Russia profile

Demography and Health

Russia remains a very large, aging population with about 143.5 million people in 2024, ranking among the top ten globally by population. Demographic dynamics are mixed: the birth rate stands at 8.6 per 1,000 people (2023) while the crude death rate is 12.1 per 1,000 (2023), implying natural population decline without offset from migration in some years. Life expectancy at birth is 73.3 years (2023), and under-5 mortality is 4.5 per 1,000 live births, signaling persistent challenges in some health outcomes despite overall system capacity. Net migration is negative in 2024 (about -178,000), suggesting a sustained outflow of people that can influence the labor force and long-term fiscal dynamics. Health infrastructure shows capacity in hospital provision, with about 7.03 beds per 1,000 people (2021), underscoring substantial inpatient capacity, though outcomes depend on access and quality. Public health funding is relatively sizable, with current health expenditure at 6.92% of GDP (2022) and per-capita health expenditure in purchasing power parity terms around $1,728 (2022), indicating a substantial public health effort, albeit with room for efficiency gains and reform in service delivery. The suicide rate is notably high at 21.4 per 100,000 (2021), pointing to social and mental health challenges that require policy attention alongside physical health services. Despite some nutrition resilience—undernourishment at 2.5% (2022)—the overall health profile reflects a mix of strong public investment in health capacity and areas needing improved outcomes and social support systems. Internet penetration is high (92.2% of the population, 2023), supporting modern health information access and telemedicine potential in a country with widespread urban-rural health disparities and regional variation in outcomes.

Economy

Russia’s economy is large but heavily shaped by structural composition and external conditions. GDP per capita is $14,889 in 2024 (current US$), with a purchasing power parity measure of $47,405, indicating that living standards, when adjusted for price differences, are comparatively higher than the nominal per-capita figure would suggest. The export orientation is evident: exports of goods and services amount to 21.9% of GDP in 2024, while imports represent 17.6% of GDP, signaling a relatively open trade stance for a resource-rich economy. The economy sustains a current account surplus of about 2.87% of GDP in 2024, illustrating a degree of external balance from trade, capital flows, and income. However, foreign direct investment as a share of GDP is negative (-0.376% in 2024), indicating limited net inward investment and a potentially cautious investment climate. High-technology exports total roughly $10.6 billion (2021), positioned at a respectable but not dominant level in global tech trade, and the stock of research activity is moderate, with R&D expenditure at 0.925% of GDP (2022). The country maintains a diversified but resource-leaning growth model, with gross domestic investment and productivity gains partly anchored in innovation, though measured investment flows and governance constraints influence the pace of structural transformation. Population health costs and public-private investment dynamics are intertwined with macro stability, inflation, and external exposure, requiring ongoing policy focus on competitiveness and inclusive growth.

Trade and Investment

Trade openness and investment dynamics show a mixed pattern. The export share of GDP stands at 21.9% in 2024, while imports constitute 17.6% of GDP, reflecting a trade profile that leverages commodity and manufacturing channels while maintaining import needs for inputs and consumer goods. Foreign direct investment, net inflows as a share of GDP are negative (-0.376% in 2024), suggesting that capital is not accumulating domestically from foreign sources at the pace seen in many peers, which could reflect perceived risk, policy uncertainty, or structural frictions in the investment climate. The current account balance sits in positive territory at 2.87% of GDP (2024), signaling that trade and services earnings and remittances more than cover external commitments, albeit without a strong net investment influx. The Logistics Performance Index indicates a trade and transport infrastructure quality score of 2.7 (2022) on a 1–5 scale, suggesting mid-range efficiency in logistics and trade-related infrastructure, which affects cost competitiveness and integration into global value chains. Overall, Russia’s trade and investment profile combines substantial export activity and resilience in external accounts with cautious investment dynamics and infrastructure that support, but do not always accelerate, rapid integration into higher-value supply chains.

Governance and Institutions

The governance indicators point to notable weaknesses in institutions and policy environments. Political stability and absence of violence/terrorism is recorded at -1.13 (2023), regulatory quality at -1.12, and rule of law at -1.19, while control of corruption is -1.1 and government effectiveness is -0.712 (all on a standard global scale where higher is better). These values reflect a governance landscape characterized by perceived higher risk and weaker protections for property rights, contract enforcement, and public accountability. Collectively, the data imply challenges in policy predictability, judicial independence, and anti-corruption effectiveness, which can dampen investor confidence, slow reforms, and complicate the execution of long-horizon public programs. The combination of governance hurdles and a relatively centralized policy environment can influence the efficiency of public services, the business climate, and long-term strategic planning, even as other macro indicators show resilience in export performance and macro balances.

Infrastructure and Technology

Russia presents a mix of strong digital connectivity and traditional infrastructure indicators, anchored by substantial human capital and a sizable domestic market. Individuals using the Internet reach 92.2% of the population (2023), underscoring broad digital readiness and potential for online services, e-governance, and e-commerce. The country performs reasonably in industrial and scientific capacity with 19,569 patent applications by residents (2021) and research and development expenditure at 0.925% of GDP (2022), indicating ongoing investment in innovation, albeit below many advanced economies’ R&D intensity levels. High-technology exports amount to about $10.6 billion (2021), ranking around 30th globally, which signals meaningful participation in niche, knowledge-intensive sectors even if the overall export mix remains resource-driven. The hospital capacity, at 7.03 beds per 1,000 people (2021), supports inpatient care, while the domestic general government health expenditure per capita in PPP terms stands at $1,728 (2022), revealing a substantial investment per person in health services relative to many peers. The Logistics Performance Index score of 2.7 (2022) indicates mid-range efficiency in trade- and transport-related infrastructure, suggesting room for improvement in roads, ports, and customs efficiency to further unlock logistics competitiveness. Renewable energy constancy remains modest at 3.5% of total final energy consumption (2021), with total greenhouse gas emissions per capita at 18.6 t CO2e (2023), illustrating a heavy reliance on fossil energy in the energy mix and the corresponding environmental footprint alongside ongoing, targeted technological and innovation efforts. Overall, infrastructure and technology capabilities show strong connectivity and health capacity, balanced by opportunities to strengthen R&D intensity, energy transition, and logistics efficiency.

Environment and Sustainability

Russia’s environmental profile reflects a large economy with substantial emissions, natural resource use, and regional environmental pressures. Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita are 18.6 t CO2e (2023), highlighting a high per-person carbon footprint tied to energy production, industry, and transport. The level of water stress shows freshwater withdrawal relative to available resources at 4.12 (2021), indicating moderate to notable water-resource pressures that can intensify with climate variability and agricultural needs. Renewable energy consumption is relatively low, at 3.5% of total final energy consumption (2021), signaling considerable potential for growth in wind, solar, hydro, and other clean-energy sources to diversify the energy mix and reduce emissions intensity. On the social side, the prevalence of undernourishment is 2.5% of the population (2022), suggesting general food security though convergence with rural-urban disparities remains a consideration. Public health and environmental governance challenges intersect with the broader governance indicators, potentially affecting climate policy execution and compliance with environmental standards. In sum, Russia faces a high-carbon development path linked to its resource-endowed economy, with clear opportunities to enhance energy transition, water management, and climate resilience alongside continued attention to health and social dimensions that influence sustainable development outcomes.