How large is the population of moscow

Moscow Population

Moscow is the capital and most populous city of Russia and twenty-fourth largest city in the world, and is located in western part of Russia about 640 km south-east of St.Petersburg and 480 km east of Belarus. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia. Moscow population in 2022 is 12.96 million and area is 2,511 sq.km (970 sq. mi). Originally it was established as small town in the year 1147, Today Moscow is the political centre and most populous city of Russia due to its industrial and cultural capital. Moscow city is one of the most expensive cities in the world, largest urban economies and is also one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world, the people of Moscow are known as Muscovites. Moscow is highly centralised both in spatial and economic terms. Moskva River forms a natural boundary and also provides great views and endless riverside attractions. The city of Moscow is the largest urban agglomeration and experienced a rapid population growth during the last seventy years, the population of Moscow has been doubled in these years, whilst most affordable housing is available in the suburbs than expensive in the city limits, there is a huge traffic of inflow and outflow out if which the population growth in Moscow has put enormous pressure on the city’s transport networks and roads.

With the Moscow’s metropolitan area consideration, the population exceeds more than 20 million people. The city borders expand upto 30 to 60 kilometers surrounding Moscow to the border areas of Tver, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Smolensk, Tula and Kaluga.

Source: population.un.org/wpp/, 1950 to 2035 Moscow city Population(UA)

Moscow population in 2021 is 12.9 million, and in 2020 is 12.8 million, Many of the Moscow neighbourhoods within the city are separated by Moskva River, The federal city of Moscow is divided into twelve administrative okrugs, which are in turn subdivided into districts called raions. In 1917 Moscow was divided into 8 districts and by 1969 Moscow was divided into 30 districts. The city of Moscow lies within around the Kremlin building forms the city centre itself, the Red Square is surrounded by iconic Russian structures. The districts are under the central administrative krug with 782,048 and respective jurisdictions are Arabat district population is 36,125, Basmanny with 1,10,694, Zamoskvorechye with 59,105, Krasnoselsky with 48,697, Meshchansky with 61,213, Presnensky with 1,28,062, Tagansky with 1,23,398, Tverskoy with 77,864, Khamovniki with 1,09,218 and Yakimanka with 27,672.
Other Administrative districts population or Okrugs population in 2019 include Northern Okrug with 1,185,416, North-Eastern Okrug with 1,431,976, Eastern Okrug with 1,523,420, South-Eastern Okrug with 1,418,430, Southern Okrug with 1,793,456, South-Western Okrug with 1,445,006, Western Okrug with 1,392,993, North-Western Okrug with 1,008,968, Zelenogradsky Okrug with 246,535, Novomoskovsky Okrug with 113,569 and Troitsky Okrug with 86,752. The popular neighbourhoods of Moscow are Arbat, Tverskoy, Barrikadnaya, Khamovniki, Chistye, Zamoskvorechie and Zayauzie. The Tverskoy district is particularly famous in Russian history, Tverskoy is full of architecture and historic buildings, Constructed in 1629, the Church of the Resurrection, and many parks that line the Tverskaya Ulitsa itself. Tverskoy district is Central Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow with population of 77,864 in 2019. Arbat is located with in central administrative district is the ideal place in the pedestrian street where one can find plenty of street performers including souvenir shops, cafes and painting. Zamoskvorechye district has orchestral and choral performances at the Moscow International House of Music.

Moscow Population Ranking & Density

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Moscow History

Moscow was the small town in 1147, In 1367,Moscow Kremlin founded. In 1272, Daniil Aleksandrovich was the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, has become Grand prince of Moscow. Yuriy Danilovich was the Prince of Moscow from 1303–1325 and later Ivan I Daniilovich Kalita was in 1328 and Simeon Ivanovich Gordiy was Prince of Moscow in 1341. Vasily Vasiliyevich was the Grand Prince of Moscow whose long reign between 1425 and 1462. In 1712, Russian capital relocated from Moscow to Saint Petersburg and moved back the capital to Moscow in 1728. In 1555, The Muscovy Company was an English trading company was established. The Muscovy Company had a monopoly on trade between England and Muscovy until 1698 and it survived as a trading company until the Russian Revolution of 1917. Much of Moscow was reconstructed after it was occupied by the French under Napoleon I in 1812 and the city was entirely destroyed by fire. In the year 1816, Kremlin was rebuilt. As throughout its history, the Kremlin remains the heart of the city. It is the symbol of both Russian and Soviet power, Moscow city has served as the official residence of the president of the Russian Federation since 1991.

© 2019-2021 populationU, Research papers on Population dynamics and Social affairs

Moscow Population 2022

Moscow is the capital city and most populous federal subject of Russia, and the northernmost megacity on the planet. It’s also the second most populous city in Europe and the 11th largest city proper on earth. In 2016, the estimated population was 12.19 million.

City and Population Size

At its last census in 2010, Moscow had a population of 11.5 million. In 2012, its territory expanded from 1,000 to 2,511 square kilometers, which added an additional 233,000 people. As Russia’s official figures are not believed to be completely accurate, and taking into consideration the high rates of illegal immigration, the true figure today may be anywhere from 13 to 17 million, although 2016 estimates put the population right under 13 million. The next census is planned for 2020, so we will have to wait for the fresh data to roll in.

Moscow’s population of about 12.19 million makes it the 6th largest city in the world and the most populous city in Russia.

Population Density of Moscow

Moscow is run by one mayor, but the city is actually divided into 12 administrative okrugs and 123 districts, each with its own coat of arms and flags and individual heads of each area. The largest administrative okrugs include:

Moscow Demographics

There was an additional 668,000 people registered in databases that could not declare an ethnicity.

Moscow’s official population is based on its residents with «permanent residency.» It’s believed there are an additional 1.8 million official «guests» on temporary residency through visas or documentation. Those without documentation, mostly from Central Asia, are believed to add another 1 million people.

The predominant religion is Christianity, with the Russian Orthodox Church being the most popular, as Moscow is the capital of Orthodox Christianity in the country, and a part of Russia’s historical heritage in a law passed 16 years ago. Muslims, meanwhile, account for 14% of the city’s population.

Interestingly, Moscow also had the largest community of billionaires in the world in 2013. The country fell to the number three spot in 2016, trailing behind New York City and Hong Kong.

Moscow Population Growth

It’s hard to even estimate where Moscow is today, as the number of migrants (legal and illegal) has made it impossible to keep track of Russia and Europe’s largest city. While the official figure was 11.5 million as of 2010, this number could really be as high as 17 million in 2016, and this makes it difficult to pinpoint where Moscow is going in the coming decades.

Migrants, both legal and illegal, have been coming to Moscow in droves from other parts of Russia and former Soviet republics in search of better living conditions and higher pay, and this will continue as long as Moscow offers higher standards than the rest of Russia. The average monthly salary in the state is 61,200 roubles, which is almost double the nationwide average.

Death rates have been higher than birth rates in Moscow for years, and its growth is now solely dependent on migration. While Russia’s population is shrinking (although slower than previously expected), more people continue to move to Moscow, which grew 10.9% from 2002 to 2010, while the country’s population decreased 1.2%.

Time will tell how high Moscow’s population can grow in the next twenty years, but its growth rate will certainly outpace Russia’s.

Moscow, Russia Population

Population in Urban Area, now

Population in City Area, 2022-05-05

Moscow Urban Area Population Graph

Moscow Population Review

Moscow is the capital of Russia and the northernmost major city in the world. With 12.5 million people in the urban area, it is also the second most populated city in all of Europe, topped only by Istanbul in Turkey. Beginning in the fourteenth century, the city of Moscow grew around the Moscow Kremlin—the fortified complex in the city center. The city straddles both sides of the Moskva River and has a rich and storied history.

The true population of Moscow is a hotly debated topic; with experts claiming the true number of people living in the city could be as high at 17 million. This is due to the city’s high rates of illegal immigration and the veracity of Russia’s official figures leaving something to be desired.

Death rate outstripping birth rate

While Moscow continues to grow at impressive (though contended) rates, the city’s death rate has actually been higher than birth rate for years now. Without legal and illegal migration into the city, Moscow’s population would have been decreasing for years. Instead, it grew 10.9% from 2002 to 2010, and experts predict it will reach almost 13 million by 2035.

Third busiest metro in the world

Moscow has always been a large city, but in 2012 it doubled in size. The city’s territorial expansion southwest into Moscow Oblast took the Russian capital from 1,000-square kilometers, to 2,511-square kilometers (and also added another 233,000 people to its population). All this room to travel means Muscovite’s need a reliable way to get around. The Moscow metro system is the third busiest in the world and serves more passengers on a daily basis than any other metro system on Earth. In fact, on weekdays the Moscow metro system shuttles up to 6-million people around the city. At peak times, the wait between trains is only 1.5 minutes before another flood of people are embarking and disembarking.

A homogenous population

Out of Moscow’s 12.5 million confirmed residents, only about 10 million have listed ethnicity. But even with those spotty numbers, Moscow is a mostly homogenous city with 91% (or about 9.9 million) of the population identifying as Russian. The second largest demographic is Ukrainian, but that is only a paltry 1.4% of the population. This is the section of the population that holds permanent residency and does not take into account the 1.8 million official “guests” that have visas, or the number of illegal immigrants, the majority of which are from Central Asia.

A record-setting city for tourism

Every year, Moscow breaks its old tourism records. The capital city’s rich history, culture and hospitality continue to draw huge crowds from other cities and countries. In 2015, the city saw 17.2 million tourists visit, and the next year saw 17.5 million. In 2017, there were 21.6 million tourists, which included five million foreigners. In 2018, the city hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup and this boosted the tourism industry far beyond anything the city had ever seen. Tourism increased by 10% that year, going up to 22.9 million visitors and during the World Cup alone, there were 2.3 million foreigners visiting the city.

The heart of Eastern Orthodox Christianity

While Russia a multi-faith nation, the vast majority of the population practice Orthodox Christianity (75%). Moscow is the capital of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which has long been a part of the country’s history and is considered the country’s traditional religion. So much so that it was deemed a part of Russian’s historical heritage in 1997. Islam is another religion that many Muscovites follow. Muslims constitute around 1.5 million people in Moscow, about 14% of the population, and there are four mosques in the city.

Moscow is a monster: Here’s what it takes to sustain this mega-city for just 1 day

1. 12.5 million people live in Moscow. If all of them stood in a line and held hands, they’d cover a distance of 21,800 km (just over half the length of the equator!). If the line started in the center of Moscow, the person standing exactly half-way would end up in Rio de Janeiro, which is 11,000 km from Moscow.

2. The average Muscovite is 175 cm tall, so if someone could carry all of the city’s residents on his shoulders, those at the top of this huge pyramid (21,000 km high) would end up in the exosphere and see spacecraft fly by (providing they’re wearing a spacesuit).

3. The population of Moscow is the equivalent of the population of Finland, New Zealand, Qatar and Mauritius combined.

4. Moscow is just as big as Luxembourg (2,500 km2), and can hold exactly 5,700 Vaticans.

5. You need a lot of food to feed such a big city, and Muscovites need 32,877 tons of it each day, which is approximately the same as 234 blue whales (one blue whale weighs 140 tons).

6. Muscovites eat 300 tons of ice cream on a summer’s day, an amount which equates to 50 elephants (one elephant weighs 6 tons).

7. If we drink on average two liters of water a day, this means that Moscow needs 25 million liters of fresh water on a daily basis. This amount of water could fill the entire Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Just imagine, an entire pool in one day.

8. Muscovites also need to wash! Nearly 200 liters of water per person are needed per day just to fill all the baths, flush all the toilets and service all the technical facilities in the city. This huge volume of water could fill 100 Lincoln pools just in one day!

9. In Moscow, there is an astounding number of apartments and houses. Russians measure the size of their home in square meters. According to the Federal Service for State Statistics, the total floor space of all homes in the city in 2016 was 237 million square meters. This is 50 percent more than the total area of Liechtenstein, and includes all of its buildings, forests, mountains and fields.

Sources used for calculations: CBS News, OpenSecrets.org, Robert R. Soborne. Watercrunch, The Street, The Village, Yandex Research, Metro news, Gazetteer of all countries, Department of Trade and Service of Moscow, Kommersant, Mosgorstat, Central Research Institute of Health Organization and Informatics of the Russian Ministry of Health.

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Blog about life in Russia

Population of Moscow

Moscow is the second biggest city in Europe in terms of population, after Istanbul. According to 2014 data there are 12.1 million people living in Russia’s capital.

Moscow is the second biggest city in Europe in terms of population, after Istanbul. According to 2014 data there are 12.1 million people living in Russia’s capital. London, which comes third in the list of largest European cities has 8.3 million inhabitants. For the past decade Moscow population increased by almost 2 million, mostly due to migration.

Population Growth

Like many metropolises in the world, Moscow attracts thousands of migrants from other parts of Russia and other countries, mostly from the ex-Soviet camp (e.g. Ukraine, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan etc.). Some say that legal and illegal immigrants in Moscow account for another 2-5 million, which may as well take the total number of city’s population to 15-17 million!

Natural growth (i.e. growth due to higher birth rates) has also become a small contributor to an increasing population of the city. For a long time it wasn’t the case; from the start of 90’s and up until 2011 deaths exceeded births in Moscow and in the whole country. But perhaps due to an improved economic situation and Putin’s policies aimed at tackling demographic crisis, couples are more inclined to have babies.

Reasons for Moscow’s Population Growth

I myself wasn’t born and raised in Moscow, my family moved here in 2003 when I was 15. Most people I know here are originally not from Moscow but came here either to study or work from other regions of our vast country.

Why do people move to Moscow?

Attitudes to Immigrants

Well, that’s an interesting topic that most of Muscovites have a say about. There is a common saying here: “Moscow is not made of rubber” meaning that people keep coming from all over the country and ex-Soviet states, and Moscow can’t stretch any more. That is often an attitude I see in native Muscovites who say they are fed up that every year there are less and less “city natives” in Moscow. Being not a native Muscovite I obviously do not share that sort of sentiments.

Attitudes to migrants vary depending on where those come from and whether they are here legally or not. Expats from the West are adored here I would say. But there is a general dislike of migrants from Central Asian ex-Soviet states like Tajikistan, Kyrgystan, Uzbekistan and so on. Before I came to live in Moscow I did not understand why there was so much negativity towards them. I just thought that most Russians were racists (well, some actually are!). I think I understand better now… People dislike uneducated, unskilled illegal workers who have no intention of learning Russian and who often look a bit dirty and scary when you see them on the streets. I think generally people have no problems with migrants who speak decent Russian…

Curious fact

One millionth Moscow citizen was born in 1897! So until the end of the 19th century Moscow wasn’t anywhere near as big as today. Just to compare, London had one million citizens already in 1800 and by the end of the century it grew to 6.7 million!