Russia

Russia Economy

Russia economic overview

Eastern Europe's powerhouse:

Russia is by far the largest and most populous economy in Eastern Europe, and has close trade ties with many members of the former Soviet bloc. Until the war in Ukraine, it was also a key provider of energy to the EU, though energy flows to the bloc have plummeted since 2022.

Energy superpower:

Russia's economy is heavily reliant on its vast natural resources, particularly in energy. It is one of the world's largest producers of oil and natural gas, which are major contributors to its GDP and export earnings. This reliance makes its economy vulnerable to fluctuations in global commodity prices.

A global granary:

Agriculture in Russia benefits from vast land resources, with significant production of wheat, barley, and other grains. The sector has seen growth and modernization in recent years, although it is hindered by sometimes adverse climatic conditions and infrastructure limitations.

Dismal demographics:

Russia's population has been falling since 2018 amid a low birth rate and limited attractiveness to expats, with the decline accelerating since the outset of the Ukraine war. The population is expected to continue to decline until at least 2028.

War-related disruption:

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, ties with the West—already hurt by Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014—have deteriorated, and Russia has been hit by Western sanctions. Moreover, the war has disrupted economic activity, led to the withdrawal of foreign firms and caused a decline in the population due to high casualties and men fleeing conscription. However, the Russian economy has weathered Western sanctions much better than initially expected, thanks to high energy prices and the nation's ability to find new buyers for its exports, particularly in Asia.

Russia's economic outlook:

Economic prospects are fairly grim due to international isolation, corruption and weak demographics. Growth is seen averaging only slightly above 1% in the long term, well below the Commonwealth of Independent States' average.

Russia's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 2,193 billion in 2022.

Nominal GDP of USD 2,012 billion in 2023.

GDP per capita of USD 13,751 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

GDP per capita of USD 15,287 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 1.1% over the last decade.

Average real GDP growth of 1.2% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Economic structure:

In 2021, services accounted for 63% of overall GDP, manufacturing 14%, other industrial activity 19%, and agriculture 4%. Looking at GDP by expenditure, private consumption accounted for 50% of GDP in 2021, government consumption 18%, fixed investment 22%, and net exports 10%.

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

International trade:

In 2020, manufactured products made up 21% of total merchandise exports, mineral fuels 42%, food 8%, ores and metals 9% and agricultural raw materials 2%, with other categories accounting for 18% of the total. In the same period, manufactured products made up 79% of total merchandise imports, mineral fuels 1%, food 12%, ores and metals 3% and agricultural raw materials 1%, with other goods accounting for 4% of the total. Total exports were worth USD 592 billion in 2022, while total imports were USD 277 billion.

Key exports
Key imports
Key export partners
Key import partners

Economic growth:

Over the last decade, Russia's GDP growth experienced fluctuations due to geopolitical tensions, sanctions, and oil price volatility. The economy contracted in 2015-2016 due to declining oil prices and the impact of sanctions linked to the annexation of Crimea, recovering slightly thereafter. COVID-19 brought another downturn in 2020, which was followed by the imposition of Western sanctions in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That said, Russia has performed much better than expected since Ukraine-related sanctions were introduced, thanks to strong government spending on the war effort, fiscal handouts, and the ability to reroute exports to Asia. To read more about GDP growth in Russia, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Russia's fiscal situation over the last decade was heavily influenced by oil prices and geopolitical events. Despite facing sanctions, the pandemic and periods of low oil prices, the government managed to keep fiscal deficits manageable, and even ran budget surpluses in some years. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Unemployment:

Russia's unemployment rate over the last decade was generally on a downward trend, though the pandemic in 2020 caused a temporary spike. The rate fell to a multi-decade low in 2023, due to emigration, strong domestic demand, population ageing and decline, and mobilization of men for the war in Ukraine. For more information on Russia's unemployment click here.

Inflation:

Over the last decade, Russia experienced high inflation, often exceeding 5%. The country's inflation rate was significantly influenced by geopolitical tensions, economic sanctions, currency volatility and fluctuations in global commodity prices. Inflation pulled back notably in 2023 though, due to aggressive rate hikes by the Central Bank. Go to our Russia inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy:

Russia's central bank policy rates over the last decade saw significant fluctuations, influenced by economic sanctions, oil price volatility, and inflationary pressures. In the run-up to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, rates were reduced to support the economy. By 2022, rates were again increased in response to inflation concerns and geopolitical tensions following war in Ukraine. See our Russia monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate:

The Russian Ruble experienced significant volatility over the last decade, but has generally been on a depreciatory trend as a result of increasing international isolation and the imposition of multiple rounds of Western sanctions. For more info on the ruble, click here.
After losing steam in Q2, economic growth will have slowed further in Q3, according to our panel. Available data bears out this prediction as annual economic activity growth eased to 3.0% in July–August (Q2: +4.2 % yoy), and the industrial sector lost further traction in Q3 from Q2. Moreover, tight borrowing conditions will have continued to dent fixed investment, while near two-year high inflation in the quarter likely curbed private spending; retail sales rose at a softer clip in July–August compared to Q2. Meanwhile, slower growth in goods exports in the same two-month period signals fading tailwinds in the external sector. In other news, during the 22–24 October BRICS conference, Russia proposed a cross-border payments system between member states, aimed at reducing their dependence on the USD, which would facilitate sanctions circumvention.
Projections out to 2034.

54 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 36 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Russia in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2034 on 54 economic indicators for Russia from a panel of 36 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Russia economy. To download a sample report on the Russia's economy, click here. To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

Russia Economic Data

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Population (million) 148 148 147 147 146
GDP (USD bn) 1,694 1,489 1,842 2,218 2,012
GDP per capita (USD) 11,453 10,077 12,512 15,117 13,753
GDP (EUR bn) 1,513 1,306 1,558 2,110 1,861
GDP per capita (EUR) 10,232 8,840 10,584 14,382 12,721
GDP (RUB bn) 109,608 107,658 135,774 155,189 172,148
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 5.5 -1.8 26.1 14.3 10.9
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 2.2 -2.7 5.9 -1.2 3.6
Domestic Demand (ann. var. %) 3.1 -4.0 9.5 0.4 9.0
Private Consumption (ann. var. %) 3.8 -5.9 9.9 -1.1 6.5
Government Consumption (ann. var. %) 2.4 1.9 2.9 3.0 7.0
Fixed Investment (ann. var. %) 1.0 -4.0 9.3 6.7 8.8
Exports (G&S, ann. var. %) 0.7 -4.2 3.2 - -
Imports (G&S, ann. var. %) 3.1 -11.9 19.1 - -
Industrial Production (ann. var. %) 3.4 -2.1 6.3 0.9 4.1
Retail Sales (ann. var. %) 1.9 -3.2 8.8 -6.0 7.8
Wages (ann. var. %) 2.7 2.4 2.8 -1.1 7.6
Unemployment (% of active population, eop) 4.6 5.9 4.3 3.7 3.0
Unemployment (% of active population, aop) 4.6 5.8 4.8 4.0 3.2
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) 1.8 -3.8 0.4 -2.1 -1.9
Public Debt (% of GDP) 13.7 19.2 16.4 18.5 19.5
Money (ann. var. of M2 %) 9.7 13.5 13.0 24.4 19.4
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) 3.0 4.9 8.4 11.9 7.4
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 4.5 3.4 6.7 13.8 5.9
Inflation (PPI, ann. var. %, aop) 3.2 -3.4 24.6 12.1 5.3
Key Rate (%, eop) 6.25 4.25 8.50 7.50 16.00
10-Year Bond Yield (%, eop) 6.23 5.91 8.42 10.36 12.30
Stock Market (ann. var. of MICEX %) 45.3 -10.4 15.0 -39.2 11.6
Exchange Rate (RUB per USD, eop) 62.11 73.96 75.01 73.00 89.40
Exchange Rate (RUB per USD, aop) 64.71 72.33 73.71 69.97 85.56
Exchange Rate (RUB per EUR, eop) 69.72 90.50 85.30 77.91 98.76
Exchange Rate (RUB per EUR, aop) 72.43 82.45 87.13 73.55 92.50
Current Account Balance (USD bn) 65.7 35.4 125.0 237.7 50.1
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) 3.9 2.4 6.8 10.7 2.5
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) 165.8 93.4 193.1 315.6 121.6
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 420 334 494 592 424
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 254 240 301 277 303
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) -5.4 -20.5 48.2 19.8 -28.3
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 2.0 -5.4 25.4 -8.1 9.5
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 32.1 10.4 38.6 -15.2 8.4
International Reserves (USD bn) 554 596 631 582 599
International Reserves (months of imports) 26.2 29.8 25.1 25.3 23.7
External Debt (USD bn) 491 468 488 385 318
External Debt (% of GDP) 29.0 31.4 26.5 17.4 15.8

Q&A:

  1. How is Russia's economy doing?

  2. Russia's economy contracted significantly following the country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the subsequent imposition of Western sanctions. The sanctions have impacted Russia's energy exports, financial sector, and access to technology. That said, economic activity has since recovered.

  3. What is the outlook for the Russian economy?

  4. The Russian economy faces an uncertain future, influenced by deteriorating population dynamics, sanctions, the Ukraine war, and global economic conditions. Modest growth is expected in the near term, but risks abound; tighter sanctions or escalating conflict could lead to renewed economic contraction.

  5. How big is the Russian economy?

  6. As of 2023, Russia's economy is forecast to be among the largest in the world by nominal GDP, with a value of approximately USD 1.9 trillion. Russia remains a significant economic power with a strong resource base and a diversified economy. However, the ongoing war in Ukraine and Western sanctions will weigh on GDP growth ahead.

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