Digital 2023: The Russian Federation
This page contains all the latest data, insights, and trends you need to help you understand how people in the Russian Federation use digital devices and services in 2023.
If you want to check whether this is our most up-to-date report on Russia, or if you’re looking for data on digital trends and behaviours in Russia for previous years, you can find our full collection of reports on the Russian Federation by clicking here.
You’ll also find the complete Digital 2023 report on the Russian Federation in the “full report” section below, but let’s start by taking a look at the key numbers for Russia this year.
The state of digital in the Russian Federation in 2023
Here are the essential headlines for digital adoption and use in the Russian Federation in early 2023:
There were 127.6 million internet users in the Russian Federation at the start of 2023, when internet penetration stood at 88.2 percent.
Russia was home to 106.0 million social media users in January 2023, equating to 73.3 percent of the total population.
A total of 227.0 million cellular mobile connections were active in Russia in early 2023, with this figure equivalent to 156.9 percent of the total population.
These headline stats offer a great overview of the “state of digital” in Russia, but in order to make sense of how digital trends and behaviours are evolving, we need to dig deeper into the data.
Let’s take a closer look at what the latest numbers tell us, starting with some valuable context relating to Russia’s population.
The Russian Federation’s population in 2023
Russia’s total population was 144.7 million in January 2023.
Data shows that Russia’s population decreased by 38 thousand (-0.03 percent) between 2022 and 2023.
53.6 percent of Russia’s population is female, while 46.4 percent of the population is male.
At the start of 2023, 75.3 percent of Russia’s population lived in urban centres, while 24.7 percent lived in rural areas.
Note: gender data are currently only available for “female” and “male”.
The Russian Federation’s population by age
The median age of Russia’s population is 39.2.
Here’s how Russia’s total population breaks down by age group:
5.1 percent is between the ages of 0 and 4.
10.2 percent is between the ages of 5 and 12.
5.5 percent is between the ages of 13 and 17.
7.0 percent is between the ages of 18 and 24.
13.2 percent is between the ages of 25 and 34.
16.6 percent is between the ages of 35 and 44.
13.3 percent is between the ages of 45 and 54.
13.1 percent is between the ages of 55 and 64.
16.0 percent is aged 65 and above.
Note: percentages may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.
Internet use in the Russian Federation in 2023
There were 127.6 million internet users in Russia in January 2023.
Russia’s internet penetration rate stood at 88.2 percent of the total population at the start of 2023.
Kepios analysis indicates that internet users in Russia decreased by 34 thousand (-0.03 percent) between 2022 and 2023.
For perspective, these user figures reveal that 17.05 million people in Russia did not use the internet at the start of 2023, suggesting that 11.8 percent of the population remained offline at the beginning of the year.
However, complexities associated with the collection and analysis of internet user data mean that it can often take several months before research is ready for publication. As a result, the latest published figures for internet use invariably under-represent reality, and actual adoption and growth may be higher than the figures shown here suggest. Please see our comprehensive notes on data for further details.
Dig deeper: for the latest insights into internet adoption and use around the world, follow our regular Global Statshot reports.
Internet connection speeds in the Russian Federation in 2023
Data published by Ookla indicate that internet users in Russia could have expected the following internet connection speeds at the start of 2023:
Median mobile internet connection speed via cellular networks: 21.73 Mbps.
Median fixed internet connection speed: 74.92 Mbps.
Ookla’s data reveals that the median mobile internet connection speed in Russia increased by 3.90 Mbps (+21.9 percent) in the twelve months to the start of 2023.
Meanwhile, Ookla’s data shows that fixed internet connection speeds in Russia increased by 13.27 Mbps (+21.5 percent) during the same period.
Social media statistics for the Russian Federation in 2023
There were 106.0 million social media users in the Russian Federation in January 2023.
This figure might seem quite different to the values that we published in previous years, but please note that the sources we use to inform and calculate our social media user numbers have made important and wide-ranging revisions to their data over recent months.
These adjustments to source data mean that our latest numbers are not comparable with equivalent figures that we published in previous years, and readers should not regard any differences in these numbers as an actual change in social media use.
Indeed, our analysis of various data points from trusted third parties such as GWI and data.ai shows that there has been no discernible drop in overall social media use, and in almost all countries, social media use continues to increase.
As a result, readers should view any such differences as “corrections” in the data, and not as an indication that social media adoption has declined.
The number of social media users in Russia at the start of 2023 was equivalent to 73.3 percent of the total population, but it’s also important to note that social media users may not represent unique individuals (see our detailed notes on data to learn why).
Meanwhile, data published in the ad planning tools of top social media platforms indicates that there were 91.50 million users aged 18 and above using social media in Russia at the start of 2023, which was equivalent to 79.9 percent of the total population aged 18 and above at that time.
More broadly, 83.0 percent of Russia’s total internet user base (regardless of age) used at least one social media platform in January 2023.
At that time, 54.8 percent of Russia’s social media users were female, while 45.2 percent were male.
Note: due to significant revisions in source data, we regret that we’re currently unable to provide reliable figures for the year-on-year change in social media users in Russia. We recommend that readers do not compare our latest figures for social media use with figures published in our previous reports, because such comparisons will deliver inaccurate results.
TikTok users in the Russian Federation in 2023
Figures published in ByteDance’s advertising resources indicate that TikTok had 54.86 million users aged 18 and above in Russia in early 2023.
Note that ByteDance allows marketers to target TikTok ads to users aged 13 and above via its advertising tools, but these tools only show audience data for users aged 18 and above.
For context, ByteDance’s figures indicate that TikTok ads reached 47.9 percent of all adults aged 18 and above in Russia at the start of 2023.
Meanwhile, TikTok’s ad reach in Russia was equivalent to 43.0 percent of the local internet user base at the beginning of the year, regardless of age.
In early 2023, 53.7 percent of TikTok’s ad audience in Russia was female, while 46.3 percent was male.
Note: ByteDance’s advertising resources only publish audience gender data for “female” and “male” users.
TikTok user growth in Russia
Data published in ByteDance’s own ad planning tools show that TikTok’s potential ad reach in Russia decreased by 72 thousand (-0.1 percent) between the start of 2022 and early 2023.
Meanwhile, figures indicate that the potential reach of ads on TikTok in Russia decreased by 2.3 million (-4.0 percent) between October 2022 and January 2023.
Having said that, ad audiences often only account for a subset of a platform’s total users, and given that TikTok’s ad tools only publish data for users aged 18 and above, it’s important to remember that these changes in TikTok ad reach may not necessarily match changes in the platform’s overall user base.
▶ Looking for more TikTok stats? Click here to explore our in-depth TikTok data for every country in the world.
Snapchat users in the Russian Federation in 2023
Data published in Snap’s advertising resources indicate that Snapchat had 7.80 million users in Russia in early 2023.
This figure means that Snapchat’s ad reach in the Russian Federation was equivalent to 5.4 percent of the total population at the start of the year.
However, Snapchat restricts the use of its platform to people aged 13 and above, so it’s also worth noting that 6.4 percent of the “eligible” audience in Russia uses Snapchat in 2023.
For additional context, Snapchat’s ad reach in Russia was equivalent to 6.1 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) at the start of the year.
In early 2023, 82.6 percent of Snapchat’s ad audience in Russia was female, while 15.9 percent was male.
Note: Snap’s advertising resources only publish audience gender data for “female” and “male” users, but the figures published for these demographics don’t always add up to the total user figure, so percentages shown here may not sum to 100 percent.
Snapchat user growth in Russia
Data published in Snap’s own ad planning tools show that Snapchat’s potential ad reach in Russia increased by 850 thousand (+12.2 percent) between the start of 2022 and early 2023.
However, the same data show that the number of users that marketers could reach with ads on Snapchat in Russia actually increased by 2.9 million (+59.2 percent) between October 2022 and January 2023, suggesting that reach may have fallen between January 2022 and October 2022.
However, it’s important to stress that these advertising reach figures do not represent monthly active user figures, and there may be meaningful differences between the size of Snapchat’s ad audience and its total active user base.
▶ Looking for more Snapchat stats? Click here to explore our in-depth Snapchat data for every country in the world.
Twitter users in the Russian Federation in 2023
Numbers published in Twitter’s advertising resources indicate that Twitter had 767.7 thousand users in the Russian Federation in early 2023.
This figure means that Twitter’s ad reach in Russia was equivalent to 0.5 percent of the total population at the time.
However, it’s important to stress that these advertising reach figures are not the same as monthly active user figures, and there may be meaningful differences between the size of Twitter’s ad audience and its total active user base.
It’s also worth noting that Twitter restricts the use of its platform to people aged 13 and above, so these figures suggest that 0.6 percent of the “eligible” audience in Russia uses Twitter in 2023.
For additional context, Twitter’s ad reach in Russia was equivalent to 0.6 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) at the start of the year.
In early 2023, the company’s own data indicated that 36.6 percent of Twitter’s ad audience in Russia was female, while 63.4 percent was male.
However, it’s worth noting that Twitter infers its users’ gender, by analysing signals such as the name that users enter in their profile, and their broader activity on the platform.
This contrasts with the gender data offered in the advertising tools of platforms like Facebook, which relies on the gender that users themselves enter in their own profile.
Moreover, our analysis suggests that Twitter’s inferences may not be particularly reliable in determining users’ gender, especially in countries where English is not the dominant language.
For example, consumer research findings published by GWI often offer quite a different picture of Twitter use by gender compared with Twitter’s own audience data.
But the apparent distortions that frequently appear in Twitter’s inferred gender data may be due in large part to the high number of “non-human” accounts that feature in Twitter’s active user data (e.g. accounts that represent businesses, animals, musicians, etc.), especially because Twitter doesn’t currently separate these accounts out from “real” human individuals in the ways that Facebook and Instagram do.
Regardless of the cause of these anomalies though, we advise caution when analysing or interpreting Twitter’s reported figures for use by gender.
Twitter user growth in Russia
Data published in Twitter’s own ad planning tools show that Twitter’s potential ad reach in Russia decreased by 2.2 million (-74.0 percent) between the start of 2022 and early 2023.
Meanwhile, the same data show that the number of users that marketers could reach with ads on Twitter in Russia decreased by 216 thousand (-22.0 percent) between October 2022 and January 2023.
However, please note that the figures published in Twitter’s planning tools appear to be liable to significant fluctuation – even over short periods of time – and these anomalies may impact the reliability and representativeness of this change data.
▶ Looking for more Twitter stats? Click here to explore our in-depth Twitter data for every country in the world.
Mobile connections in the Russian Federation in 2023
Data from GSMA Intelligence shows that there were 227.0 million cellular mobile connections in Russia at the start of 2023.
However, note that many people around the world make use of more than one mobile connection – for example, they might have one connection for personal use, and another one for work – so it’s not unusual for mobile connection figures to significantly exceed figures for total population.
GSMA Intelligence’s numbers indicate that mobile connections in Russia were equivalent to 156.9 percent of the total population in January 2023.
The number of mobile connections in Russia decreased by 6.9 million (-3.0 percent) between 2022 and 2023.
Additional resources
Just before we get to the full report, here are some suggestions for further reading, which will provide additional context for our full set of Digital 2023 numbers for the Russian Federation:
Read our complete Digital 2023 Global Overview Report to get a comprehensive overview of the “state of digital” around the world in 2023.
Click here to see all of the Global Digital Reports we’ve published on the Russian Federation over the past decade.
Explore all of our reports on countries in Eastern Europe by clicking here.
Visit our complete online reports library to find all of the (free!) reports in the Global Digital Reports series.
If you’d like to receive updates when we publish new reports, click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Full report
You’ll find our complete Digital 2023: The Russian Federation report in the embed below (click here if you can’t see that, or if you can’t change the slides).