Russia Ranks First in Territory, So Why Does It Have Only 144 Million People?

A Persistent Bad Habit Remains Unchanged

Russia is currently the largest country in the world by land area, yet its population size is completely disproportionate to its vast territory. Despite various policies introduced by the government and Putin’s revival of the Soviet-era title of “Heroic Mother,” Russia’s dire birthrate has not been reversed. The issue with Russia’s population is not simply that young people do not want to have children. Moreover, if Russians cannot correct a certain “bad habit,” even if the birthrate increases, the quality may still be poor.

The Current State of Russia’s Population

Russia is one of the rare countries in the world that spans two continents, and its immense territory of 17.0982 million square kilometers is a source of pride on the global stage and a symbol of Russia’s strong national power. Typically, a country’s land area should have a positive correlation with its population size, but this rule does not apply to Russia. Despite its vast territory, Russia currently has a population of only 146 million.
The population issue in Russia began to surface at the inception of the nation or rather, after the end of the Cold War. The country’s population has the following characteristics: