How many children attend kindergarten in Russia: statistics by year
2026-08-30 · Education
At the end of 2025, preschool educational organisations in Russia were attended by 6,091.7 thousand children. The peak occurred in 2019, when there were 7,606.7 thousand pupils. Over six years, kindergartens lost 1.52 million people, almost one in five. The reason is not a refusal to attend kindergartens, but the fact that small cohorts entered preschool age. Rosstat data.
Below is the full series from 2014, broken down by urban and rural areas, the number of places created, changes in occupancy rates, and the share of private kindergartens.
Number of pupils: table by year
Thousand people at year-end.
| Year | Total | Urban | Rural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 6,813.6 | 5,415.6 | 1,398.0 |
| 2015 | 7,151.6 | 5,693.8 | 1,457.7 |
| 2016 | 7,342.9 | 5,856.3 | 1,486.6 |
| 2017 | 7,477.9 | 5,976.5 | 1,501.5 |
| 2018 | 7,582.4 | 6,083.6 | 1,498.9 |
| 2019 | 7,606.7 | 6,128.5 | 1,478.2 |
| 2020 | 7,442.9 | 6,019.6 | 1,423.4 |
| 2021 | 7,340.6 | 5,937.1 | 1,403.5 |
| 2022 | 7,008.1 | 5,657.8 | 1,350.4 |
| 2023 | 6,665.0 | 5,371.4 | 1,293.7 |
| 2024 | 6,385.3 | 5,139.6 | 1,245.6 |
| 2025 | 6,091.7 | 4,908.3 | 1,183.4 |
The series resembles a dome: five years of growth, six years of decline. The peak in 2019 is 793 thousand higher than the starting point in 2014, and the lowest point in 2025 is 722 thousand lower than the same peak. The full series is available in the dataset.
Urban and rural areas have declined almost equally: a decrease of 19.9% from the peak in both cases. The share of rural pupils over twelve years has shifted slightly, from 20.5% in 2014 to 19.4% in 2025, so there is no noticeable geographical imbalance here.
Why there are fewer children in kindergartens
The reason is demographic, and it is visible in the birth years.
A child appears in kindergarten statistics roughly from the age of two to seven. Kindergarten pupils in 2019 were those born in 2012–2017, when Russia recorded the highest number of births in a quarter of a century. Kindergarten pupils in 2025 will be those born in 2018–2023, a period that saw a decline.
This logic can be verified using school statistics: the same wave reaches first grade with a delay of several years. The age structure of the population by cohorts is analyzed in the article "Age composition of Russia’s population".
Places and the waiting list
New places introduced in kindergartens, units per year:
| Year | Places introduced |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 22,904 |
| 2013 | 90,330 |
| 2014 | 128,868 |
| 2015 | 143,285 |
| 2016 | 63,297 |
| 2017 | 40,822 |
| 2019 | 105,408 |
| 2021 | 79,888 |
| 2023 | 62,796 |
| 2024 | 54,436 |
Two peaks are clearly visible. The first in 2014–2015, when the task was to eliminate the waiting list for children aged 3–7, and the second in 2019–2020 for nursery groups for children under three. Between them, there is a drop: in 2017, 3.5 times fewer places were built than in 2015.
Since 2020, the number of places introduced has been declining for the fifth year in a row. The logic is simple: there are fewer children, and there are already enough places. A breakdown by region is available on the data page.
Occupancy rates confirm this. Per 100 places in kindergartens, there were:
- 2020: 101.7 pupils
- 2021: 98.9
- 2022: 96.9
- 2023: 94.2
- 2024: 92.7
In 2020, kindergartens nationwide were on average overcrowded, but now there are eight free places per 100. The average figure conceals wide variation: in 2024, in Chechnya there were 119 pupils per 100 places, in Tuva 118, while in the Chukotka Autonomous Area there were 71 and in Magadan Region 72.
Private kindergartens
Share of children enrolled in organizations with private ownership:
| Year | Total children | In private kindergartens | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 7,243,356 | 109,234 | 1.51% |
| 2022 | 6,990,026 | 105,028 | 1.50% |
| 2023 | 6,651,041 | 101,418 | 1.52% |
| 2024 | 6,373,175 | 101,433 | 1.59% |
| 2025 | 6,081,576 | 94,127 | 1.55% |
The private sector in preschool education remains tiny: one and a half percent of children and no growth over five years. The absolute number of children in private kindergartens is falling along with the total (down 13.8% since 2021), while the share barely changes.
In the Central Federal District, the figure is above average at 2.26% in 2025, but even that is far from a significant value.
What is available in kindergartens
Electronic learning tools, units:
| Year | Computers | With internet access | For children |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 185,338 | 100,496 | 26,077 |
| 2019 | 277,074 | 174,620 | 49,433 |
| 2021 | 333,749 | 211,780 | 63,386 |
| 2025 | 358,404 | 236,500 | 66,730 |
The number of computers has almost doubled over eleven years, while the share connected to the internet has risen from 54.2% to 66.0%. However, since 2022, the number has practically stagnated: 345 thousand computers in 2022 and 358 thousand in 2025.
There are 66.7 thousand computers available for children out of 6.09 million enrolled, meaning one computer per ninety children. Most of the equipment consists of workstations for administration and teachers.
Questions and answers
How many children in Russia attend kindergarten?
As of the end of 2025, 6,091.7 thousand people, including 4,908.3 thousand in cities and 1,183.4 thousand in rural areas.
Why are there fewer children in kindergartens?
Due to generational change. Today, children born in 2018–2023 attend kindergartens, and these cohorts are noticeably smaller in number than those born in 2012–2017, which peaked in 2019.
Are there enough places in kindergartens?
On average across the country, yes: in 2024, there were 92.7 children per 100 places. In 2020, there were 101.7, meaning kindergartens were overcrowded. The situation varies significantly by region.
How many children attend private kindergartens?
In 2025, 94,127 people, which is 1.55% of all children attending kindergartens. This share has remained unchanged since 2021.
How many places in kindergartens are added each year?
In 2024, 54,436 places. The peak over the past 25 years occurred in 2015: 143,285 places.
In brief
Kindergartens in Russia reached their peak in 2019 and have since lost a fifth of their children. This is not about quality or accessibility but about demographics: smaller cohorts have entered preschool age.
At the same time, the construction cycle has also ended. The number of places added decreased from 143 thousand in 2015 to 54 thousand in 2024, and for the first time in years of observation, occupancy fell below 100 children per 100 places. The private sector has remained at around one and a half percent throughout this period and does not play a significant role in the overall picture.