Ever wondered just how far the Russian language has spread its roots? From Moscow to Moldova, we’re taking a look at the top Russian speaking countries
A Brief History Of The Russian Language
Like the overwhelming majority of European languages, Russian can trace its origins all the way back to its Indo-European roots. Eventually, as the Slavic tribes began to settle in eastern Europe, their language began to differentiate into what is currently considered the Proto-Slavic tongue in the Early Middle Ages, which gave rise to the Slavic family of languages.
Russian is one of the existing three main languages within the East Slavic sub-family, but it didn’t emerge as its own distinct tongue until the late Middle Ages. Standard Russian (based on the Moscow dialect) became the official language in the mid-1800s. Previously, East Slavic was essentially the same as “Old Russian” — the prototype of modern-day Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian.
Countries Where Russian Is Spoken
Belarus
Russian is one of the official languages of Belarus, which shares a border with Russia and contains notable remnants of its shared Soviet history, such as the old KGB headquarters and Lenin Monument in Minsk. It used to be kind of walled-off from visitors, but relaxed visa requirements are making Belarus increasingly popular as a travel destination, whether you’re coming for the art and nightclub scene in Minsk or the ancient castles and forests that surround it.
Georgia
Though the main language spoken in Georgia is, well, Georgian, many people in Georgia speak Russian (especially the older crowd). And as it so happens, Georgian food is majorly popular in Russia, so in some ways, visiting Georgia is like visiting the source (or at least giving yourself a chance to understand what all the fuss is about). Come here for the delicious food and seriously breathtaking mountainous vistas.
Estonia
Estonia sits at an interesting cultural crossroads between former Soviet rule and even more former Scandinavian rule. Tallinn especially is the stuff of rave reviews, featuring Russian Orthodox architecture throughout and a colorful, medieval Old Town nestled among steep staircases (which is also a well-preserved UNESCO site). Estonia is also home to Lahemaa National Park, Europe’s largest national park.
Kyrgyzstan
If unspoiled natural beauty is more your schtick, you won’t want to sleep on Kyrgyzstan’s mountains and verdant pastures — home to semi-nomadic shepherds who live in yurts and breathtaking panoramas in every direction. Though this may not be the place for you if trekking expeditions aren’t really your idea of fun, Kyrgyzstan is a popular entry point for travel around Central Asia, where many other Russian-speaking countries are located.
Kazakhstan
For an experience of Central Asia but with a little bit of city life, Kazakhstan has mountains and valleys galore, in addition to a fairly happening urban oasis in Almaty and Nur-Sultan. Almaty is a city that makes few attempts to downplay its taste for the finer things in life, so you can experience fine dining, shopping malls and nightclubs after experiencing the more rural, rugged side of the country.
Lithuania
Russian is one of the largest minority languages spoken in Lithuania, which is home to the popular travel destination of Vilnius. Characterized by its Baroque and Gothic architecture and its contemporary cultural pulse, Vilnius is easy to bike around and absorb for all its complicated history. Elsewhere in Lithuania, you can check out Nida, an old fishing village and UNESCO World Heritage site that’s shared by Russia and Lithuania.
Moldova
Russian is only granted official regional status in a certain part of Moldova, but this is a good spot to put on your list if you’re into wine, trawling through the countryside, and gawking at haunting-looking monasteries. The Oreil Vechi Monastery, which is etched into a limestone cliff, is a big draw for tourists.
Ukraine
Visitors to Ukraine often end up in Kiev, where there are cathedrals, ruins, museums and old Soviet architecture to explore. There’s even an Alice in Wonderland-themed park for the fantasy-inclined. If you venture outside of Kiev, there’s also Lviv, Chernobyl and the port town of Odessa.
How Many People Speak Russian In The World?
According to Ethnologue, there are around 255 million Russian speakers in the world. This estimate is likely high, however, because it factors in many populations that are ancestrally Russian, but which might not speak the language anymore.
There are roughly 147 million native Russian speakers in the world, placing it at number eight in the list of most widely spoken languages in the world. Among first languages, Russian accounts for 2.3 percent of the global population.
How Many People Speak Russian In The US?
The Russian language first touched the shores of the modern-day United States in the 18th century, when Russian explorers arrived in Alaska. Since this time, various groups of immigrants have scattered across the United States.
Today, there are roughly 975,000 Russian speakers in the United States out of our total population of 297 million, according to 2019 census data. The state of New York is home to the majority of Americans who speak Russian, with roughly 30 percent of the population. There are also over 110,000 Russian speakers in California, followed distantly by New Jersey and Illinois, which each have about 40,000 Russian speakers.
How Many People Speak Russian In Europe?
Russian is the most geographically widespread language in all of Eurasia, and it’s the most popular native language in Europe. Russian speakers number roughly 138 million in Russia, followed in popularity by Ukraine (14.3 million), Belarus (6.9 million), Poland (6.9 million) and Kazakhstan (3.8 million).
All in all, there are close to 221 million Russian speakers in Europe, give or take.
How Many People Speak Russian In The Rest Of The World?
Like many European countries, Russia went through a period of colonization that led to the subjugation of people in Africa. While Russia no longer has an official presence on the continent, Africa is still home to large groups of Russian speakers. Azerbaijan could have up to 4.9 million Russian speakers, though only a small fraction of those are native speakers. Similarly, Estonia has a Russian-speaking population around 1.1 million.
Beyond that, there are populations of Russian speakers that appear all over the world because of historical immigration patterns, as well as modern political and economic reasons. Israel is also prominent in the list of Russian-speaking countries, with roughly a million Russian speakers, while nearby Turkey has around 600,000. China has up to 700,000 speakers, almost all of which speak it as a second language. Australia has up to 120,000 Russian speakers, Canada has about 530,000 and even South America has a few pockets, with about 14,000 speakers in Uruguay and maybe around 30,000 in Argentina.
Why Learn Russian?
Well, who hasn’t wanted to labor their way through War and Peace in its original form?
Besides being extremely useful for conjuring a romantic, world-weary affect, Russian remains the most important common denominator for inter-ethnic communication in Eastern Europe. Plus, as mentioned above, it’s the largest native language in Europe. Period.
And even if you don’t intend to visit the former Eastern Bloc anytime soon, it’s still pretty cool to be able to pronounce “Raskolnikov” correctly.
This article was originally published on August 29, 2017. It has been updated to reflect newer facts and figures about the Russian language.