Poverty level by Russian regions: ranking for 2025 and dynamics since 1995
On average across Russia, 6.7% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to Rosstat data for 2025. The picture varies by region: in Ingushetia every fourth resident is considered poor (24.3%), in Tuva every fifth (18.6%), and in Saint Petersburg only 3.2%. The gap between the extreme regions is almost eightfold. Below is the ranking by subjects, the history since 1995, the regions that reduced poverty the fastest, and those where it barely changed. Each chart on the website has an interactive version where you can select any region.
Ranking of regions by share of poor in 2025
Rosstat counts the share of people whose monetary incomes are below the subsistence minimum. Each region has its own minimum, so the figures are comparable: everywhere it is the share of those who lack enough for the regional basket of goods and services. The table has 87 rows, and in 2025 the situation is as follows.
Most poor:
- Republic of Ingushetia: 24.3%
- Republic of Tuva: 18.6%
- Karachay-Cherkess Republic: 15.3%
- Republic of Buryatia: 14.1%
- Chechen Republic: 13.8%
- Republic of Khakassia: 12.5%
- Altai Republic: 12.3%
- Jewish Autonomous Oblast: 12.2%
- Yakutia: 11.9%
- Kalmykia: 11.6%
Least poor:
- Saint Petersburg: 3.2%
- Tatarstan, Chukotka and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug: 3.3% each
- Moscow: 3.8%
- Belgorod Oblast: 4.1%
- Moscow Oblast: 4.3%
- Leningrad Oblast: 4.6%
- Sakhalin Oblast: 4.7%
- Voronezh Oblast: 4.9%
A share above 10% remained in 18 regions, below 5% fell in 10. Above the national average of 6.7% are 61 regions out of 87, not above 26. The full ranking with all regions is on the poverty ranking page: there you can sort and compare your region with neighbours.
At the top of the list are mostly republics of the North Caucasus, Siberia and the south. At the bottom are capitals, Tatarstan, Belgorod Oblast and the northern districts of Chukotka and Yamalo-Nenets: economies differ, but the share of poor is below 5% in all of them.
How poverty changed in regions since 1995
In the late 1990s the table was frightening to look at. In 1999 in Ingushetia 90.5% of the population lived below the poverty line, in Zabaykalsky Krai 77.5%, in Tuva 75.6%. For Russia as a whole in 1999 it was 28.4%, and in 2000 it was 29.0%, the maximum for the whole series after 1995. Even in Moscow the share was 22.4% back then.
It is clear that the regions moved down at different speeds. Tatarstan fell to 6.5% by 2012, Moscow to 8.5% by 2017, and both then hardly moved until 2021. Ingushetia reached 17.1% by 2012, but then rose again: in 2015 it was 29.6%, in 2018 and 2019 it was 29.9%, and only after 2021 a slow decline began to 24.3%. In Tuva in 2015 it was 36.9%, a record among regions for that year, and by 2025 the indicator fell twice.
Pages of the regions show the same series with exact values: Ingushetia, Tuva, Moscow.
What has happened since 2015: poverty has decreased almost everywhere
In 2015, against the backdrop of the crisis, the share of poor in the country rose from 10.8% (2013) to 13.5%. Over ten years, from 2015 to 2025, the indicator in Russia fell to 6.7%, that is half. Regions reduced it in different ways.
In 36 regions out of 87, the share of poor over these years fell by more than half. Among the leaders in absolute reduction:
- Tyva: from 36.9% to 18.6% (down 18.3 p.p.)
- Kalmykia: from 29.5% to 11.6% (down 17.9 p.p.)
- Crimea: from 23.1% to 10.2% (down 12.9 p.p.)
- Jewish Autonomous Oblast: from 24.8% to 12.2% (down 12.6 p.p.)
- Altai Republic: from 24.3% to 12.3% (down 12.0 p.p.)
- Kabardino-Balkaria: from 21.4% to 10.2% (down 11.2 p.p.)
Kalmykia is indicative: in 2013, 33.4% of its population lived below the poverty line, the highest value among regions that year. In 2015 it was second in share of poor after Tyva and Ingushetia, and by 2025 it fell to tenth place.
The chart shows that Tyva and Kalmykia lines go down towards the national level, while Chechnya declined noticeably slower: from 16.0% in 2015 to 13.8% in 2025, only 2.2 p.p. Dagestan moved even less: 11.0% in 2015 and 10.9% in 2025. In 2024 it was even 11.7%, and Dagestan remains an example of a region where the national reduction barely reached the table.
Where the most poor live in absolute numbers
The share and the number of people tell different stories. In Ingushetia, 129.7 thousand people are below the poverty line, in Tuva 63.1 thousand, in Kalmykia 31.0 thousand. But in absolute numbers the top places are taken by large regions: Moscow (498.2 thousand people with a share of 3.8%), Moscow Oblast (380.5 thousand), Krasnodar Krai (360.4 thousand) and Dagestan (355.5 thousand).
It turns out that in Moscow the poor are almost four times more than in Ingushetia (498.2 versus 129.7 thousand), although the share shows the opposite picture. For targeted measures such as benefits, both indicators are important: the share shows the depth of the region's problem, and the number of people shows how much money and how many hands are needed. The table on the number of poor in the regions is in a separate dataset.
Poverty in the country: from 49 to 10 million people
For comparison with the regions it is useful to remember the overall scale. In 1992, 49.3 million Russians were below the poverty line, in 2000 it was 42.3 million, in 2015 it was 19.8 million. In 2022 there were 13.3 million, in 2023 12.2 million, in 2024 10.3 million, and in 2025 9.7 million people.
The last year is notable: in 2025 the share of the poor compared with 2024 fell in all 87 regions of the table without exception.
Why regions differ so much
Rosstat's table shows the gap, but does not explain it. To understand, it is worth comparing it with three other indicators:
- Earnings. The level of wages by region is discussed in the article about average wages by region.
- Threshold. The subsistence minimum in each region is different; the values for 2026 are collected in the article about subsistence minimum by region.
- Income distribution. The average wage does not show the situation of lower groups; this aspect is visible through the Gini coefficient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which region of Russia has the most poor?
In the Republic of Ingushetia: 24.3% of residents in 2025, about 129.7 thousand people. Next are Tuva (18.6%) and Karachay‑Cherkessia (15.3%).
Which region has the fewest poor?
In Saint Petersburg: 3.2% in 2025. Slightly higher are Tatarstan, Chukotka and the Yamalo‑Nenets Autonomous Okrug (each 3.3%) and Moscow (3.8%).
How many poor are there in Russia in 2025?
6.7% of the population, that is 9.7 million people. A year earlier it was 7.1% and 10.3 million, in 2015 it was 13.5% and 19.8 million.
How is the poverty level calculated in a region?
Rosstat takes the share of residents whose monetary income is below the subsistence minimum. The minimum is determined separately for each region, so the share of poor in each subject is calculated according to its regional boundary.
Why does Moscow have many poor people but a low share?
Because the capital’s population is large: with a share of 3.8% that is 498.2 thousand people, more than in any other region.
Where did poverty decrease the most?
In Tuva (from 36.9% in 2015 to 18.6% in 2025) and in Kalmykia (from 29.5% to 11.6%). In Dagestan over the same ten years the share changed little: 11.0% and 10.9%.
In Brief
In 2025 the poverty level across Russia was 6.7% with a maximum of 29.0% in 2000. From region to region it varies by a factor of 7.6: from 3.2% in Saint Petersburg to 24.3% in Ingushetia. Above 10% remain 18 regions, below 5% fell to 10. Since 2015 the share of poor has halved nationwide and more than halved in 36 regions, and in 2025 it decreased in all 87. The fastest declines were in Tuva and Kalmykia, the slowest in Chechnya and Dagestan. In absolute numbers the most poor are in Moscow (498.2 thousand people), although by share it is among the best. Data source: Rosstat.