Demographic indicators are one of the most important criteria for assessing the well-being of regions. Therefore, sociologists closely monitor the number and dynamics of the population, not only in the country as a whole, but also in its individual subjects. Consider what the population of the Leningrad region is, how it is changing, and what are the main demographic problems in the region.
Geography of the Leningrad Region
The region is located in the northwest of the Russian Federation. The area of the region is almost 84 thousand square kilometers. According to this indicator, it takes 39th place in the country. The region is located on the East European Plain, there are no mountains, but a lot of different water bodies. 9 rivers flow through the territory of the region, there are 13 fairly large lakes, the sick part of the land is swampy and poorly suitable for human life. The location near the coastline is the cause of the Atlantic-continental climate, with mild winters and cool summers, in the region there is a lot of rainfall all year round. Such weather weakly contributes to agriculture. This contributed to the fact that throughout the history of its existence, these territories were poorly populated by people. There are few large settlements in the region. The cities of the Leningrad Region, whose population has exceeded the figure of 50 thousand, can be counted on the fingers: there are only 7 of them.
The history of the settlement of the Leningrad region
The first campsites of people in the territory of modern Leningrad region date back to the Mesolithic. In the first millennium BC, in places that today are known as the Leningrad region, the population begins to lead a sedentary lifestyle. People were engaged in cattle breeding, hunting, and gathering; these were representatives of the Finno-Ugric tribes. In the 6th century AD, Slavs came to this territory, who settled along the rivers Luga, Oredezh and near lakes. But while the settlement was very fragmented. With the development of the Novgorod state, the number of residents of the future Leningrad region is growing. Here, fortifications are being built from attacks by northern tribes. At the end of the 15th century, these lands were annexed to the Moscow kingdom, and then a more systematic settlement began. Part of the territory departs as a result of the hostilities of Sweden, and a large migration of the Scandinavians is added to the Slavs. In the 18th century, after the return of the lands of Russia, Peter the Great began to build a new capital here, which led to a surge in the arrival of new people from all over the Russian Empire and the departure of many Swedes and their descendants. Later, in the Leningrad Region, there were almost no significant events affecting the migration of the population, except for the deportation of the Finnish population in 1929 from the annexed Karelian lands. After the Second World War, these lands are being actively developed, new settlements appear, and the number of inhabitants increases.
Administrative division of the Leningrad region
Before the revolution, five provinces were located on the territory of modern Leningrad Oblast: St. Petersburg, Pskov, Cherepovets, Murmansk and Novgorod. Later, the territorial division system undergoes various changes. In Soviet times, 17 districts and 19 cities of regional subordination stood out here. Since 2006, a new, two-tier system of administrative division of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation was introduced. In the Leningrad Region, one urban district and 17 municipalities, 61 cities and 138 villages were allocated. Moreover, St. Petersburg is a district of federal subordination and, despite its organic connection with the region, exists in the administrative sense separately from it. Therefore, it is worth considering separately the inhabitants of the region and the population of St. Petersburg.
Throughout its history, the Leningrad Region has experienced many changes in administrative division. New units appeared, some disappeared, periodically renamed. The population of the Leningrad Region is accustomed to the fact that they periodically have to change their addresses.
Total population
The history of observations of the number of inhabitants in Russia begins even during the Tatar-Mongol invasion. However, separate information on various subjects, including the Leningrad Region, appeared only in Soviet times. Due to the fact that the region has changed its borders several times during the years of Soviet rule, there is no unambiguously reliable number of inhabitants. Today, the total population of the Leningrad Region is 1, 778, 890 people (according to statistics for 2016).
Dynamics and population density
Since 1926, relatively regular statistics on population dynamics in the USSR have been kept. Over the years, the number of inhabitants has repeatedly changed. Initially, it was 2.8 million people, in 28 this figure increased (thanks to the annexation of Karelia and Leningrad) to 6 million. And in 1959 it fell sharply to 1.2 million due to military losses and the exclusion of Leningrad from the region. In Soviet times, the Leningrad Region, whose population was growing steadily, showed good growth rates — about 1 thousand inhabitants a year. In the era of perestroika, as well as throughout the country, negative dynamics were noted in the region. And only in 2010, the number began to grow gradually. The population density in the Leningrad region at the moment is 21.2 people per square kilometer. This is the 45th place in Russia out of 85 possible. The highest density is observed in the St. Petersburg agglomeration, the eastern part of the subject is the least populated.
Ethnic composition
On the basis of “nationality”, the population of the Leningrad Region begins to be analyzed only in 1959. At that time, the region was already completely Russified; times of great ethnic diversity were a thing of the past. On average, in Soviet times, among the inhabitants of the region, there were about 90% of the Russian population. In the 2000s, this figure fell slightly - to 86%, apparently due to people from Central Asia who came to work. Ukrainians - 1.8% in second place, Belarusians in third (around 1%), followed by small groups of different ethnic groups: Tatars, Armenians, Uzbeks, Azerbaijanis, Finns, etc.
Gender age model
The Leningrad region, whose population is close in its indicators to similar characteristics of other regions, is age-sex related to the aging type. The number of citizens younger than working age is about 16%, and residents older than working age - about 23%. Due to the fact that the birth rate does not yet cover this difference, we can say that the prospects for rejuvenating the population are still very weak. Gender distribution in the Leningrad Region also generally coincides with trends across the country. The number of women exceeds the average number of men by 1.2. Most adults are married (about 55%), with widows 5 times more than widowers. Divorced is also more among women than among men.
Demographic indicators
Fertility is the most important demographic indicator that demonstrates the degree of well-being of a region. Social protection of the population of the Leningrad region is a topical issue. The relevant committee notes that since 2011, fertility has been increasing in their territory, albeit at a very slow pace, by about 2 people per 1000 inhabitants. But, according to sociologists, in the coming years the birth rate will decrease slightly.
The second most important indicator is mortality. For several years in a row in the 21st century, a decrease in mortality was observed in the Leningrad Region. But since 2014, the growth in the number of deaths has begun again, and it is assumed that this trend will continue in the next 5 years. Thus, in the Leningrad region there is a natural population decline, by about 5 people for every thousand inhabitants. Migration growth has been increasing in recent years, sociologists say that quite a lot of women of childbearing age are coming, this allows us to hope that the situation with the birth rate will soon improve. The largest sources of migrants are Ukraine, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova. Sociologists predict a slight decrease in the number of visitors due to problems in the labor market.
Life expectancy is the third most important criterion for the well-being of a region. How are things with him in the subject of the Russian Federation under consideration? The average life expectancy in the Leningrad Region is 70.2 years: women live approximately 75 years, men 64 years.
All these data allow us to say that the Leningrad Region, whose population is gradually aging, fits into the general trends of Russia. The region so far cannot move to a productive, younger type, and there are many socio-economic reasons for this.
Population distribution
Today, the main population of the districts of the Leningrad Region lives in cities. According to statistics, the urban population is 1, 142, 400 people, and the rural population is 636, 500. At the same time, most of the residents settle closer to St. Petersburg, where you can find a higher paying job. The settlements of the region, by Russian standards, are mostly small in size. In the Leningrad Region there are only 31 cities in which more than 10 thousand people live, and there is not a single one where more than 100 thousand inhabitants would be registered.
