Migration by regions of Russia: where people leave from and where they move to, Rosstat data
The biggest net gains are in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (+12.1 people per 1,000 residents in 2023), Leningrad Oblast (+11.4), Moscow Oblast (+9.4), Kalmykia (+9.1) and Sevastopol (+9.0). The strongest losses are in Tuva (−7.4), the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (−6.1), Zabaykalsky Krai (−5.0) and Tomsk Oblast (−4.6). Below, Rosstat tables break down how this picture looks across federal districts, how villages differ from cities, and how the population flow between parts of the country has changed since 2000. Each section includes a chart, and at the end there are links to the full datasets where you can find your region.
How migration is calculated by region
Rosstat takes the difference between arrivals to a region and departures from it and divides it by the population, expressed per 1,000 people. A positive number means more arrivals than departures. Zero indicates balance, a negative number indicates a decline. The advantage of this indicator is that it is comparable: Moscow and Tuva are incomparable in absolute population, but per 1,000 people they can be placed side by side.
For each territory the table provides three coefficients: overall, for urban settlements, and for rural areas. Additionally, it includes ranks: position among all regions and position within its federal district. The latest table refers to 2023 and is part of the dataset "Distribution of Russian Federation subjects by ranks of migration growth coefficients". For comparison there is a 2020 release: "Migration population growth and regional ranks in 2020".
Across the country the coefficient in 2023 was 1.4: for cities 1.6, for rural areas 0.9. In 2020 it was 0.9, 1.2 and −0.2 respectively. So, over three years the rural sector moved out of negative territory.
Leading and lagging regions
In table 84, 84 territories have an independent coefficient (Rosstat lists Tyumen Oblast without districts, Arkhangelsk without Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Yugra and Yamalo‑Nenets). A positive overall increase in 2023 is recorded for 36 of them, the rest lose population.
Leaders fall into three groups. The first are the capital suburbs: Leningrad Oblast (11.4) and Moscow Oblast (9.4). Most likely people move from the megacities for housing while staying close to work. The second group is the oil north: Yugra with 12.1 and Tyumen Oblast without districts with 3.6. The third group is the south and Crimea: Krasnodar Krai (5.6), Sevastopol (9.0), Adygea (7.1), Kalmykia (9.1) and Kaliningrad Oblast (6.0), which at the western edge of the country falls out of the overall line.
Kalmykia deserves a separate look. In 2020 its coefficient was −3.3, in 2023 it is +9.1. Yugra over the same period rose from 3.1 to 12.1. Moscow Oblast grew from 6.6 to 9.4, while Leningrad Oblast, on the contrary, fell from 16.8 to 11.4, although it remained second.
Among laggards there are three types. The Republic of Tuva (−7.4), Zabaykalsky Krai (−5.0) and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (−6.1) represent the east of the country, from which people have been leaving for many years. Tomsk Oblast (−4.6) lost residents also in 2020 (−4.2), indicating a steady decline rather than a one‑off drop. The Republic of Komi (−3.3), Sakhalin (−2.9) and Magadan (−3.1) oblasts show that northern territories still lose people. The Caucasus republics also run into negative figures: North Ossetia (−3.5), Chechnya (−3.0), and only Ingushetia remains in the plus (3.7).
You can find your region in the full table together with its rank in the country.
Migration by Federal Districts
Looking at the level of districts, the picture is simpler. The coefficient for 2023: Southern 3.2, Central 3.0, Northwestern 2.6, Ural 2.2. Below zero Volga (−0.03, effectively zero), Siberian (−0.6), North Caucasus (−1.0) and Far Eastern (−1.8).
The same picture can be calculated in people, not in coefficients. The statistical yearbook contains a matrix of moves between districts: from where to where. Subtracting the number of departures from the number of arrivals gives the net population exchange with other districts.
In 2023 within the country the Central district received 963,473 people and sent out 886,197, a net plus of 77,276. The Southern district added 46,275, the Northwestern 30,398. In the negative are Siberian (−20,105), Volga (−16,687), Far Eastern (−13,685) and North Caucasus (−10,079). The Ural district is almost at zero (+1,041).
One caveat about the calculation. The summary includes arrivals from the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, so the pluses and minuses by districts do not balance each other to zero. Rosstat temporarily does not publish data for 2024, as noted in the footnotes to the table.
The matrix is in the dataset "Population migration within Russia by direction of move", which also contains estimates for 2000, 2010 and 2022.
How the flows have changed since 2000
The longest comparison in the set covers the years 2000, 2010, 2022 and 2023. For four districts it looks like this.
The Central district consistently receives people from the rest of the country. In 2000 its net gain was 73,913 people, in 2010 it was 103,583, in 2022 it was 91,715, and in 2023 it was 77,276. So the peak was in 2010, after which the inflow slowly declines.
The Far East lost population every year, but the rate of decline has sharply reduced: –47,296 in 2000, –39,477 in 2010, –24,432 in 2022, –13,685 in 2023. Over 23 years the annual loss decreased by more than threefold.
The Siberian district behaves oppositely. In 2000 it lost 11,680 people, in 2010 it lost 17,018, in 2022 it lost 32,785, and in 2023 it lost 20,105. The loss grew, then fell slightly, but remained larger than at the beginning of the century.
The Southern district’s picture changed sharply in the last year. In 2022 its net exchange was +133 people, in 2023 +46,275.
At the same time the overall volume of relocations can be seen. In 2000, 2,302,999 people moved between the country’s territories, in 2010 1,910,648, in 2022 3,465,232 and in 2023 3,491,003. These figures should be compared with a note: the table footnotes state that arrivals from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions are included.
Village and city: where people move to live in the countryside
Rosstat's table breaks down growth into urban and rural parts, and here's the most interesting bit. Rural areas across the country on average received 0.9 person per 1,000 inhabitants in 2023. Rural growth is positive in 34 of the 83 territories for which such data exist.
In the Leningrad and Moscow regions, rural territories add 19.7 persons per 1,000 inhabitants, noticeably higher than the overall growth of these regions (11.4 and 9.4). It looks like suburban resettlement: plots and houses near the metropolis. In Adygea the rural coefficient is 14.7 with an overall 7.1, in Kalmykia 10.7, in Tatarstan 9.0, in the Kaliningrad region 8.7.
Magadan region with 19.1 appears to be the record holder, but caution is needed: its overall coefficient is −3.1, urban −3.9, and with a small rural population a modest number of movers yields a large coefficient.
On the other hand, Tuva (−15.9), Kostroma region (−13.7) and Zabaykalsky Krai (−12.2) lose rural residents much faster than urban ones. For Kostroma region the gap is especially visible: cities see a growth of +1.8, while the countryside sees −13.7. If rural population leaves the region rather than simply moving to the regional centre, this difference makes it clear.
We wrote separately about how many people live in the countryside by year: rural population of Russia by year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which region of Russia sees the most moves?
If measured per 1,000 residents, in 2023 the top spot goes to Ugra (+12.1), second to Leningrad Oblast (+11.4), third to Moscow (+9.4). In absolute numbers for inter‑district exchange, the Central district leads: +77,276 people over the year.
From which region do the most people leave?
Per 1,000 residents, the Republic of Tyva loses population the fastest (−7.4), followed by the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (−6.1) and Zabaykalsky Krai (−5.0). In inter‑district exchange, the Siberian district loses the most (−20,105) and the Volga district (−16,687).
Where do people from Siberia and the Far East go?
The migration matrix from the yearbook shows that in 2023, 19,176 people moved from the Siberian district to the Central district, and 13,773 from the Far Eastern district to the Central district. Flows in the opposite direction are smaller. Detailed figures for each pair of districts are in the dataset on internal migration.
Is migration within Russia increasing?
The volume of moves between territories grew: 1.9 million people in 2010 and 3.5 million in 2023. Footnotes to the table note that it includes arrivals from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, so a direct comparison with 2010 requires a caveat.
Where can I find data for my region?
The 2023 table contains a coefficient and rank for each region. It can be opened on the chart, compared with 2020, and downloaded as CSV. The link to the dataset is at the end of the article.
What it means
In 2023, Russia's population grew where there is work and housing near a large city: the Moscow region, Leningrad region, the oil-rich north, the south and Crimea. Decline continues in the east (Tuva, Zabaykalsky Krai, Jewish Autonomous Oblast), in parts of the northern regions and in Tomsk region.
At the district level, the Central region gains the most (+77,276 people over the year), the Far East loses less and less, while Siberia cannot stop the decline. In the countryside of the Moscow region and Leningrad region, growth is faster than in the cities, whereas Tuva, Kostroma and Zabaykalsky Krai lose rural residents faster than urban ones.
Source of all numbers in the article: Rosstat, bulletin "Population Size and Migration" and the Russian Statistical Yearbook.