Form of government: federal multiparty republic with a bicameral legislative body (Federal Assembly comprising a Federation Council [178] and a State Duma [450]).
Head of state: President.
Head of government: Prime Minister.
Capital: Moscow.
Official language: Russian.
Official religion: none.
Monetary unit: 1 ruble (Rub)=100 kopecks; valuation (Oct.
6, 1995) market rate, 1 U.S.$=Rub 4,496; 1 
=Rub 7,107.
Population (1995): 147,168,000.
Density (1995): persons per sq mi 22.3, persons per sq km 8.6.
Urban-rural (1994): urban 73.1%; rural 26.9%.
Sex distribution (1994): male 46.96%; female 53.04%.
Age breakdown (1994): under 15, 21.9%; 15-29, 20.4%; 30-44, 24.8%; 45-59, 16.3%; 60-69, 10.1%; 70 and over, 6.5%.
Population projection: (2000) 143,178,000; (2010) 134,816,000.
Doubling time: not applicable; population is declining.
Ethnic composition (1994): Russian 85.0%; Tatar 3.9%; Ukrainian 2.4%; Chuvash 1.2%; Bashkir 1.0%; Belorussian 0.7%; Mordovian 0.7%; German 0.6%; other 4.5%.
Religious affiliation: believers are predominantly Russian Orthodox; there are Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Old Believer, and Jewish minorities.
Major cities (1994): Moscow 8,570,200; St. Petersburg 4,320,900; Nizhny Novgorod 1,424,600; Novosibirsk 1,418,200; Yekaterinburg 1,347,000; Samara 1,222,500; Omsk 1,161,200; Chelyabinsk 1,124,500; Kazan 1,092,300; Ufa 1,091,800; Perm 1,086,100; Rostov-na-Donu 1,023,200.
Mobility (1989). Population living in the same residence as in 1988: 78.8%; different residence, same oblast 11.5%; different republic 9.7%.
Emigration (1994): 339,700.
Households (1989). Total family households 40,246,000; average household size 3.2; 2 persons 34.2%; 3 persons 28.0%; 4 persons 25.2%; 5 persons or more 12.6%. Population in family households: 128,787,000 (87.0%), nonfamily population 19,254,000 (13.0%).
Birth rate per 1,000 population (1994): 9.4 (world avg. 25.0); (1992) legitimate 82.9%; illegitimate 17.1%.
Death rate per 1,000 population (1994): 14.5 (world avg. 9.3).
Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1994): -5.1 (world avg. 15.7).
Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1993): 1.8.
Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1994): 7.5.
Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1994): 4.5.
Life expectancy at birth (1994): male 57.7 years; female 71.1 years.
Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1994): circulatory diseases 849.5; accidents, poisoning, and violence 230.3, of which suicide 38.6, murder 33.2; malignant neoplasms (cancers) 202.6; respiratory diseases 82.0; digestive diseases 47.4; infectious and parasitic diseases 21.2.
Educational attainment (1994). Percentage of population age 15 and over having: primary or no formal education 10.5%; some secondary 21.1%; secondary and some postsecondary 54.5%; higher and postgraduate 13.9%.
Quality of working life (1990). Average workweek: 40 hours. Annual rate per 100,000 workers of: injury or accident 569; industrial illness 5.3; death 11.2. Proportion of labour force insured for damages or income loss resulting from: injury 100%; permanent disability 100%; death 100%. Average days lost to labour stoppages per 1,000 workdays (1992): 1.1.
Access to services (1990). Proportion of dwellings having access to: electricity, virtually 100%; safe public water supply 94%; public sewage collection 92%; central heating 92%; bathroom 87%; gas 72%; hot water 79%.
Social participation. Eligible voters participating in last national election (1993): 54.8%. Population participating in voluntary work: n.a. Trade union membership in total workforce (1989): 100%. Practicing religious population in total affiliated population (1991): 32%.
Social deviance. Offense rate per 100,000 population (1994) for: murder 14.7; rape 9.5; serious bodily injury 62.8; burglary and housebreaking 125.9; larceny-theft 888.4. Incidence per 100,000 in general population (1992) of: alcoholism 1,727.5; substance abuse 25.1; suicide 26.5.
Material well-being (1993). Goods possessed per 100 households: automobile 20; radio receiver 101; television receiver 112; refrigerator 95; camera 37; motorcycle 22; bicycle 54; tape recorder 59.
Budget (1996). Revenue: Rub 329,000,000,000,000 (1994; value-added tax 31.8%; foreign activity 24.0%; enterprise profits tax 17.7%; excise taxes 8.1%). Expenditures: Rub 410,800,000,000,000 (current expenditure 74.3%, of which economy 23.3%, defense 20.9%, education 5.8%, health 3.0%, interest on foreign debt 2.4%; development expenditure 25.7%).
Gross national product (1993): U.S.$349,062,000,000 (U.S.$2,350 per capita).
Public debt (external, outstanding; 1995){1}: U.S.$130,800,000,000.
Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1994): potatoes 33,800,000, wheat 32,100,000, barley 27,100,000, sugar beets 13,900,000, oats 10,800,000, vegetables (other than potatoes) 9,600,000, fodder crops 8,700,000, rye 6,000,000, peas 2,700,000, sunflower seeds 2,600,000, corn (maize) 900,000, buckwheat 781,000, rice 523,000, millet 500,000; livestock (number of live animals; 1994) 48,900,000 cattle, 43,700,000 sheep, 28,600,000 pigs, 2,400,000 horses; roundwood 119,000,000 cu m; fish catch 3,500,000. Mining and quarrying (1993): nickel 243,000,000; chrome ore 120,800,000; iron ore 75,000,000; antimony 6,000,000; tin 5,000,000; molybdenum 4,800,000. Manufacturing (1994): crude steel 48,800,000; cement 37,200,000; pig iron 36,100,000; rolled steel 35,800,000; mineral fertilizers 8,200,000; sulfuric acid 6,300,000; cellulose 3,234,000; paper 2,215,000; synthetic resins and plastics 1,681,000; cardboard 1,192,000; caustic soda 1,138,000; detergents 328,000; synthetic fibres 197,000; cotton fabrics 1,530,000,000 sq m; silk fabrics 250,000,000 sq m; linen fabrics 160,000,000 sq m; wool fabrics 93,000,000 sq m; tableware 341,000,000 pieces; cigarettes 125,000,000,000 units; watches 30,400,000 units; refrigerators 2,631,000 units; television receivers 2,189,000 units; washing machines 2,133,000 units; vacuum cleaners 1,519,000 units; bicycles 875,000 units; passenger cars 798,000 units; tape recorders 720,000 units; cameras 442,000 units; sewing machines 398,000 units; motorcycles 199,000 units; video recorders 82,000 units; forge press machines 3,100 units; leather footwear 75,000,000 pairs; beer 21,500,000 hectolitres; vodka and liquors 12,200,000 hectolitres; champagne 8,600,000 hectolitres; grape wine 6,400,000 hectolitres; brandy 146,000 hectolitres. Construction (value of new construction in Rub '000,000; 1994): residential 29,428; nonresidential 76,809.
Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1993) 956,587,000 (937,130,000); coal (metric tons; 1993) 304,000,000 (315,335,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1993) 353,905,000 (168,655,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1993) 193,036,000 (159,221,000); natural gas (cu m; 1993) 514,331,000,000 (369,996,000,000); peat (metric tons; 1993) 2,530,000 (6,765,000); oil shale (metric tons; 1993) 3,300,000 (3,300,000).
Energy production by source (1993): thermal 68.5%, hydroelectric 18.7%, nuclear and other 12.8%.
Population economically active (1994): total 74,590,000; activity rate of total population 50.4% (participation rates: ages 16-59 [male], 16-54 [female] 86.1%; female 48.7%; unemployed [1995] 18.1%).
Land use (1993): forested c. 45.6%; meadows and pastures 4.5%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 7.8%; other 42.1%.
Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1994) 2.8; income per household: n.a.; sources of income (1994): wages 78.6%, pensions and stipends 11.2%, other 10.2%; expenditure (1992): food 39.8%, clothing 19.4%, taxes and other financial payments 7.5%, furniture and household appliances 7.5%, culture 4.6%, alcoholic beverages 2.8%, housing 0.8%.
Imports (1994): U.S.$28,135,000,000 (machinery and transport equipment 35.8%, food 29.4%, chemicals 10.6%, textiles 7.4%, fuels and lubricants 4.0%, ferrous and nonferrous metals 3.7%). Major import sources: Germany 19.9%; United States 7.3%; Finland 5.8%; The Netherlands 5.7%; Italy 5.4%; Japan 3.9%.
Exports (1994): U.S.$49,935,000,000 (fuels and lubricants 44.0%, ferrous and nonferrous metals 26.3%, chemicals 7.7%, machinery and transport equipment 5.0%, forestry products 4.2%, food 4.2%). Major export destinations: Germany 10.6%; United Kingdom 7.3%; United States 6.9%; China 5.7%; Italy 5.5%; Japan 4.3%.
Transport. Railroads (1994): length 152,000 km; passenger-km 227,100,000,000; metric ton-km cargo 1,195,000,000. Roads (1994): total length 942,000 km (paved 79%). Vehicles (1993): passenger cars 10,499,000; trucks and buses 407,000. Merchant marine (1993): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 24; total deadweight tonnage 91,000,000. Air transport (1994): passenger-km 72,300,000,000; metric ton-km cargo 1,500,000,000; airports (1995) 58.
Communications. Daily newspapers (1992): total 339; total circulation 57,000,000; circulation per 1,000 population 386. Radio (1992): 48,800,000 receivers (1 per 3 persons). Television (1992): 54,200,000 receivers (1 per 2.7 persons). Telephones (main lines; 1993): 23,397,000 (1 per 6.3 persons).
Health (1994): physicians 674,000 (1 per 220 persons); hospital beds 1,890,000 (1 per 78 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1993) 19.9.
Food (1992): daily per capita caloric intake 2,100 (vegetable products, n.a., animal products, n.a.); 82% of FAO recommended minimum.
Total active duty personnel (1995): 1,520,000 (army 78.2%, navy 13.2%, air force 8.6%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1993): 21.5% (world 3.3%); per capita expenditure U.S.$504.