In 2002, Krasnodar had 646 thousand people and was in 18th place. Since then the city has grown by 76%, and by the number of added residents, 493 thousand, it is surpassed only by Moscow and St. Petersburg. Throughout Krasnodar Krai, as of January 1, 2025, Rosstat counted 5,842,238 people, making it the third region in the country after Moscow and the Moscow region.
Below is the population of Krasnodar by year and by censuses, its rank among million‑plus cities, the region’s population since 2012, the source of growth, other cities of Kuban and the national composition. Each chart can be opened on the website in interactive form.
How many people live in Krasnodar
Rows with censuses are marked, the rest are Rosstat estimates as of January 1.
| Date | Thousand people |
|---|---|
| Census of 2002, October 9 | 646 |
| Census of 2010, October 14 | 745 |
| Census of 2020, October 1 2021 | 1,099 |
| January 1 2023 | 1,121 |
| January 1 2024 | 1,139 |
Between the 2002 and 2010 censuses Krasnodar added 99 thousand people. The next eleven years gave already 354 thousand: according to the 2020 census the city became a million‑plus for the first time. In 2023 it grew by another 17,363 people, to 1,138,654.
Now 19.5% of the region’s population lives in Krasnodar, roughly every fifth resident of Kuban.
Data for cities as of January 1 2025 are not available: Rosstat, according to a note to the table, is temporarily not publishing them. An estimate for the region for 2025 has been released, see below.
View the population of all Russian cities with at least 100 thousand residents →
Why the directories show different figures
In the 2024 yearbook, next to the census there is an estimate for January 1 2022: 974 thousand people. That is 125 thousand less than the census counted three months earlier. The discrepancy does not mean people left. The current estimate at that time had not yet taken the census results into account, and the census found more people in the city than were recorded in the registers of births, deaths and migrations. From the following year the estimate is already based on the census, and on January 1 2023 it was 1,121 thousand.
So the figures “under a million” refer to the previous count.
2024 yearbook with the census and the 2022 estimate →
What position Krasnodar holds among million‑plus cities
According to the 2002 census, Krasnodar was the 18th city in the country. Ahead of it were, among others, Volgograd with 1,011 thousand, Perm with 1,002, Krasnoyarsk with 909 and Voronezh with 849. In 2010 it rose to 17th place, according to the 2020 census to 13th, and since 2023 it stands at 12th, ahead of Omsk.
| Place | City | People on 1 January 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Samara | 1,158,952 |
| 11 | Rostov‑on‑Don | 1,140,487 |
| 12 | Krasnodar | 1,138,654 |
| 13 | Omsk | 1,104,485 |
| 14 | Voronezh | 1,046,425 |
| 15 | Perm | 1,026,908 |
| 16 | Volgograd | 1,018,898 |
A year ago Rostov was ahead by 14,677 people, now by 1,833. In 2023 Krasnodar added 17,363 residents, Rostov 4,519. If 2024 turned out similarly, Krasnodar is already eleventh, but Rosstat will be able to confirm this only when it publishes city data again.
Among the 16 million‑plus cities in 2023 only Moscow added more, 45,626 people. In percentage terms Krasnodar grew the most, by 1.55%. Ten million‑plus cities decreased in the same year, including Omsk, Volgograd and Nizhny Novgorod.
Open the table of million‑plus cities →
How the proximity looks from Rostov’s side is examined in the article "Population of Rostov‑on‑Don", and the other major cities in the article "Largest cities of Russia by population".
Population of Krasnodar Krai by Year
Number as of 1 January, thousand people.
| Year | Thousand people |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 5,297.2 |
| 2014 | 5,443.4 |
| 2016 | 5,579.7 |
| 2018 | 5,695.9 |
| 2020 | 5,794.1 |
| 2021 | 5,815.6 |
| 2022 | 5,832.0 |
| 2023 | 5,819.3 |
| 2024 | 5,833.0 |
| 2025 | 5,842.2 |
From 2012 to 2025 the krai added 545 thousand people, 10.3%. It grew fastest up to 2017, by 59–87 thousand per year. Then the pace slowed: in 2020 the increase was 21.5 thousand, in 2021 it was 16.4 thousand. The estimate for 1 January 2023 turned out 12.7 thousand lower than the previous year, the only time this happened in the whole series. In 2023 and 2024 the krai grew again, by 13,657 and 9,236 people.
Population of all regions since 2012 →
Where the increase comes from
The population changes in two ways: through the difference between births and deaths and through the difference between arrivals and departures. In Kuban the first has long been negative, and the second compensates it.
| Year | Natural decline | Migration increase | Total for the year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | −18,839 | +32,496 | +13,657 |
| 2024 | −22,357 | +31,593 | +9,236 |
The number of arrivals was almost the same in both years, and the decline grew by 3.5 thousand. In 2023 migrations offset it by 1.7 times, in 2024 already by 1.4 times.
By migration increase in 2024 the region ranks fifth in the country: only Moscow oblast, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Leningrad oblast received more arrivals. By total increase it is ninth.
Most of the arrivals are taken by cities. The urban population of the region grew in 2024 by 12,312 people, to 3,353,537, and accounted for 68% of the migration increase. Villages lost about 3 thousand residents in the same year.
The Southern Federal District lost 35,012 people in 2024, Russia as a whole 30,861. Of the eight regions of the district, four grew, and Kuban added the most people. In percentage terms only Kalmykia surpassed it.
Population size and components of its change in 2024 →
Births and deaths in Kuban
In 2023 the region recorded 53,026 births and 71,865 deaths. Per thousand residents this is 9.1 births and 12.3 deaths, a decline of 3.2. For Russia the same figures are 8.6, 12.1 and minus 3.5, for the Southern District 8.3, 12.5 and minus 4.2. More children are born in Kuban than the average, while deaths are almost the same as elsewhere.
The latest operational data refer to January–February 2025. Births are 9.2 per thousand versus 8.9 a year earlier, deaths 14.0 versus 13.7. Natural decline remained the same, 4.8 per thousand, versus 5.0 nationwide.
Births, deaths and natural increase by region →
Causes of death in the region
In 2023 Kuban recorded 1,233.5 deaths per 100,000 residents, Russia 1,206.2. Overall mortality is 2.3% higher than the average, although for the main causes the region is below the national level. Deaths from circulatory system diseases are 536 per 100,000 (Russia 557), from neoplasms 194 (Russia 197), from respiratory diseases 40 (Russia 53), from external causes 95 (Russia 107).
One noticeable exception: roads. In road accidents in Kuban 11.9 people die per 100,000 residents, versus 9.2 nationwide. This is 29% above the average.
How mortality is distributed across the country is discussed in the article "Mortality by regions of Russia". How long people live on average in the region is shown on the page life expectancy in Krasnodar Krai.
Mortality by main causes in each region →
Other cities of Krasnodar Krai
Besides Krasnodar, there are more than 100 thousand residents in the krai in three other cities. As of 1 January 2024, Sochi had 444,989 people, making it the 44th city in the country. In Novorossiysk there were 261,937, in Armavir 184,546. Together with Krasnodar, four cities are home to 34.8% of the krai’s population.
Since 2002, Sochi has grown by 35%, from 329 to 445 thousand. The 2020 census counted 466 thousand there, but estimates for 2023 and 2024 are lower: 447 and 445 thousand. Novorossiysk added 13%, from 232 to 262 thousand, and did not change in 2023. Armavir, on the other hand, decreased by 5%, from 194 to 185 thousand.
Russian cities with 250 to 500 thousand residents →
Who lives on the Kuban: 2020 census
The All‑Russian 2020 census counted 5,838,273 people in the krai: 3,086,352 women and 2,751,921 men, with 1,122 women per thousand men. In cities lived 56.9% of the population. Nationality was not indicated by 292,149 people, 5.0%, and the shares below are calculated from those who indicated.
| Nationality | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Russians | 5,121,482 | 92.3% |
| Armenians | 211,132 | 3.8% |
| Ukrainians | 29,317 | 0.5% |
| Tatars | 18,912 | 0.3% |
| Greeks | 13,117 | 0.2% |
| Georgians | 12,451 | 0.2% |
| Gypsies | 11,590 | 0.2% |
| Adyghe | 10,484 | 0.2% |
Armenians live equally in cities and villages: 105,416 and 105,716 people. Russians are more urban, making up 55.8% in cities. The most rural of the large groups are Gypsies and Turks: 85% of Gypsies and 86% of Turks live in villages.
National composition of Krasnodar Krai by census →
How the national composition of the country as a whole is arranged is explained in the article "Peoples of Russia: national composition".
Questions and Answers
How many people live in Krasnodar in 2025?
The latest published estimate is for 1 January 2024: 1,138,654 people. Rosstat temporarily does not publish city figures for 1 January 2025.
Is Krasnodar a million‑city?
Yes. The 2020 census counted 1,099 thousand people, and on 1 January 2024 it was 1,138,654. Krasnodar became a million‑city between the 2010 and 2020 censuses.
Which is larger, Krasnodar or Rostov‑on‑Don?
On 1 January 2024 Rostov was larger by 1,833 people. But in 2023 Krasnodar added 17,363 residents, while Rostov added 4,519, so the gap almost closed.
How much has Krasnodar grown?
Since the 2002 census by 493 thousand people, or by 76%. In terms of the number of new residents this is the third result in the country after Moscow and St. Petersburg.
How many people live in Krasnodar Krai?
On 1 January 2025 there are 5,842,238 people. This is the third place among regions after Moscow and Moscow Oblast. St. Petersburg is fourth, with 5,652,922 residents.
In Brief
- In Krasnodar on 1 January 2024 lived 1,138,654 people, 12th place among Russian cities, Rostov ahead by only 1,833 residents.
- Since 2002 the city grew by 76% and rose from 18th to 12th place. According to the 2020 census it became a million‑city for the first time.
- In 2023 Krasnodar added 17,363 people, the fastest among million‑cities in percentage terms.
- In the krai on 1 January 2025 there are 5,842,238 people, the third region in the country. Growth is driven by newcomers: in 2024 they offset natural decline by a factor of 1.4.
- Sochi has grown by a third since 2002, Novorossiysk by 13%, Armavir decreased.