MigrantoRussian Diaspora
9.1M Russians live abroad — 6% of the population of Russia
Russian diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 59% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Ukraine | 3375095 |
| Germany | 1137448 |
| Uzbekistan | 865767 |
| Belarus | 664610 |
| Kazakhstan | 552258 |
| USA | 452940 |
| Tajikistan | 235636 |
| Turkey | 193302 |
| Spain | 128600 |
| Israel | 126688 |
| Estonia | 121354 |
| Latvia | 107529 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 106559 |
| Canada | 85753 |
| Italy | 85716 |
| France | 85277 |
| Turkmenistan | 74157 |
| Greece | 58726 |
| Lithuania | 54490 |
| Bulgaria | 45089 |
| Austria | 42595 |
| Czech Republic | 41778 |
| Georgia | 38308 |
| Netherlands | 36095 |
| Switzerland | 30466 |
| Australia | 30312 |
| South Korea | 28324 |
| Sweden | 26376 |
| Egypt | 26357 |
| China | 21040 |
| Norway | 20555 |
| Moldova | 20439 |
| Azerbaijan | 19714 |
| Armenia | 19330 |
| Finland | 17907 |
| Poland | 15923 |
| Cyprus | 13731 |
| Serbia | 11961 |
| Japan | 11547 |
| Belgium | 10232 |
| New Zealand | 8732 |
| Denmark | 8516 |
| Ireland | 8466 |
| Libya | 8175 |
| Portugal | 7321 |
| Hungary | 5406 |
| Malta | 4980 |
| Slovenia | 4050 |
| Mongolia | 3420 |
| Slovakia | 3368 |
| Luxembourg | 3211 |
| Mexico | 2995 |
| Romania | 2566 |
| Republic of Congo | 2545 |
| Argentina | 2271 |
| Panama | 1818 |
| Peru | 1358 |
| Chile | 1273 |
| Croatia | 1173 |
| Montenegro | 920 |
| Costa Rica | 866 |
| Algeria | 813 |
| South Africa | 805 |
| Ecuador | 799 |
| Cape Verde | 771 |
| Iceland | 743 |
| Colombia | 706 |
| India | 640 |
| Venezuela | 606 |
| Dominican Republic | 543 |
| Namibia | 503 |
| Mali | 499 |
| Brazil | 486 |
| Bolivia | 406 |
| Iraq | 278 |
| Cuba | 243 |
| North Macedonia | 215 |
| Nicaragua | 210 |
| Bosnia | 155 |
| Central African Republic | 153 |
| Sri Lanka | 152 |
| North Korea | 149 |
| Seychelles | 99 |
| Hong Kong | 93 |
| Ghana | 85 |
| Liechtenstein | 74 |
| Mauritania | 69 |
| Sierra Leone | 63 |
| Bahamas | 61 |
| Mauritius | 48 |
| San Marino | 40 |
| Faroe Islands | 38 |
| Guinea | 35 |
| Cambodia | 32 |
| Honduras | 25 |
| Papua New Guinea | 25 |
| El Salvador | 18 |
By region
68% of the diaspora lives in Europe
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Key facts
The Russian diaspora in numbers
The community in Turkey is growing fastest
The number of Russians living in Turkey has grown 497% since 2015, from 32.4K to 193.3K.
Most Russians abroad live in Ukraine
37% of the diaspora lives in Ukraine, while the next country accounts for just 12%.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
6 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Turkey, Spain, Italy. Turkey climbed from outside the top 20 to #8.
The share of the diaspora living in Asia has declined since 1990
33.5% of the diaspora lived in Asia in 1990, compared with 20.8% today.
1 in 16 people born in Russia lives abroad
9.1M people born in Russia now live in other countries — 6.4% of a population of 143.5M.
Russian diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 12427364 |
| 1995 | 10281407 |
| 2000 | 8879470 |
| 2005 | 8675250 |
| 2010 | 8545806 |
| 2015 | 8528582 |
| 2020 | 8747396 |
| 2024 | 9134094 |
Largest communities over time
Russians living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | Ukraine | Germany | Uzbekistan | Belarus | Kazakhstan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5018098 | 230622 | 1267201 | 791522 | 2056693 |
| 1995 | 4355392 | 273531 | 1161963 | 749767 | 1139515 |
| 2000 | 3745842 | 423106 | 1067247 | 708011 | 732103 |
| 2005 | 3422713 | 683182 | 980674 | 698192 | 693306 |
| 2010 | 3265811 | 857409 | 913652 | 688372 | 651023 |
| 2015 | 3275758 | 954413 | 877690 | 682362 | 612650 |
| 2020 | 3330586 | 1038231 | 871047 | 672481 | 579845 |
| 2024 | 3375095 | 1137448 | 865767 | 664610 | 552258 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of Russians in each country has changed since the selected year
Russians among immigrants in other countries
Where Russians make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Russians live outside Russia?
Around 9.1M Russians live abroad, the world's #5 largest diaspora.
Where do most Russians abroad live?
Most Russians live in Ukraine, Germany and Uzbekistan — these three countries account for about 59% of all Russians living abroad.
Which country has the largest Russian population outside Russia?
Ukraine is home to the largest Russian community abroad — 3.4M people, about 37% of all Russians living abroad.
What share of the population of Russia lives abroad?
About 6% of the population of Russia lives abroad — that's 9.1M out of a total population of 143.5M.
Is the Russian diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of Russians living abroad has grown from 8.5M to 9.1M, about 7%.
Where does the data on the Russian diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in Russia who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
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