National Republics of Russia: from North to South

The demographic dynamics of 13 national republics, six of which are located in the North of Russia, and seven in the North Caucasus are considered. The republics differ significantly in terms of occupied area, population size and ethnic diversity; while the northern republics are sparsely populated, the North Caucasus is the most densely populated and multinational region of Russia. From 1989 to 2024, five of the seven Caucasian republics demonstrated steady demographic growth, while the Karachay-Cherkess Republic and North Ossetia-Alania showed population decline; of the six northern republics, three had population growth, and three had population decline. Eight Caucasian and one northern ethnic group had simple reproduction of the population, while the dynamics of recent decades indicates a deterioration of the situation. It is noteworthy that Russians living in the national republics have a higher birth rate compared to Russian regions. The preservation of ethnic identity is facilitated by the fact that most ethnic groups live in single-ethnic married couples.