Factors of Population Migration in the Russian Far East: Spatial and Age-Related Characteristics

Research Article
Acknowledgments
The reported study was funded by RSF according to the research project No. 24-28-01046 “Age Characteristics of Non-Migration Attitudes of the Population of the Far East Regions.”
How to Cite
Moiseeva E.M. Factors of Population Migration in the Russian Far East: Spatial and Age-Related Characteristics. DEMIS. Demographic Research. 2025. Vol. 5. No. 3. P. 134-155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/demis.2025.5.3.9 (in Russ.).

Abstract

The article examines spatial and age-related characteristics of migration in the Far Eastern region of Russia. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of various factors, such as socio-economic conditions, infrastructure, climate conditions, on population movements in different age groups within the region. The research focuses on analyzing migration flows in the Russian Far Eastern regions and their dependence on spatial and demographic characteristics. The study is based on statistical data from Rosstat for the period 2019–2021. The main findings show that there are significant differences in migration patterns among different age groups. For example, young people (20–24 years old) tend to migrate more than older people (65–69 years old). This trend is explained by economic factors such as income levels and cost of living. Young families with children are also more likely to move due to material incentives. However, younger people (15–29 years) are less likely to migrate because they focus on education opportunities. Living conditions in the region, including health care, infrastructure development and climate conditions, play a significant role in determining whether people will stay or leave. Regions with better living conditions tend to have lower rates of outmigration. Additionally, there is a spatial effect where neighboring regions influence each other's migration patterns. Economic factors have the greatest impact on migration in areas with strong economies, while social and infrastructure factors are more significant in less developed regions. This study contributes to a better understanding of how migration patterns are shaped by various factors in the Far Eastern part of Russia. Its findings can be used by policymakers to develop strategies for optimizing demographic and migration policy in this region.
Keywords:
population migration, Far East, spatial analysis, age composition, socioeconomic factors, infrastructure, climate conditions

Author Biography

Evgeniya M. Moiseeva, Institute for Demographic Research FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia
Candidate of Economic Sciences, Leading Researcher

References

1. Bernard, A. Bell, M., Charles-Edwards, E. Life-Course Transitions and the Age Profile of Internal Migration. Population and Development Review. 2014. Vol. 40, No. 2. Pp. 213–239. DOI 10.1111/j.1728-4457.2014.00671.x.

2. Makar, S. V., Yarasheva, A. V., Simagin, Yu. A. Spatial Development of the Russian Far East: Demographic and Socio-Economic Factors. Population. 2021. Vol. 24, No. 1. Pp. 117–130. DOI 10.19181/‌‌population.2021.24.1.11. (In Russ.).

3. Khramova, M. N., Zorin, D. P. Opportunities and Limitations for the Growth of Human Capital in the Regions of the Russian Far East. Today and Tomorrow of the Russian Economy. 2022. No. 107–108. Pp. 26–36. DOI 10.26653/1993-4947-2022-107-108-02. (In Russ.).

4. Vinokurova, А. V., Аrdal’yanova, А. Yu., Sharivkhan, J. Leaving “Where” or “From Where”: Living Conditions and Migration Strategies of Residents of the Far Eastern Russian-Chinese Borderland. Ojkumena. Regional Researches. 2020. No. 4(55). Pp. 7–15. DOI 10.24866/1998-6785/2020-4/7-15. (In Russ.).

5. Zubareva, M. M., Yalovega, L. A. Socio-Economic Determinants of Interregional Migration in the Russian Federation in the Concept of Sustainable Development. Vesenniye dni nauki InEU [Spring Science Days at the Institute of Economics and Management] : proceedings of the international conference of students and young scientists, Ekaterinburg, April 17–20, 2024. Ekaterinburg : Azhur Publishing House, 2024. С. 569–574. (In Russ.).

6. Motrich, E. L. Migration in the Demographic Development of the Russian Far East. Living Standards of the Population in the Regions of Russia. 2022. Vol. 18, No. 1. Pp. 27–40. DOI 10.19181/lsprr.2022.18.1.2. (In Russ.).

7. Efremenko, V. F. Development of Manufacturing Industry as a Factor of Population Stabilization in the Russian Far East. Migratsionnyye protsessy i ikh vliyaniye na demograficheskoye i sotsial’no-ekonomicheskoye razvitiye Dal’nego Vostoka [Migration processes and their impact on the demographic and socio-economic development of the Far East] : Proceedings of the II International scientific and practical conference, Vladivostok, June 4–5, 2018. S. V. Ryazantsev, M. N. Khramova, L. A. Savinkina (eds). Vladivostok: Far Eastern Federal University, 2018. Pp. 80–83. (In Russ.).

8. Protopopova, M. T., Ammosov, I. N. Comparative Analysis of Migration Processes in Russian Northern Regions of Resource Type. Arctic XXI Century. 2024. No. 4(38). Pp. 69–84. DOI 10.25587/2310-5453-2024-4-69-84. (In Russ.).

9. Babich, A. A. Sotsial’nyye normy i otnosheniye k migratsii na Dal’nem Vostoke [Social norms and attitudes towards migration in the Far East]. Novaya ekonomika, biznes i obshchestvo [New economy, business and society] : Proceedings of the April scientific and practical conference of young scientists, Vladivostok, March 23 – April 16, 2023. A. A. Volkov, E. A. Tyurina, M. V. Usova (eds). Vladivostok : Far Eastern Federal University, 2023. Pp. 174–177. (In Russ.).

10. Motrich, E. L., Molodkovets, L. A. Shaping the Population and Labor Resources in the Russian Far East. Economic and Social Changes: Facts, Trends, Forecast. 2019. Vol. 12, No. 1. Pp. 53–69. DOI 10.15838/esc.2019.1.61.3. (In Russ.).

11. Ivashina, N. V., Oleynik, E. B., Khramova, M. N. Mortgage Lending as a Deterrent to Migration grom Regions of the Far East. Ustoychivost’ demograficheskogo razvitiya: determinanty i resursy [Sustainability of demographic development: determinants and resources] : Collection of scientific articles. Ekaterinburg : Institute of Economics, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2024. Pp. 510–518.DOI 10.17059/udf-2024-5-6. (In Russ.).

12. Motrich, E. L. Modern Demographic Processes in the Russian Far East. Power and Administration in the East of Russia. 2022. No. 4(101). Pp. 59–68. DOI 10.22394/1818-4049-2022-101-4-59-68. (In Russ.).

13. Avdeev, Yu. A., Ushakova, V. L. Demographic Challenges or Why the Demographic Policy of the Far East Does not Lead to the Desired Result. Living Standards of the Population in the Regions of Russia. 2023. Vol. 19, No. 1. Pp. 9–24. DOI 10.52180/1999-9836_2023_19_1_1_9_24. (In Russ.).

14. Efremenko, V. F. Structural Factors of Migration of the Population of the Russian Far East. Power and Administration in the East of Russia. 2022. No. 3(100). Pp. 101–107. DOI 10.22394/1818-4049-2022-100-3-101-107. (In Russ.).

15. Mishchuk, S. N. General Characteristics and Regional Differences of Migration Processes in the Far East Of Russia in the Post-Soviet Period. Izvestiya RAN (Akad. Nauk SSSR). Seriya Geograficheskaya. 2019. No. 6. Pp. 53–67. DOI 10.31857/S2587-55662019653-67. (In Russ.).

16. Sidorkina, Z. Regional Features of Demographic Behavior of Thepopulation of the Russian Far East. Pskov Journal of Regional Studies. 2021. Vol. 17, No. 3. Pp. 44–57. DOI 10.37490/S221979310015014-8. (In Russ.).

17. Avdeev, Yu. A. Far East: How To Stop the Outflow of People and Make it Attractive? (Polemical Reflections). Living Standards of the Population in the Regions of Russia. 2021. Vol. 17, No. 3. Pp. 299–313. DOI 10.19181/lsprr.2021.17.3.1. (In Russ.).

18. Vertinova, A. A., Sadovskaya, L. E. Innovative Development and Digitalization as a Factor of Youth Consolidation in the Russian Far East. Leadership and Management. 2025. Vol. 12, No. 7. Pp. 1685–1698. DOI 10.18334/lim.12.7.123425. (In Russ.).

19. Kabanova, A. A. Vliyaniye ekologicheskikh katastrof na demograficheskuyu situatsiyu v regionakh Rossii [The impact of environmental disasters on the demographic situation in the regions of Russia]. Mezhdunarodnyy demograficheskiy forum “Demografiya i global’nyye vyzovy” [International Demographic Forum “Demography and Global Challenges”] : Conference Proceedings, Voronezh, September 30 - October 2, 2021. Voronezh : Digital Printing Publ., 2021. Pp. 1014–1018. (In Russ.).

20. Gamerman, E. V. Demographic and Migration Processes of the Far East Through the Prism of the “Turn To The East.” Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series “Political Science and Religion Studies”. 2024. Vol. 49. Pp. 22–33. DOI 10.26516/2073-3380.2024.49.22. (In Russ.).

21. Shmidt, Yu. D., Ivashina, N. V., Ozerova, G. P. Modelling Interregional Migration Flows by the Cellular Automata. Computer Research and Modeling. 2020. Vol. 12, No. 6. Pp. 1467–1483. DOI 10.20537/2076-7633-2020-12-6-1467-1483. (In Russ.).

22. Antosik, L., Ivashina, N. Modeling of Spatial Dependence in the Migration Flows of Graduates of the Higher Education Institutions of the Russian Federation. Applied Econometrics. 2019. No. 2(54). Pp. 70–89. DOI 10.24411/2076-4766-2017-10004. (In Russ.).

23. Smirnov, A. V. Digital Demography Methods for Forecasting Migration Processes. Economy of Regions. 2022. Vol. 18, No. 1. Pp. 133–145. DOI 10.17059/ekon.reg.2022-1-10. (In Russ.).

24. Lyashok, V. Yu., Mkrtchyan, N. V., Florinskaya, Yu. F. Far East and Far North: How to Prevent an Outflow of Young People : [preprint]. Moscow : Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, 2023. 26 p. URL: https://repec.ranepa.ru/rnp/wpaper/w20220270.pdf. (In Russ.).

25. Kuryan, S. P. Interregional Migration in the Russian Far East: Age Characteristics. Regionalistics. 2024. Vol. 11, No. 6. Pp. 64–88. DOI 10.14530/reg.2024.6.64. (In Russ.).

26. Moiseeva, E. M., Mishchuk, S. N. Regional Characteristics of Migration Age Structure in the Russian Far East. Population. 2024. Vol. 27, No. 4. Pp. 18–33. DOI 10.24412/1561-7785-2024-4-18-33. (In Russ.).

27. Vakulenko, E., Mkrtchyan, N. Factors of Interregional Migration in Russia Disaggregated by Age. Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy. 2020. Vol. 13, No. 3. Pp. 609–630. DOI 10.1007/s12061-019-09320-8.

28. Okunev, I. Global and Local Spatial Autocorrelation: Methods of Calculation and Mapping. Pskov Journal of Regional Studies. 2024. Vol. 20, No. 2. Pp. 170–191. DOI 10.37490/S221979310030291-3. (In Russ.).

29. Anselin, L. An Introduction to Spatial Data Science with GeoDa. Vol. 1 and 2. London : Chapman & Hall, 2024. 696 p. ISBN 9781032713397.

30. Okunev, I. Yu. Osnovy prostranstvennogo analiza [Fundamentals of Spatial Analysis] : monograph. Moscow : Aspect Press Publ., 2020. 255 p. ISBN 978-5-7567-1062-5. (In Russ.).

31. Ravenstein, E. G. The Laws of Migration. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. 1889. Vol. 52, No. 2. Pp. 241–305. DOI 10.2307/2979333.

32. Vakulenko, E., Mkrtchyan, N. Factors of Interregional Migration in Russia Disaggregated by Age. Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy. 2020. Vol. 13, No. 3. Pp. 609–630. DOI 10.1007/s12061-019-09320-8.

33. Manshin, R. V., Moiseeva, E. M. Influence of Infrastructure on Population Distribution and Socio-Economic Development of Russian Regions. Economy of Regions. 2022. Vol. 18, No. 3. Pp. 727–741. DOI 10.17059/ekon.reg.2022-3-8. (In Russ.).

34. Prirodno-klimaticheskiye usloviya i sotsial’no-geograficheskoye prostranstvo Rossii [Natural and climatic conditions and socio-geographical space of Russia]. D. D. Bokuchava, T. L. Borodina, V. V. Vinogradova [et al.]. Moscow : Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2018. 154 p. ISBN 978-5-89658-050-8. DOI 10.15356/ncsgsrus. (In Russ.).
Article

Received: 10.07.2025

Accepted: 30.09.2025

Citation Formats
Other cite formats:

APA
Moiseeva, E. M. (2025). Factors of Population Migration in the Russian Far East: Spatial and Age-Related Characteristics. DEMIS. Demographic Research, 5(3), 134-155. https://doi.org/10.19181/demis.2025.5.3.9
Section
Migration and Migration Policy