Rating of Russian cities by population. Urban and rural population

Largest settlements Russian Federation traditionally chosen according to two criteria: occupied territory and population. The area is determined by the general plan of the city. Population – the All-Russian Population Census, or Rosstat data, taking into account birth and death rates, if they are current.

There are 15 largest cities in Russia with a population of more than 1 million people. According to this indicator, Russia ranks third in the world. And their number continues to grow. More recently, Krasnoyarsk and Voronezh entered this category. We present to you the top ten most densely populated Russian megacities.

Population: 1,125 thousand people.

Rostov-on-Don became a million-plus city relatively recently - only thirty years ago. It is the only one among the ten largest cities in Russia that does not have its own metro. Its construction in 2018 will only be discussed. For now, the Rostov administration is busy preparing for the upcoming World Cup.

Population: 1,170 thousand people.

In penultimate place in the list of the largest cities in Russia by population is the administrative center of the Volga region - Samara. True, starting from 1985, the population preferred to leave Samara as soon as possible, until by 2005 the situation improved. And now the city is even experiencing a slight increase in migration.

Population: 1,178 thousand people.

The migration situation in Omsk is not brilliant - many educated Omsk residents prefer to move to Moscow, St. Petersburg and neighboring Novosibirsk and Tyumen. However, since 2010, the population in the city has been growing steadily, mostly due to the redistribution of the population in the region.

Population: 1,199 thousand people.

Unfortunately, Chelyabinsk is experiencing problems with livability: residents complain about the abundance of dirt, giant puddles in the spring and summer, when, due to non-functioning storm sewers, entire neighborhoods turn into something like Venice. It is not surprising that about 70% of Chelyabinsk residents are thinking about changing their place of residence.

Population: 1,232 thousand people.

The capital of the Republic of Tatarstan rightfully bears the title of one of the most comfortable cities in Russia. This is likely one of the reasons why the city has experienced steady population growth since the mid-90s. And since 2009, Kazan has become a plus not only due to migration, but also due to natural growth.

Population: 1,262 thousand people.

Ancient and very beautiful city not worried better times in terms of the number of residents. The peak was in 1991, when its population exceeded 1,445 thousand people, and since then it has only been falling. A slight increase was observed only in 2012–2015, when the population increased by approximately 10 thousand people.

Population: 1,456 thousand people.

The “Capital of the Urals” became a million-plus city exactly 50 years ago, in 1967. Since then, having survived the population decline in the “hungry 90s,” the city’s population has been growing slowly but steadily. It is increasing, as in all major cities Russia, mainly due to migrants. But not the ones you thought about - the population replenishment mainly (more than 50%) comes from the Sverdlovsk region.

Population: 1,602 thousand people.

The third place in the list of the largest cities in Russia is occupied by the center of the Novosibirsk region. In addition to its million-plus status, the city can also boast of being among the top 50 cities in the world with the longest traffic jams. True, Novosibirsk residents are hardly happy about such a record.

However, unlike traffic jams, the demographic situation in the city is more or less successful. A number of regional and state programs aimed at increasing the birth rate and reducing mortality are being implemented in Novosibirsk. For example, at the birth of a third or subsequent child, the family is awarded a regional certificate for 100 thousand rubles.

According to city authorities, if the current dynamics of population growth continue, then by 2025 the number of residents of the Novosibirsk region will increase to 2.9 million people.

Population: 5,282 thousand people.

The cultural capital of Russia, where polite intellectuals bow to each other, raising their berets, and where such animals as the “bun” and “curb” live, is demonstrating steady growth in both area and population.

True, this was not always the case; Since the end of the USSR, the population preferred to leave St. Petersburg. And only since 2012, positive dynamics began to be observed. In the same year, the city's five millionth resident was born (for the second time in its history).

1. Moscow

Population: 12,381 thousand people.

It is unlikely that the answer to the question: “Which is the most big city in Russia? came as a surprise to some. Moscow is the largest city in Europe by population, but is not among the first.

More than 12 million people live here, and if we add to this the population of the near Moscow region, who regularly travel to Moscow for work and shopping, then the figure turns out to be more than impressive - 16 million. Due to the current economic situation in the country, the population is both modern Babylon and the surrounding areas will only increase. According to expert forecasts, by 2030 this number could reach 13.6 million people.

Muscovites are traditionally not happy with those who have come in large numbers, and those who have come in large numbers shrug their shoulders: “I want to live, and I even want to live well.”

The largest cities in Russia by area

It would seem that the list of the largest cities in Russia by area should coincide with the list of the most populated cities, but this is not the case. In addition to the simple population size, the area of the city is influenced by many factors - from the historical method of territorial expansion to the number of industrial enterprises within the city. Therefore, some positions in the ranking can surprise the reader.

Area: 541.4 km²

Samara opens the top 10 largest cities in Russia. It stretches along the western bank of the Volga River for more than 50 km with a width of 20 km.

Area: 566.9 km²

The population of Omsk exceeded a million people back in 1979, the city’s territory is large and, according to Soviet tradition, the city should have acquired a metro. However, the nineties struck, and construction since then has been going neither shaky nor slow, but in general nothing. There is not even enough money for conservation.

Area: 596.51 km²

Voronezh became a million-plus city quite recently - in 2013. Some areas in it are almost exclusively private sector - houses, from comfortable cottages to village ones, garages, vegetable gardens.

Area: 614.16 km²

Thanks to the historically established radial-ring development, Kazan is a fairly compact city with a convenient layout. Despite its size, the capital of Tatarstan is the only million-plus city in Russia that completely recycles its waste and has managed to maintain a more or less favorable environmental situation.

Area: 621 km²

The only regional city that is not an administrative center and a million-plus population, Orsk seems to have been included in this rating by mistake. Its population is only 230 thousand people, who occupy an area of 621 km2, with a very low density (only 370 people per km2). The reason for such a huge territory with a small number of inhabitants is large number industrial enterprises within the city.

Area: 707.93 km²

Ufa residents have a spacious place to live - each person has 698 m2 of common territory cities. At the same time, Ufa has the lowest density of the street network among Russian megacities, which often manifests itself in huge multi-kilometer traffic jams.

Area: 799.68 km²

Perm became a million-plus city in 1979, then in the nineties, due to a general decline in the population, it lost this status for more than 20 years. Only in 2012 was it possible to return it. Permians live freely (the population density is not too high, 1310 people per km2) and green - the total area of green spaces is more than a third of the citywide area.

Area: 859.4 km²

Although Volgograd became a million-plus city relatively recently - in 1991, it has long been among the top three in terms of territory size. The reason is the historically established uneven urban development, where apartment buildings, village houses with plots and empty steppe spaces.

Area: 1439 km²

Unlike the compact radial-beam “old” Moscow, St. Petersburg is freely spread out at the mouth of the Neva. The length of the city is more than 90 km. One of the features of the city is the abundance of water spaces, occupying 7% of the entire territory.

1. Moscow

Area: 2561.5 km²

And the absolute first place among the largest cities in Russia is given to Moscow. Its area is 1.5 times larger than the area of the second place in the ranking, St. Petersburg. True, until 2012, the territory of Moscow was not so impressive - only 1100 km2. It grew so significantly due to the annexation of the southwestern territories, the total area of which reaches 1480 km2.

Moscow, July 19 - “News. Economy". Every year the population of Russian cities is increasing. Demography is one of the main economic indicators of urban development, so it is important to monitor the dynamics of population changes. INNOV has prepared a list of the largest cities in Russia. The population of cities was used as the main indicator. According to Rosstat, large cities in Russia can be divided into several groups according to population size. Among them are cities with a population of 1.5 million to 500 thousand inhabitants (15 cities), 43 cities with a population of 500 thousand to 250 thousand inhabitants, and 90 cities with a population of 250 thousand to 100 thousand people. Below we present the top 10 largest cities in Russia. 1. Moscow

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 12,330,126 Change since 2015: +1.09% Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation, city federal significance, the administrative center of the Central Federal District and the center of the Moscow Region, which it is not part of. The largest city in Russia by population and its subject, the most populous of the cities located entirely in Europe, is among the top ten cities in the world by population. Center of the Moscow urban agglomeration. 2. St. Petersburg

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 5,225,690 Change since 2015: +0.65% St. Petersburg is the second most populous city in Russia. City of federal significance. Administrative center of the Northwestern Federal District and Leningrad region. St. Petersburg is the northernmost city in the world with a population of more than one million people. Among cities entirely located in Europe, St. Petersburg is the third most populous and also the first non-capital city in terms of population. 3. Novosibirsk

Population: (as of January 1, 2016): 1,584,138 Change since 2015: +1.09% Novosibirsk is the third largest city in Russia by population and thirteenth by area, and has the status of an urban district. Administrative center of the Siberian Federal District, Novosibirsk Region and its constituent parts Novosibirsk region; the city is the center of the Novosibirsk agglomeration. Trade, business, cultural, industrial, transport and scientific center of federal significance. 4. Ekaterinburg

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,444,439 Change since 2015: 1.15% Ekaterinburg is a city in Russia, the administrative center of the Ural Federal District and the Sverdlovsk Region. It is the largest administrative, cultural, scientific and educational center of the Ural region. Ekaterinburg is the fourth most populous city (after Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk) in Russia. The Yekaterinburg agglomeration is the fourth largest agglomeration in Russia. It is one of the three most developed post-industrial agglomerations in the country. 5. Nizhny Novgorod

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,266,871 Change since 2015: -0.07% Nizhny Novgorod is a city in central Russia, administrative center of the Volga Federal District and Nizhny Novgorod Region. Nizhny Novgorod is an important economic, industrial, scientific, educational and cultural center of Russia, the largest transport hub and government center of the entire Volga Federal District. The city is one of the main destinations for river tourism in Russia. The historical part of the city is rich in attractions and is a popular tourist center. 6. Kazan

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,216,965 Change since 2015: +0.94% Kazan is a city in the Russian Federation, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, a large port on the left bank of the Volga River, at the confluence of the Kazanka River. One of the largest religious, economic, political, scientific, educational, cultural and sports centers in Russia. The Kazan Kremlin is among the objects World Heritage UNESCO. The city has a registered brand “the third capital of Russia”. Kazan is the largest city in the Volga economic region. A compact spatial grouping of settlements has formed around Kazan, constituting one of the largest urban agglomerations in the Russian Federation. 7. Chelyabinsk

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,191,994 Change since 2015: +0.73% Chelyabinsk is the seventh largest city in the Russian Federation by number of inhabitants, the fourteenth largest by area, administrative center Chelyabinsk region. Chelyabinsk is the seventh largest city in the Russian Federation by population and the second in the Ural Federal District. In 2016, a forecast was made according to which the population of Chelyabinsk should decline from this year, but the number of residents continues to grow. 8. Omsk

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,178,079 Change since 2015: +0.36% Omsk is one of the largest cities in Russia, the administrative center of the Omsk region, located at the confluence of the Irtysh and Om rivers. Omsk is a large industrial center with enterprises in various industries, including defense and aerospace. It is a million-plus city, the second most populous in Siberia and the eighth in Russia. The Omsk agglomeration has more than 1.2 million people. 9. Samara

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,170,910 Change since 2015: -0.08% Samara is a city in the Middle Volga region of Russia, the center of the Volga economic region and the Samara region, forms the Samara urban district. It is the ninth most populous city in Russia. Over 2.7 million people live within the agglomeration (the third most populous in Russia). A large economic, transport, scientific, educational and cultural center. Main industries: mechanical engineering, oil refining and food industry. 10. Rostov-on-Don

Population (as of January 1, 2016): 1,119,875 Change since 2015: +0.45% Rostov-on-Don is the largest city in the south of the Russian Federation, the administrative center of the Southern Federal District and Rostov region. With a population of 1,119,875 people, it is the tenth most populous city in Russia. It is also the 30th most populous city in Europe. Ranks 1st among cities in the Southern Federal District. Over 2.16 million people live within the Rostov agglomeration (the fourth largest agglomeration in the country), the Rostov-Shakhty polycentric agglomeration-conurbation has about 2.7 million inhabitants (the third largest in the country). The city is a large administrative, cultural, scientific, educational, industrial center and the most important transport hub in the South of Russia. Unofficially, Rostov is called the “Gateway of the Caucasus” and the southern capital of Russia.

Scattered all over the place big country. Cities with a population of over a million are the center of attraction for millions of tourists from all over the world, migrants, students and workers. Population statistics are compiled from the annual population census by RosStat. It is worth noting that the population includes only citizens who permanently reside in the territory of a particular city. The following are the most populated cities in Russia.

1. Moscow

Moscow is the largest city in Russia both in terms of population and area. A population of 12,330,126 people inhabits both sides of the city’s waterway, the Moscow River. The capital of the state, Moscow, is the most multinational city in Russia: migrants, students, workers and tourists come here from all over the country.

Ten facts about Moscow:

large international center economics and trade;
a major industrial hub of the country;
one of the best and largest educational centers for Russian and foreign students;
a large number of research institutes are located in Moscow;
more than 50 directions in religion;
a large cultural and historical center of the European part of Russia;
the country's largest transport interchange: 3 river ports (Moscow to Soviet times called the “port of 5 seas”), 9 railway stations, 5 airports with directions to all corners of the planet;
Moscow is the “zero kilometer”, all roads lead here;
tourist center of the country;
the capital is one of the top five cities in the world in terms of the number of dollar billionaires living there.

Petrograd, also known as Leningrad or St. Petersburg in short, is located along the sovereign course of the Neva River and its coastal granite. Many poems have been written about the beautiful city, located between Ladoga and the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland, near the Baltic Sea. This big city is shrouded in secrets and legends. Walking along its streets, you walk along the streets of Dostoevsky, Gogol or Tsvetaeva. Populationis 5,225,690 people with a population density of 3,631 people. per square kilometer at total area city 1439 km².

Ten facts about St. Petersburg:

northern Venice is the second name of the northern capital due to the huge number of large and small rivers, tributaries and canals and the similarity with Venetian streets;
St. Petersburg is listed in the Red Book for the total length of tram tracks within the city - 600 kilometers;
the deepest metro in the world, the depth of some stations reaches 80 meters;
“White Nights” is one of the main attractions that attracts tourists to the cultural capital;
in St. Petersburg there is the tallest cathedral in Russia - the Peter and Paul Cathedral, whose spire height is 122.5 meters;
The Hermitage is a world-famous museum that attracts tourists from all over the world, its corridors are 20 kilometers long, and a tourist who wants to get acquainted with all the exhibits of the museum will need several years to complete this mission;
the question that every tourist in the city asks is what is it like? total quantity bridges in St. Petersburg? 447, this is the number in the register of the Mostotrest company, which services the city’s bridges;
Peterhof is an engineering marvel. Fountain Park, which was laid out in the times of Peter the Great, but to this day none of the fountains has a pumping installation, but only a carefully designed pipeline;
Peter “chooses” residents for himself, and not the resident chooses him. Raw and humid climate the city, which at times is very gray and foggy, not every person can endure;
The architecture of St. Petersburg is similar to the architecture of neighboring countries of the European Union - Tallinn on the Estonian side and Helsinki on the Finnish side.

3. Novosibirsk

The city was awarded last place in the top three most populated cities in Russia. It is the center of Siberian industry and trade, research and educational activities, cultural, business and tourism spheres of the district. The Siberian capital is home to 1,584,138 people, while the city area is only 505 km².

Novosibirsk is a city with a very developed infrastructure and economy, and it is a point of attraction for those migrating from nearby cities, regions, republics and even neighboring states.

Five interesting facts about Novosibirsk:

The longest metro bridge is located in the capital of the Siberian Federal District;
the Opera and Ballet Theater in Novosibirsk is a theatrical building that is the first largest in Russia and the second in the world;
Planning Street is both parallel and perpendicular to itself, forming 2 intersections;
the only museum of the Sun in Russia is located in the city;
Novosibirsk Akademgorodok is a large educational and research center in the Siberian Federal District.

4. Ekaterinburg

Ekaterinburg, formerly Sverdlovsk, ranks 4th among Russian cities with a population exceeding one million people (1,444,439 people with a total city area of 1,142 square kilometers). The Trans-Siberian Railway and six major highways pass through this huge transport and sorting center, which occupies a huge niche in Russian logistics. Yekaterinburg is an industrial city with developed industry in a variety of fields, from optical-mechanical to light and food industries.

5. Nizhny Novgorod

Gorky until 1990, or “Nizhny” in common parlance, was a million-plus city and an auto giant in the Volga Federal District. Founded during the time of Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich, Nizhny Novgorod, spread on both sides of the Oka River, today has a population of 1,266,871 people and is the fifth largest city in Russia. The area of the city is only 410 km², but a large seaport, the largest automobile manufacturing plant in Russia, and a concern engaged in the manufacture and production of military equipment, aircraft plant and shipbuilding. In addition to its industrial development, Nizhny Novgorod is famous for its Kremlin and extraordinary architecture. This is a wonderful city for tourism. Even the most experienced traveler will be delighted with the beauty of Nizhny Novgorod.

The city has an area of 425 square kilometers with a population of 1,216,965 people and a population density of 2,863 people per square kilometer. The capital of Tatarstan has its own Kremlin and a fairly rich architectural heritage, which encourages tourism among Russians and foreign residents. Kazan is not just a beautiful and big city, but also a center of international trade and economy, education, tourism with an interesting historical past.

The population of Chelyabinsk is 1,191,994 people per 530 square kilometers, which in terms of density is 2,379 people per square kilometer. “The Tough City,” as it is jokingly called, has a lot funny stories and facts: meteorological hyperion brick, Kaganovichgrad, forest in the city center, Chelyabinsk meteorite, Stalin in Chelyabinsk prison... Are you interested? Then it's time to go to Chelyabinsk on an excursion!

Important and quite large industrial and transport center, where a well-known oil refinery is located both in Russia and abroad. The significant city of Omsk for tourists: Uspensky cathedral for foreigners to be included in the list of “main attractions in the world”, and the Vatican includes the Okunevsky Sanctuary among the holy places of world significance. The population of the administrative center-capital of the Omsk region is 1,178,079, while the area of Omsk is only 572.9,572 km².

The millionaire city, formerly known as Kuibyshev, is known for its historically important places that have become tourist attractions: Iversky convent, Lutheran church, Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cathedral Square - now Kuibyshev Square - the first in size in Europe and the fifth in the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of residents of the country come here to the Grushinsky Festival of Bard Song. A population of 1,170,910 people lives in the city, whose area is 382 sq. km.

10. Rostov-on-Don

Rostov, popularly called “Rostov-papa”, is a city of federal significance in the south of Russia. It is big, beautiful, noisy. The phrase “Rostov-papa, Odessa-mama” often hurts the ear - this is a historically established expression - both cities were criminal capitals competing with each other. With a rather small city area of 348 square kilometers, the population of Rostov is 1,119,875 people. and ranks 10th in the ranking of the largest cities in Russia by population.

Population modern Russia lives mainly in cities. IN pre-revolutionary Russia The rural population prevailed; currently the urban population dominates (73%, 108.1 million people). Right up Until 1990, Russia experienced a constant increase in urban population, promoting a rapid increase in its specific gravity in the country's population. If in 1913 urban residents accounted for only 18%, in 1985 - 72.4%, then in 1991 their number reached 109.6 million people (73.9%).

The main source of the steady growth of the urban population in Soviet period served as an influx of rural residents to cities due to redistribution between and agriculture. An important role in ensuring high rates of annual urban population growth is played by the transformation of some rural settlements to urban ones with changes in their functions. To a much lesser extent, the country's urban population grew due to the natural increase in urban population.

Since 1991 for the first time in many decades in Russia the urban population began to decline. In 1991, the urban population decreased by 126 thousand people, in 1992 - by 752 thousand people, in 1993 - by 549 thousand people, in 1994 - by 125 thousand people, in 1995 . - for 200 thousand people. Thus, for 1991-1995. the reduction amounted to 1 million 662 thousand people. As a result, the share of the country's urban population decreased from 73.9 to 73.0%, but by 2001 it rose to 74% with an urban population of 105.6 million people.

The largest absolute reduction in the urban population occurred in Central (387 thousand people). Far Eastern (368 thousand people) and West Siberian (359 thousand people) regions. The Far Eastern (6.0%), Northern (5.0%) and Western Siberian (3.2%) regions are leading in terms of the rate of reduction. In the Asian part of the country, the absolute losses of the urban population as a whole are greater than in the European part (836 thousand people, or 3.5%, compared to 626 thousand people, or 0.7%).

The growth trend in the share of the urban population continued until 1995 only in the Volga, Central Chernozem, Ural, North Caucasus and Volga-Vyatka regions, and in the last two regions the increase in urban population in 1991-1994. was minimal.

Basic reasons for the decline in urban population in Russia:

the changed ratio of migration flows arriving in and leaving urban settlements;
reduction in recent years the number of urban-type settlements (in 1991 their number was 2204; by the beginning of 1994 - 2070; 2000 - 1875; 2005-1461; 2008 - 1361);
negative natural population growth.

In Russia, it left its mark not only on the ratio of urban and rural populations in a territorial context, but also on the structure of urban settlements.

Population of Russian cities

A city in Russia can be considered a settlement whose population exceeds 12 thousand people and more than 85% of the population of which is employed in non-agricultural production. Cities are classified according to their functions: industrial, transport, scientific centers, resort cities. Based on population, cities are divided into small (up to 50 thousand people), medium (50-100 thousand people), large (100-250 thousand people), large (250-500 thousand people), largest (500 thousand people). - 1 million people) and millionaire cities (population over 1 million people). G.M. Lappo distinguishes the category of semi-medium cities with a population of 20 to 50 thousand people. The capitals of republics, territories and regions perform several functions - they are multifunctional cities.

Before the Great Patriotic War there were two millionaire cities in Russia, in 1995 their number increased to 13 (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Volgograd, Omsk, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Chelyabinsk).

Currently (2009) there are 11 millionaire cities in Russia (Table 2).

A number of the largest cities in Russia with a population of more than 700 thousand, but less than 1 million - Perm, Volgograd, Krasnoyarsk, Saratov, Voronezh, Krasnodar, Togliatti - are sometimes called sub-millionaire cities. The first two of these cities, which were once millionaires, as well as Krasnoyarsk, are often called millionaires in journalism and semi-officially.

Most of them (except Tolyatti and partly Volgograd and Saratov) are also interregional centers of socio-economic development and attraction.

Table 2. Millionaire cities in Russia

More than 40% of the population lives in large cities of Russia. Multifunctional cities are growing very quickly, satellite cities appear next to them, forming urban agglomerations.

Millionaire cities are the centers of urban agglomerations, which additionally characterize the population and importance of the city (Table 3).

Despite the advantages of large cities, their growth is limited, as difficulties arise in providing cities with water and housing, supplying a growing population, and preserving green areas.

Rural population of Russia

Rural settlement is the distribution of residents among settlements located in rural areas. At the same time countryside The entire territory located outside urban settlements is considered. IN beginning of XXI V. in Russia there are approximately 150 thousand rural settlements, which are home to about 38.8 million people (2002 census data). The main difference between rural settlements and urban ones is that their residents are primarily engaged in agriculture. In fact, in modern Russia, only 55% of the rural population is engaged in agriculture, the remaining 45% work in industry, transport, non-production and other “urban” sectors of the economy.

Table 3. Urban agglomerations of Russia

The nature of the settlement of the rural population of Russia varies according to natural areas depending on conditions economic activity, national traditions and customs of the peoples living in those regions. These are villages, villages, hamlets, auls, temporary settlements of hunters and reindeer herders, etc. The average rural population density in Russia is approximately 2 people/km 2 . The highest density of rural population is noted in the south of Russia in the Ciscaucasia ( Krasnodar region- more than 64 people/km 2).

Rural settlements are classified depending on their size (population) and functions performed. The average size of a rural settlement in Russia is 150 times smaller than a city settlement. The following groups of rural settlements are distinguished by size:

smallest (up to 50 inhabitants);
small (51-100 inhabitants);
medium (101-500 inhabitants);
large (501-1000 inhabitants);
the largest (over 1000 inhabitants).

Almost half (48%) of all rural settlements in the country are small, but they are home to 3% of the rural population. The largest share of rural residents (almost half) live in the largest settlements. Especially large sizes Rural settlements in the North Caucasus are distinguished, where they spread over many kilometers and number up to 50 thousand inhabitants. The share of the largest settlements in the total number of rural settlements is constantly increasing. In the 90s of the XX century. settlements of refugees and temporary migrants have appeared, cottage and holiday villages in the suburbs of large cities.

By functional type, the overwhelming majority of rural settlements (more than 90%) are agricultural. Most non-agricultural settlements are transport (near railway stations) or recreational (near sanatoriums, rest homes, other institutions), also industrial, logging, military, etc.

Within the agricultural type, settlements are distinguished:

with significant development of administrative, service and distribution functions (district centers);
with local administrative and economic functions (centers of rural administrations and central estates of large agricultural enterprises);
with the presence of large agricultural production (crop crews, livestock farms);
without manufacturing enterprises, with the development of only personal subsidiary farming.

At the same time, the size of settlements naturally decreases from rural regional centers (which are the largest) to settlements without industrial enterprises (which, as a rule, are small and minute).