Population dynamics of Russian regions and its components in 1959–2017

Abstract

The article deals with the demographic dynamics of the regions of Russia during the post-war Soviet period since 1959, and in the post-Soviet period of 1991–2017. It identifies the basic factors of demographic development of the country’s regions in these two historical periods. There is presented the grouping p of regions by the level of demographic dynamics and the ratio of two main components — reproduction and migration, are highlighted the leaders of demographic growth and problem regions. The authors show the dynamics of geopolitically significant territories of Russia, primarily in the Far East. They stress that in the post-war period, up to the collapse of the USSR, the demographic development of the majority of Russian regions was provided mainly at the expense of inner resources, i. e. due to natural population growth. The same is true for geopolitically significant outlying territories of the Far East, Siberia and the European North, where in 1970–1990 almost 7/8 of the total population growth was formed due to natural population growth and only 1/8 — due to migration from other regions of Russia, as well as from the former republics of the USSR. There is made a conclusion that to change radically the demographic situation in the Far East “de facto” only with immigration of compatriots, as is being done now, is not possible. To solve this problem, it’s necessary to use all demographic «leverage» — fertility, interregional migration, immigration of both compatriots and (selectively) representatives of the titular peoples of the former Soviet republics, as well as temporary (labor and educational) migration as a potential of permanent migration.