How many migrants left Russia this year: official data.

According to official data, as of early September 2024, 6.2 million foreign citizens are registered in Russia. This is significantly less than the 8.5 million at the end of 2023. This information was reported by the Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

The ministry noted that as of September 1, 2024, the number of foreign citizens in Russia who have a record in the state migration accounting system was 6,174,777 people.

Throughout 2023, more than 8.5 million people arrived in the Russian Federation, said Tatiana Moskalkova, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation. Thus, overall, it can be said that more than 2 million foreign citizens who previously resided there have left Russia.

Reduction of migration to the Russian Federation

In July 2024, Rosstat reported a reduction in migration to Russia to the lowest level in the last ten years. Thus, in 2023, 560,000 people arrived in the Russian Federation from abroad, which is 23% less than the previous year, when this figure was 730,000 people.

After the terrorist attack in Moscow committed by citizens of Tajikistan, the Russian authorities began to tighten migration policy. In June, the State Duma passed a bill that envisages tightening the regime of migrants’ stay in the Russian Federation, including the creation of a register. This law will come into force on February 5, 2025.

Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan recommended their citizens refrain from traveling to the Russian Federation without urgent need due to increased control over the entry of foreign citizens. In addition, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs regularly conducts raids involving other agencies to identify migrants who have obtained Russian citizenship but have not registered.