International migration in Russia: statistics by year and country

2026-08-08 · Demography

In 2023, 560,434 people arrived in Russia, and 450,482 departed. The net migration was 109,952 people. For comparison: in 2021, the net migration was 429,902, and in 2003 it was only 35,126. Rosstat data, international migration.

Below is the full series since 1997, an explanation of why there are such sharp fluctuations in migration statistics, and a breakdown by the countries from which people arrive.

Migration in Russia by year: table

The full dataset with a breakdown by 120 countries is available on the interactive international migration chart.

Why there are such jumps in this series

Before reading the table as a history of the country, one needs to understand a specific feature of the accounting.

Rosstat's migration statistics are based on data from registration at the place of residence and place of stay. Since 2011, it has included those who registered for a period of nine months or more, whereas previously the threshold was one year. This explains the drop in 2010 (191,656 arrivals) and the sharp growth in 2011 (356,535): it was not human behavior that changed, but the accounting rule.

The second effect is automatic. The system counts a person whose temporary registration has expired as having departed, even if they have not left anywhere and simply extended their documents later. Therefore, the "departed" line has grown significantly since 2012: from 36,774 people in 2011 to 122,751 in 2012 and 668,430 in 2022. These are mainly technical departures, not actual emigration.

This leads to the main conclusion regarding the table: it makes sense to compare the growth between adjacent years, rather than absolute values from different decades. The twenty-year trend in the "departed" line is almost entirely explained by the methodology.

How migration growth has changed

By removing methodological artifacts, four periods can be read in the growth series.

The late nineties were a time of return migration: 364,664 people in 1997, mainly Russian-speaking population from the former republics of the USSR. This flow was exhausted by 2003, when growth fell to 35,126, the minimum for the entire series.

From 2005 to 2014, migration was labor-related and quite stable: from 107 to 320 thousand per year. The peak occurred in 2011.

From 2015 to 2020, growth gradually declined: 245,384, then 261,948, 211,878, and a drop to 124,854 in 2018. The crisis year of 2020 yielded 106,474 with closed borders.

2021 stands out from the entire picture: 429,902 people of growth, a record for the series. Borders opened after the quarantine, and the accumulated flow passed through in one year. The following year, 2022, yielded only 61,917 with a record 730,347 arrivals and 668,430 departures.

Where people come to Russia from

Breakdown for 2023, arrivals.

In 2023, 490,864 people arrived from CIS countries, and 69,570 from countries outside the CIS. That is, 87.6% of the total incoming flow comes from the post-Soviet space.

Tajikistan occupies first place by a wide margin, and its share is growing: in 2010, 18,188 people arrived from there, in 2019 there were 89,553, and in 2022 there were 186,560. Over thirteen years, the flow has grown almost tenfold. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, on the contrary, are losing ground compared to the beginning of the 2010s.

You can compare the dynamics for any two countries on the chart by country.

Frequently asked questions

How many migrants arrived in Russia in 2023?

560,434 people according to Rosstat data. 450,482 people left, and the net migration increase was 109,952.

Which country do most migrants come from?

From Tajikistan: 171,234 people in 2023, almost a third of the total incoming flow and more than from Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine combined.

Who does Rosstat consider a migrant?

A person who has registered at their place of residence or place of stay for a period of nine months or more. Tourists, business travelers, and short-term workers are not included in this statistic.

Why are there so many departures in the statistics?

A significant portion of departures is technical: a person's temporary registration expires, and the system automatically counts them as having left. There may not be any actual border crossing involved.

In which year was the maximum net migration increase?

In 2021: 429,902 people. This was a deferred flow following the quarantine year of 2020, when borders were closed.

Does migration compensate for natural population decline?

Partially. An increase of 100-300 thousand people per year covers only a portion of the natural decline, which is why the total population is decreasing. The age structure is shifting as a result: mostly people of working age arrive.

In brief

Net migration in Russia has fluctuated from 35,126 people in 2003 to 429,902 in 2021; in 2023, it amounted to 109,952. Absolute values for the "arrived" and "departed" rows cannot be compared across decades: the accounting methodology changed in 2011, and a portion of departures is technical in nature. The main flow comes from CIS countries (87.6% in 2023), with Tajikistan alone accounting for almost a third.

All series are taken from public Rosstat publications and are updated on the website as new data becomes available.

See also

• Unemployment rate by region, where people come to work