Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia, after Moscow and the fourth most populous city in Europe. 2002 census recorded population of the federal subject 4,661,219, or 3.21% of the total population of Russia. The city with its vicinity has an estimated population of about 6 million people. According to Rosstat, in 2021 the city's population is 5,384,342 Estimated resident population as of January 1, 2021 and on average for 2020 Rosstat
Ethnicity
The 2002 census recorded twenty-two ethnic groups of more than two thousand persons each. The ethnic composition was: Russian 84.72%; Ukrainian 1.87%; Belarusians 1.17%; Jewish 0.78%; Tatar 0.76%; Armenian 0.41%; Azeri 0.36%; Georgian 0.22%; Chuvash 0.13%; Polish 0.10%; Finnish 0.08%; Korean 0.08%; German 0.08%; Moldovan 0.07%; Mordovian 0.07%; Uzbek 0.06%; Kazakh 0.06%; Ossetian 0.06%; Bashkir 0.05%; Tajik 0.05%; Estonian 0.05%; Karelian 0.05%; Lithuanian 0.6%, and many other ethnic groups of less than two thousand persons each. 7.89% of the inhabitants declined to state their ethnicity. As of 2001, 41 percent of Petersburgers identified themselves as Russian Orthodox, another 21% called themselves Christians in general. Almost a half of both groups were at the same time self-reported non-believers. The number of churched parishioners of the Russian Orthodox Church are estimated as less than 5%.Голов А.А. Есть ли бог в Санкт-Петербурге? . VTsIOM, August 23, 2002.55 процентов петербуржцев считают себя православными. Православный Санкт-Петербург 3 (107), March 2001.
Saint Petersburg has always been populated mostly by Russians, albeit with several sizeable ethnic minorities, such as Germans, Ukrainians, Finns, and people from Eastern Europe, among others. In 1800 an estimated 200 to 300 thousand people lived in the city. After the emancipation of serfs in 1861, former serfs started arriving to the capital as workers, boosting population from half a million to nearly 1.3 million as recorded in the census of 1897. +Ethnicity of Saint Petersburg over time1926 Всесоюзная перепись населения 1926 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам РСФСР Ленинградская область, Ленинград population. %1939 Всесоюзная перепись населения 1939 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам РСФСР. Ленинград Population. %1959 Всесоюзная перепись населения 1959 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам РСФСР. Ленинград Population. %1970 Всесоюзная перепись населения 1970 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам РСФСР. Ленинград Population. %1979 Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам РСФСР. Ленинград Population. %1989 Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года. Национальный состав населения по регионам РСФСР. Ленинград Population. %2002
Population. %% of the population who declared a ethnicity2010 Официальный сайт Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года. Информационные материалы об окончательных итогах Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Официальные итоги с расширенными перечнями по национальному составу населения и по регионам.: см. Population. %% of the population who declared a ethnicityTotal1609816100.00 %3191304100.00 %3321196100.00 %3949501100.00 %4568548100.00 %4990749100.00 %4661219100.00 %4879566100.00 %Russians138687286.15 %277597986.99 %295125488.86 %351429688.98 %409762989.69 %444888489.14 %394962384.73 %92.00 %390875379.10 %92.48 %Ukrainians107810.67 %546601.71 %683082.06 %971092.46 %1174122.57 %1509823.03 %871191.87 %2.03 %644461.32 %1.52 %Belarusians145720.91 %323531.01 %470041.42 %637991.62 %815751.79 %935641.87 %544841.17 %1.27 %381360.78 %0.90 %Tatars73210.45 %315060.99 %271780.82 %328510.83 %394030.86 %439970.88 %355530.76 %0.83 %308570.63 %0.73 %Jews844805.25 %2015426.32 %1686415.08 %1625004.11 %1427303.12 %1061422.13 %365700.78 %0.85 %241320.49 %0.57 %Uzbeks1030.01 %2380.01 %16780.04 %18830.04 %79270.16 %29870.06 %0.07 %203450.42 %0.48 %Armenians16640.10 %46150.14 %48970.15 %66280.17 %79950.18 %120700.24 %191640.41 %0.45 %199710.41 %0.47 %Azerbaijanis3850.01 %8550.03 %15760.04 %31710.07 %118040.24 %166130.36 %0.39 %177170.36 %0.42 %Tajiks30.01 %610.00 %3610.01 %4730.01 %19170.04 %24490.05 %0.06 %120720.25 %0.29 %Georgians5880.04 %16400.05 %19170.06 %37980.10 %43630.10 %78040.16 %101040.22 %0.24 %82740.17 %0.20 %Moldovans1680.01 %5670.02 %9560.03 %24670.06 %28820.06 %53900.11 %33650.07 %0.08 %72000.15 %0.17 %Chuvash16000.10 %17780.06 %17870.05 %34650.09 %60570.13 %89940.18 %60070.13 %0.14 %46100.09 %0.11 %Koreans1030.01 %1950.01 %13610.03 %22580.05 %29620.06 %39080.08 %0.09 %40310.08 %0.10 %Kazakhs3900.01 %6540.02 %15620.04 %20020.04 %63310.13 %28300.06 %0.07 %33490.07 %0.08 %Kyrgyz370.00 %490.00 %3060.01 %4530.01 %27630.06 %5660.01 %0.01 %32890.07 %0.08 %Ossetians2770,02 %9550,03 %9170,03 %11860,03 %17410,04 %25840,05 %28360,06 %0,07 %32330,07 %0,08 %Germans169161,05 %101040,32 %20520,06 %32490,08 %28020,06 %35700,07 %38680,08 %0,09 %28490,06 %0,07 %Lezgins440,01 %620,00 %1940,00 %4410,01 %14480,03 %18050,04 %0,04 %28140,06 %0,07 %Bashkirs920,01 %7160,02 %6170,02 %9140,02 %17490,04 %30140,06 %24530,05 %0,06 %27060,06 %0,06 %Poles340272,11 %206050,65 %116620,35 %109480,28 %96070,21 %79550,16 %44510,10 %0,10 %26470,05 %0,06 %Finns39400,24 %79230,25 %31500,09 %43760,11 %57190,13 %54690,11 %39800,09 %0,09 %25590,05 %0,06 %Mordva3130,02 %38120,12 %18570,06 %22160,06 %37650,08 %51750,10 %33690,07 %0,08 %23370,05 %0,06 %Avars10,01 %1860,00 %3680,01 %12050,02 %15160,03 %0,04 %19710,04 %0,05 %Chinese3060,01 %3100,01 %14510,04 %660,00 %930,00 %10640,02 %0,02 %15780,03 %0,04 %Estonians158470,98 %151610,48 %73500,22 %68040,17 %62370,14 %50010,10 %22660,05 %0,05 %15340,03 %0,04 %Chechens140,01 %400,00 %2090,01 %3840,01 %11730,02 %16850,04 %0,04 %14820,03 %0,04 %Turkmens80,00 %540,00 %6030,02 %3270,01 %13600,03 %7930,02 %0,02 %14690,03 %0,04 %Karelians4940,03 %25340,08 %19720,06 %24070,06 %31940,07 %36070,07 %21420,05 %0,05 %13960,03 %0,03 %Lithuanians58860,37 %47210,15 %26600,08 %32620,08 %26070,06 %33140,07 %16370,04 %0,04 %12940,03 %0,03 %Latvians120460,75 %95540,30 %45640,14 %43460,11 %39710,09 %34000,07 %17050,04 %0,04 %12910,03 %0,03 %Buryats660,01 %1390,00 %2720,01 %6270,01 %10430,02 %11520,02 %0,03 %12870,03 %0,03 %Kalmyks280,00 %400,00 %1070,00 %2690,01 %4420,01 %5510,01 %0,01 %12830,03 %0,03 %Karbardians120,00 %600,00 %2000,01 %3420,01 %7270,01 %5070,01 %0,01 %11810,02 %0,03 %Greeks3740,02 %5580,02 %7820,02 %10650,02 %15900,03 %14480,03 %0,03 %11540,02 %0,03 %Udmurts3330,01 %6270,02 %11550,03 %21620,04 %12650,03 %0,03 %10760,02 %0,02 %Komi10690,03 %10070,03 %11530,03 %15060,04 %16500,04 %22080,04 %14550,03 %0,03 %10720,02 %0,03 %Mari710,01 %2550,01 %6610,02 %11380,02 %18470,04 %12880,03 %0,03 %10220,02 %0,02 %Turks290,00 %570,00 %290,00 %390,00 %1500,00 %4510,01 %0,01 %9990,02 %0,02 %Kumyks20,00 %250,00 %710,00 %1750,00 %4440,01 %4990,01 %0,03 %9470,02 %0,02 %Dargins110,00 %1310,00 %1720,00 %6110,01 %7290,02 %0,02 %9460,02 %0,02 %Ingush110,00 %170,00 %800,00 %1090,00 %3040,01 %6700,01 %0,01 %9300,02 %0,02 %Arabs40,00 %70,00 %4040,01 %1840,00 %5260,01 %11150,02 %0,03 %9290,02 %0,02 %Roma2620,02 %9100,03 %7040,02 %14710,03 %18040,04 %12780,03 %0,03 %8900,02 %0,02 %Bulgarians750,01 %2110,01 %10290,03 %7310,02 %10620,02 %9380,02 %0,02 %8430,02 %0,02 %Abkhazians70,00 %510,00 %1650,00 %3630,00 %6320,01 %8640,02 %0,02 %7830,02 %0,02 %Yakuts200,00 %700,00 %2140,01 %7870,02 %8620,02 %8470,02 %0,02 %7010,01 %0,02 %Other29130,07 %43320,14 %97810,29 %64110,16 %49810,11 %105920,21 %112540,24 %0,26 %123540,25 %0,29 %Stated an ethnicity1609816100,00 %319059299,98 %3321186100,00 %4568522100,00 %498690599,92 %429322392,11 %100,00 %422673986,62 %100,00 %Did not state an ethnicity7120,02 %100,00 %260,00 %38440,08 %3679967,89 %65282713,38 %
Population
Throughout the three centuries the growth of St. Petersburg was accompanied by an increase in population of its surroundings, while the latter to the city were gradually incorporated into the city limits. From an administrative point of view these suburbs (, literally by the city) comprised a few uyezds adjacent to the city, holding an intermediate position between the gubernia (presently oblast) as the largest unit in Russia and the city of Petersburg as its center. A known confusion between the St. Petersburg / Petrograd / Leningrad Uezd (1727—1914—1924–1927; with a rural population of 56002 according to the census of 1897Ibid. of which 86.49% were Russians, 4.01% Germans, 2.91% Poles, 1.66% Finns, 0.97% Estonians, 0.95% Jews, 0.50% Latvians, 0.41% Ukrainians, 0.39% Tatars, 0,37% Swedes, 0.30% Lithuanians, 0.26% French, 0.23% Belarusians) and four districts ( or , literally plots or homesteads) referred to as suburbs (of Petershof, of Shlisselburg, of Polyustrovo and of Lesnoi; a total of 191491 inhabitants by 1900) may sometimes lead to a discrepancy between the statistical data taken from different sources, especially considering the fact that a suburban Tsarskoselsky Uezd (population around 150,000 in 1897) was excluded from district statistics.
In 1890–1891 the population figures for Petersburg crossed the boundary of 1 million. By 1900 the 38 'plots' comprising the 'city itself' had a population of 1,248,122 while the four abovenamed suburban districts counted 191,491 people.
In the 20th century the city experienced three major depopulation trends. The first one began in 1916 (estimates for this year show 2.4 million; this level was surpassed again in 1930–31). In addition to the February Revolution, the sharp deterioration in food supplies in the first months of 1917 caused the flood of certain segments of population to the rural areas of Russia. In 1918 Petrograd without suburbs counted 1,179,256 persons (a 40% decline to 1917), and in 1920 about 740 thousand (without troops garrisoned in the city). By that time mobilisations brought the remarkable preponderance of women over men: 100 to 72, not counting the troops.
The demobilisation after the end of the Civil War (1921), the industrial revival which followed the promulgation of New Economic Policy (March 21, 1921), resumption of the old and opening many new universities and especially colleges led to the increasing influx of population since 1921, in which younger generations formed a notable part. The first Five-Year Plans (1928–1930, 1931–1935 and 1936–1940) put the population growth upon the planned basis supported by a 'propiska' residencial quotas introduced at the beginning of the 1930s. In the years of industrialization in the USSR the influx of population was at the same time accompanied by the annual outflow of tens of thousands of college graduates and workers assigned to other locations of the country on the construction sites and in rural areas from where they came to study in Leningrad.
The German minority in Petersburg began to extinguish at the end of the 19th century (1890 – 4.6%, 1900 – 3.5%); this process accelerated in 1914 with the beginning of the First World War. The disintegration of the Russian Empire in 1917–1920 with the secession of Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania was followed by an outflow of Finns (in 1900 they counted 15638, or 1.3% of citizen), Poles (38314, or 3.1%), Estonians (13401, or 1.1%), Latvians (7097, or 0.6%) and Lithuanians (5666, or 0.4%). In 1939 the city has surpassed a 3-million mark, however the subsequent mobilisation to the Winter War (1939–40), the assignments of some part of both military and civilians onto the western territories of the USSR and to a certain extent, the Transfer of some Finns still remaining in Leningrad out of the border zone of the USSR stagnated the 3 million population level through the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in June 1941.