Child benefit in Russia: how much is paid by region and why the number of recipients has decreased 12-fold
In 2025, 522 thousand families received the monthly child benefit. In 2011, there were 6,440 thousand, which is 12.3 times more. The amount of the payment depends on the region so significantly that in the Nizhny Novgorod region the base benefit is equal to 100 rubles per month, in the Sverdlovsk region it is 625, and in Moscow it is 5,305. Below is what this benefit is, how many families receive it, how much a single mother with two children will receive in different regions, and why the number of recipients dropped sharply after 2022. Under each section is a chart based on Rosstat data, which can be opened in full on the website.
What this benefit is
This refers to the regional monthly child benefit for children under 16 (or under 18 if the child is in school). It was assigned to low-income families, and each subject decided for itself how much to pay. Therefore, there is no single figure for the country in Rosstat statistics: there is an amount by region and by category of family. The base amount is paid to all recipients, and then the rate increases for single mothers, for children of conscript soldiers, and for children for whom a parent does not pay alimony.
This is not maternity capital and not the unified benefit that has been paid to low-income families with children since 2023. There is no data on the unified benefit in the Rosstat sets on the website, so all figures below relate only to the monthly regional benefit.
How many families receive the allowance
In 2011, 6,440 thousand people received the allowance, accounting for 9,675 thousand children. By 2019, the number of recipients remained at 3,632 thousand, followed by a slight increase: 4,060 thousand in 2020 and 3,600 thousand in 2021. A real drop began in 2022: 2,943 thousand recipients, then 1,298 thousand in 2023 (a decrease of 55.9% over the year), 842 thousand in 2024, and 522 thousand in 2025.
Among single mothers, the picture is the same: in 2011, 1,245 thousand received the allowance, and in 2025, 115 thousand. The number of parents who do not pay child support has remained at 1.6 thousand people per year for the last two years, compared to 5.5 thousand in 2011. The number of children for whom the allowance is assigned is 993.9 thousand in 2025, while in 2011 it was 9,674.8 thousand.
The sharp decline after 2022 coincides in time with the introduction of the unified allowance: many families switched to it. The statistics themselves do not explain this; they only show the result, but for the reader, the conclusion is simple. If you previously received a regional child allowance in your region, today it is most likely replaced by another payment, and the amounts from the tables below should not be taken as what a family will receive now.
What share of children receives the allowance
Rosstat compares the number of children for whom the allowance is assigned with the total number of children under 18 years of age. In 2011, this was more than a third: 36.5%. By 2021, the share had decreased to 22.6%, in 2022 to 18.9%, in 2023 immediately to 8.1%, and in 2024 to 5.4%. Over thirteen years, this is a 6.8-fold decrease.
The dynamics for each region can be opened in the dataset on the number of children with the allowance by region. The most noticeable drop is in Moscow: in 2011, the allowance was assigned for 768.7 thousand children, which accounted for 45.2% of all Moscow children, while in 2025 it was for 107 thousand, and the share in 2024 was already 5.1%.
How much is paid by region
The base amount of the allowance in 2025 strongly depends on where the child lives. Data is available for 42 regions that submitted figures for 2024, and their median is 321.5 rubles. Here is what the extreme and average values look like:
| Region | Base amount, ₽ per month | For a single mother, ₽ |
|---|---|---|
| Moscow | 5,305 | 7,955 |
| Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug | 1,857 | 3,713 |
| Sverdlovsk Region | 625 | 1,251 |
| Rostov Region | 524 | 1,048 |
| Novosibirsk Region | 468 | 702 |
| Belgorod Region | 427 | 855 |
| Krasnoyarsk Territory | 394 | 551 |
| Republic of Bashkortostan | 234 | 467 |
| Nizhny Novgorod Region | 100 | 200 |
| Republic of Ingushetia | 100 | 200 |
The gap between Moscow and the Nizhny Novgorod Region is 53 times, and between Moscow and the Sverdlovsk Region it is 8.5 times. Almost everywhere, the increased rate for single mothers is twice the base rate, but there are exceptions: in the Novosibirsk Region it is 1.5 times higher, and in the Krasnoyarsk Territory it is 1.4 times higher.
The amount grows following the region's expenses, but slowly. The Moscow payment increased from 4,381 rubles in 2021 to 5,305 in 2024, that is, by 21.1%. In the Sverdlovsk Region, it went from 545 to 625 rubles, an increase of 14.7%. You can estimate what such increases mean against the backdrop of prices in the inflation calculator.
The full table for all regions and categories can be opened on the page of the dataset on the size of the allowance. To understand what 625 rubles means for a family, compare them with the subsistence minimum for a child.
Example: allowance for a single mother with two children
Let us take a mother who is raising two children alone, and an allowance at the rate for single mothers. Each child has their own payment.
- In Moscow: 7,955 × 2 = 15,910 rubles per month.
- In the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug: 3,713 × 2 = 7,426 rubles.
- In the Sverdlovsk Region: 1,251 × 2 = 2,502 rubles.
- In the Nizhny Novgorod Region: 200 × 2 = 400 rubles.
If the father does not pay child support, the rate in some regions is higher. In the Belgorod Region, it is 1,886 rubles per child against 427 at the base rate: for two children, it comes to 3,772 rubles. In the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, it is 2,476 rubles per child. There is a separate analysis on how child support is calculated from salary: average salary for child support.
Frequently asked questions
How many families receive child allowance in Russia? In 2025, 522 thousand families, which account for 993.9 thousand children. In 2011, there were 6,440 thousand recipients, and 9,674.8 thousand children.
How much is the base child allowance? It depends on the region. In Moscow, 5,305 rubles per month, in the Sverdlovsk Region 625, in the Rostov Region 524, in the Nizhny Novgorod Region and Ingushetia 100 each.
Why have the number of recipients decreased? The number of recipients fell by half in 2023 (from 2,943 thousand to 1,298 thousand), which coincided in time with the launch of the unified allowance. Rosstat tables do not contain data on the reasons.
How much do single mothers receive? Usually twice the base rate: in Moscow 7,955 rubles per child, in the Sverdlovsk Region 1,251, in the Nizhny Novgorod Region 200. In 2025, 115 thousand mothers received such an allowance.
What share of children in the country receives the allowance? In 2024, 5.4% of all children under 18 years old. In 2011, it was 36.5%.
Is an allowance paid for children of conscripted military personnel? Yes, but there are very few such recipients: 0.1 thousand people in 2025. In Moscow, the rate for them is 7,955 rubles, in the Sverdlovsk Region 938, in the Rostov Region 786.
Summary
The regional monthly child allowance was received by 6,440 thousand families in 2011 and 522 thousand in 2025. The share of children for whom it is assigned decreased from 36.5% to 5.4% by 2024, and the largest loss of recipients occurred in 2023, when their number fell by 55.9%. The amount of the payment is determined by the region: the median base rate is 321.5 rubles, in Moscow it is 5,305, and in the Nizhny Novgorod Region and Ingushetia it is 100. A single mother with two children would receive from 400 rubles per month in the Nizhny Novgorod Region to 15,910 in Moscow. Source of all data: Rosstat.