How many subjects in the Russian Federation in 2026 and how they differ: population, area, salary
In 2026 Russia has 89 subjects: 24 republics, 9 territories, 48 regions, 3 cities of federal significance, one autonomous oblast and 4 autonomous districts. That many rows are in the subsistence minimum table for 2026 from Rosstat, where each subject received its own figure. In most other tables there are 85 subjects: four new ones (DNR, LNR, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions) that Rosstat does not yet include and notes this with a footnote. Below we examine how different these 85 are: by population the largest subject outpaces the smallest by 317 times, by average salary the gap is almost fivefold. All figures are available on interactive charts.
Subjects of the Russian Federation: how many of each type
If you add the 85 subjects from the main Rosstat statistics and the four new ones, the breakdown looks like this:
| Type of subject | Number | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Republics | 24 | Tatarstan, Dagestan, Yakutia, Crimea, DNR, LNR |
| Territories | 9 | Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Kamchatka |
| Regions | 48 | Moscow, Sverdlovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson |
| Cities of federal significance | 3 | Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sevastopol |
| Autonomous oblast | 1 | Jewish |
| Autonomous districts | 4 | Khanty-Mansi, Yamalo-Nenets, Nenets, Chukotka |
| Total | 89 |
Subjects are grouped into 8 federal districts. In the tables their totals appear as separate rows, so you cannot count subjects by the number of rows: to the 85 regions are added Russia, the 8 districts and two more rows “without autonomous districts” for the Arkhangelsk and Tyumen regions.
There is a subtlety that sometimes causes confusion in rankings. The Nenets district is part of the Arkhangelsk region, while the Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets districts belong to the Tyumen region, but all five are independent subjects. Therefore Rosstat provides both regions in two versions, with and without the districts. In this article the Arkhangelsk and Tyumen regions are taken without the districts everywhere, otherwise the same people would be counted twice.
Largest subjects by population
As of 1 January 2025, 146,119,928 people lived in 85 subjects. The top five: Moscow (13,274,285), Moscow Oblast (8,775,735), Krasnodar Krai (5,842,238), Saint Petersburg (5,652,922) and Sverdlovsk Oblast (4,221,452). In these five regions live more than a quarter of the country, 25.8%. One Moscow with the oblast accounts for 15%.
At the other end of the list are the Nenets Autonomous Okrug with 41,906 residents and Chukotka with 47,778. Moscow is 317 times larger than the Nenets Okrug. Fewer than 150 thousand people live in two more subjects: Magadan Oblast (134,544) and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (144,428).
Population of all subjects on 1 January 2025 →
Where the population is growing
In 2024 the population grew in 22 of the 85 subjects. The biggest increases were in Moscow (+124,482) and Moscow Oblast (+124,475), but in different ways. In Moscow there were 4,773 more births than deaths, the rest came from migration. In the Moscow region deaths exceeded births by 25,417, but 149,892 people moved there, offsetting the outflow.
Births exceeded deaths only in 12 subjects. Almost all of them are in the Caucasus and the oil‑gas North: Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino‑Balkaria, North Ossetia, Karachay‑Cherkessia, Tuva, Yakutia, three autonomous okrugs (Khanty‑Mansi, Yamalo‑Nenets, Nenets) and Moscow. The largest natural increase was in Dagestan: 27,972 people. How this looks for the country as a whole can be seen in the summaries of natural increase and migration increase.
Largest and smallest subjects by area
Area of Russia according to Rosreestr 17 125,2 thousand square kilometres. Almost a third is accounted for by two subjects: Yakutia (3 083,5 thousand sq km, 18.01% of the territory) and Krasnoyarsk Krai (2 366,8 thousand sq km, 13.82%). Next, with a large gap, are Khabarovsk Krai (787.6), Irkutsk Oblast (774.8) and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (769.3).
The smallest subjects are the federal cities: Sevastopol (0.9 thousand sq km), Saint Petersburg (1.4) and Moscow (2.6). Among the rest, Ingushetia is the smallest, 3.1 thousand square kilometres, followed by Adygea with 7.8.
Where people live most densely
Average population density in Russia at the beginning of 2024 is 8.5 people per square kilometre. In Moscow the same area contains 5 134.6 people, in Saint Petersburg 4 001.3, in Sevastopol 649.7. Among “regular” subjects, the densest are Moscow Oblast (195.2) and Ingushetia (169.9).
The least densely populated is Chukotka: 0.07 people per square kilometre, that is one resident per 15 square kilometres. Next are the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (0.24), Magadan Oblast (0.29) and Yakutia (0.32).
Area, share of the country's territory and population density for all subjects →
Where the highest and lowest salaries are
The average accrued salary in Russia for 2025 was 101,784 rubles per month. Only in 13 out of 85 subjects is the salary higher than that, and almost all of them are in the North, the Far East, or the two capitals.
| Place | Subject | Salary for 2025, rubles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chukotka Autonomous Okrug | 217,182 |
| 2 | Magadan Oblast | 181,790 |
| 3 | Moscow | 181,777 |
| 4 | Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug | 177,972 |
| 5 | Kamchatka Krai | 152,303 |
| … | … | … |
| 81 | North Ossetia | 54,071 |
| 82 | Kabardino-Balkaria | 53,321 |
| 83 | Dagestan | 50,101 |
| 84 | Chechnya | 46,404 |
| 85 | Ingushetia | 44,399 |
Magadan Oblast beat Moscow by 13.5 rubles per month, so the second and third places are almost a tie. In Chukotka the average salary is 4.9 times higher than in Ingushetia. In 2018 the gap was smaller: 98,864 rubles versus 25,367, 3.9 times.
All subjects by place are collected in the regional salary ranking, and most have their own page with a series by years, for example salary in Chukotka or in Ingushetia.
Average salary across all subjects from 2018 to 2025 →
Subsistence Minimum: Table Including All 89
The subsistence minimum for 2026 is set in all 89 subjects, and here the new regions are visible alongside the others. Per capita for Russia it amounts to 18,939 rubles per month. The highest is in Chukotka, 49,431 rubles, followed by Kamchatka Krai (33,333) and Magadan Oblast (32,954). The lowest are in Lipetsk and Tambov Oblasts, at 15,719 rubles each. The difference between the extremes is more than threefold.
In the DPR and LPR the per‑capita minimum for 2026 is 17,803 rubles, in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts 18,371. This is slightly below the nationwide figure.
The minimum for working‑age people, pensioners and children for each subject is available in the regional ranking by subsistence minimum, for example in Chukotka and in the DPR. A detailed regional analysis is in the article "Subsistence Minimum 2026 by Region".
Subsistence minimum for all 89 subjects since 2013 →
Questions and Answers
How many subjects are there in the Russian Federation in 2026?
- Of them, 24 republics, 9 territories, 48 regions, 3 cities of federal significance, 1 autonomous region and 4 autonomous districts.
Why does the statistics often show 85 regions, not 89?
Rosstat still does not include data on the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in most tables and notes this in a footnote to the table. The exception is the subsistence minimum: it is set for each subject, and all 89 are present in the table.
Which subject is the largest?
By area Yakutia, 3,083.5 thousand square kilometres, 18% of the country's territory. By population Moscow, 13,274,285 people as of 1 January 2025.
Which subject is the smallest?
By area Sevastopol, 0.9 thousand square kilometres, and among subjects that are not cities, Ingushetia (3.1). By population Nenets Autonomous Okrug, 41,906 people.
Where in Russia is the highest salary?
In Chukotka: 217,182 rubles per month on average for 2025, more than twice the national average. The lowest is in Ingushetia, 44,399 rubles.
In Brief
- In 2026 Russia has 89 subjects, in Rosstat's main statistics there are still 85.
- The five most populous subjects (Moscow, Moscow region, Kuban, St. Petersburg, Sverdlovsk region) account for more than a quarter of the country's residents.
- Yakutia and Krasnoyarsk Krai together cover almost a third of the territory.
- Density ranges from 5,134.6 people per square kilometre in Moscow to one resident per 15 square kilometres in Chukotka.
- The average salary in Chukotka is 4.9 times higher than in Ingushetia, and this gap has widened since 2018.