University of Strathclyde US, UK and EU Flags Takes you to the main page for this section

Gross Domestic Product per Capita

Region mln roubles    % Russian mean
West Siberia 14.38 152
Northern 12.68 134
Far East 11.35 120
East Siberia 11.17 118
Urals 9.99 105
Central 9.80 103
RUSSIAN MEAN 9.49 100
Volga 8.74 92
North-west 8.47 89
Central Black Earth 7.50 79
Volgo-Vyatka 7.48 79
North Caucasus 5.02 53
Source: Regiony Rossii [Russian Regions], 1996.

Making allowance for differences in population shows the extent to which a region's economy reflects a massive population or a substantial level of economic activity. When this standard is used, West Siberia appears an outstanding region, for not only does it rank second in terms of total GDP, but also it ranks highest in terms of GDP per capita. By contrast, the Central region, which is highest in aggregate GDP, is only average in per capita GDP. The second and third highest regions in per capita GDP, the North and Far East, are also among the less populous.

Variations between regions in productivity are very substantial, and subject to multiple interpretations. The low GDP in the North Caucasus, which includes Grozny, can reflect the political and military strife there. The low level in Volga-Vyatka may reflect the readiness of enterprises that are privatized to keep more of their economic activity private, that is, outside the reach of government statisticians and tax collectors.


CSPP School of Government & Public Policy U. of Strathclyde Glasgow G1 1XQ Scotland
Email: cspp@strath.ac.uk