Consumer trends in Russia in 2025

This overview explores Russia’s economic situation, local consumer behaviour, and buyer preferences.

General profile

As of early 2025, Russia is home to over 146 million people representing more than 190 ethnicities. In addition, around 6.3 million foreign nationals reside in the country.

Two thirds of Russians consider themselves religious, with 56% identifying as Orthodox Christians, according to one survey. Russia is a highly urbanised country—nearly three times as many people live in cities as in rural areas.

Source: Russian Statistical Yearbook 

Economic situation

Russia’s GDP grew by 4.3% in 2024, with GDP per capita reaching 14,800 US dollars.

As of early 2025, median salary in the country stood at 55,800 roubles (approximately 680 US dollars). In 2024, the poverty rate reached a historic low of 7.2%, down by 1.1 percentage points compared to 2023. This is projected to decline further to 6% by 2030. The poverty threshold is defined as a monthly income below 15,500 roubles (around 190 US dollars), whereas the minimum wage is set at 17,700 roubles per month (around 215 US dollars).

According to various experts, 30–50% of the country’s population may be identified as middle class, depending on how this is calculated. In the past two years, this group has increasingly included professionals in sectors such as construction, industry, and IT. Due to 25–27% wage growth in these fields, many specialists can now afford high-quality goods, a private vehicle, and regular travel, as well as meeting other criteria associated with middle-class living.

What Russians spend their money on

In 2024, average monthly spending among Russians rose to 39,500 roubles (a 6% increase, to around 475 US dollars). The highest spending was recorded among those aged 30 to 44, with individuals in this group spending on average between 51,600 and 53,000 roubles per month (approximately 630–645 US dollars). Teenagers and pensioners spent the least. This difference is partly explained by the fact that middle-aged adults are often supporting children and paying for or furnishing their own homes.

Average monthly spending among Russians in 2024 by age group

Source: SberIndex research

Participants in a survey conducted at the end of 2024 reported that their main areas of spending were food products (56% on average), rent or mortgage payments (37%), and clothing (5–15%).

Russians place a great deal of importance on owning their own home, which is why people generally strive to buy property rather than rent, though the latter remains common among those who cannot afford this kind of major purchase. However, Russian spending habits do extend beyond food, housing, and clothing. There are other major expense categories reflecting the local lifestyle and mindset:

• Entertainment. Spending by Sber customers on cafés and restaurants, food delivery, cinema, theatre, exhibitions, and similar outings rose from 17% to 30% in 2024 (according to SberAnalytics data).
• Country houses. Every second city dweller has a dacha—a countryside plot with either a summer house or year-round home. Russians use their dachas for leisure and gardening, growing vegetables, fruit, berries, and flowers for their personal use. Maintaining and furnishing dachas, as well as spending time there, also comes with costs. The average purchase receipt in this category in 2024 was 3,564 roubles (around 43 US dollars), according to a joint analysis by a Russian social media platform and a major fiscal data operator.

• Pets. According to a survey by VCIOM (the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre), 66% of Russians have pets. One fiscal data operator says that the average spend on pet products in the first quarter of 2025 was 2,995 roubles, or about 40 US dollars (as reported by Forbes). Popular items include not only pet food but also toys, clothing, veterinary care, bedding, houses, and other goods. According to a Romir survey, many Russians are unwilling to cut back on spending for their pets, just as they are unwilling to economise on food or medicine.

• Impulse buys. When it comes to choosing products, quality and price remain the most important criteria for Russians. However, people also tend to make impulsive purchases: at the beginning of 2024, there was at least one spontaneous purchase per month for every local resident, with half of these made online. Thirty percent of the poll participants said they were okay with spending 2,000–5,000 roubles (around 25–50 US dollars) a month on unplanned purchases.

Consumer trends in Russia

Experts highlight several consumer tendencies:

• Substitution of familiar brands

The current geopolitical situation continues to push Russians to seek out new brands, with 46% of the population now buying from these. In a poll by company B1, one in ten respondents said they were interested in products from India, Iran, and Turkey.

• Self-care

Consumers are willing to spend money on wellness products and healthy food. An important expense category for an average Russian family is vitamins and dietary supplements, often purchased online. In 2024, the country’s residents bought dietary supplements worth 164 billion roubles (around 1.992 billion US dollars).

•      Focus on natural products

According to a poll by the ECA Movement and the Ecological Union, 50% of the country’s population prefer ethical products. Demand is growing for eco-friendly, natural products and cosmetics, Ayurvedic products included.

• Comfort and time savings

Russians appreciate products that help them complete everyday tasks faster and make life more pleasant, such as household appliances, ready-made meal kits, and home or pick-up point delivery from marketplaces. As of March 2025, there were over 185,000 pick-up points in Russia. In larger cities, their footprint is very high—some areas have a pick-up point every 50 metres.