Migration Landscape of Russia: Typology of Municipalities and Patterns of Spatial Population Mobility

The article examines patterns of population migration in Russia at the municipal level. Data on migration mobility and growth, by type of movement, and on the composition of migrants by sex and age for 2015–2022 were collected for 2,330 municipalities. Using digital traces from social media, the most popular travel routes from each district and region were analyzed. Migration attraction zones of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and regional centers were identified. Maps of municipal migration indicators covering the entire territory of the country were constructed. Particular attention is paid to migration in Russia’s priority geostrategic territories: exclaves, the North Caucasus, the Far East, the Arctic zone, and border areas. It was found that these territories differ from the national average in most indicators of migration movement. A typology of Russian municipal entities (districts and areas) based on the size and nature of migration is proposed. Correlation analysis of municipal data showed that migration mobility has a moderate relationship with the distance to regional centers and the size of wages, while migration growth has a moderate relationship with population size, the scale of the local economy, and proximity to the administrative center. The results obtained can be used in further studies of Russia’s spatial and demographic development at the subregional level.