Internal migration in Russia during the economic transition

A World Bank demographer analyzes patterns of migration among Russia's regions from shortly before the break-up of the Soviet Union and the onset of economic reforms through the first five years of independence. The analysis focuses on two large migration streams currently occurring in Russia-the return migration of Russians, as well as Russian speakers, to Russia from the other republics of the former Soviet Union and massive out-migration from the Russian North to the western and southern portions of the country. These migration streams are assessed in terms of both their impacts on current population numbers in Russia's regions and as a basis for projections of population change into the early 21 st century.