St. Petersburg's population reaches historical maximum

ST. PETERSBURG. Feb 12 (Interfax) - The population of St. Petersburg has exceeded 5.6 million people, Alexander Kukushkin, the head of the Federal State Statistics Service's Directorate for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region (Petrostat), said.

"According to tentative information, the permanent population of St. Petersburg reached 5.646 million people as of January 1, 2025. The population has increased by 48,000 people, or 0.9%, from January 1, 2024. St. Petersburg has become bigger. The city's population has reached its historical maximum," Kukushkin said.

The permanent population of St. Petersburg was 5.598 million people as of January 1, 2024.

St. Petersburg's population started growing again in 2024 due to migration processes, including from the former Soviet republics, Kukushkin told a press conference in Interfax.

The birth rate continued to decline in St. Petersburg in 2024, and the average age of the city's residents is gradually increasing, he said. According to Petrostat, half of all marriages end in divorce in the city.

In general, Kukushkin said the service notes positive dynamics for a majority of the main indicators in 2024.

The prices for butter, potatoes and dairy products increased in St. Petersburg in 2024, but the prices on eggs, pasta and salt decreased, he said.

According to earlier reports, industrial production in St. Petersburg increased by 10.9% in 2024. The car industry increased production 4.2 times, and the suppliers of textile products increased production by a half. The production of computers, electronics and optics products increased by 48.3%. The index in processing production reached 112.6% in 2024.