Who Lives in Russia: Ethnic Russians Dominate, With 190+ Minorities

Russia's Population Mosaic

Ethnic Russians: ~81% (2021 Census: 105.5M of 130M total). The remaining 19% comprises over 190 recognized ethnic groups — a legacy of imperial expansion across Eurasia.

Major Minorities (2021 Census)

The Russian Core

• Language: Russian (East Slavic) — official, lingua franca, 258M speakers globally.
• Religion: Majority Russian Orthodox (cultural + practicing); significant Muslim, Buddhist, non-religious minorities.
• Identity: *Rossiyane* (civic, all citizens) vs. *Russkie* (ethnic) — politically charged distinction.

Regional Patterns

• European Russia: Russian majority; minority republics (Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Chuvashia, Mari El, Mordovia, Udmurtia).
• North Caucasus: Majority non-Russian (Chechens, Avars, Dargins, Kabardins, etc.) — republics with titular nationalities.
• Volga-Ural: Mixed Russian/Tatar/Bashkir/Chuvash.
• Siberia/Far East: Russian majority; indigenous minorities (Yakuts, Buryats, Tuvans, Evenks, Chukchi, etc.) — small numbers, vast territories.

Culture & Contributions

Literature (Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Pushkin, Solzhenitsyn), music (Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Shostakovich), art (Kandinsky, Malevich, Repin), science (Mendeleev, Pavlov, Landau, Ginzburg), space (Gagarin, Korolev). A civilization-scale output from a multiethnic empire/nation.

Current Dynamics

War in Ukraine, mobilization, emigration, demographic decline (deaths > births since 1990s), centralization of power, minority language pressures — all stress the multinational fabric. The 2021 Census was delayed from 2020; next uncertain.