The Interrelationship of Demographic and Socio-Economic Indicators of Regional Development in Russia

This study integrates spatial, demographic, and socioeconomic data to uncover systemic interdependencies between demographic processes and the level of socioeconomic development across the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The purpose of this article is to identify and assess the interrelationships between demographic processes (standard of living, fertility, mortality, life expectancy, migration etc.) and indicators of socio-economic development of regions in 1990–2025. Using matrices of pairwise correlation coefficients for 85 regions based on observations of 59 key socio-economic indicators for Federal State Statistics Service the period 1990–2025, together with an original database of strong correlations (r ≥ 0.7), two levels of analysis were undertaken: (1) aggregation of mean correlation coefficients for each selected demographic indicator; and (2) cluster analysis of regional "correlation portraits" using k‑means and hierarchical clustering. To substantiate the findings, a review of Russian and international literature was conducted on the effects of demographic processes on the economy, housing conditions, social infrastructure, and regional development. The results show that life expectancy exhibits the most robust positive associations with gross regional product (GRP) per capita and the cost of a fixed consumer basket, and negative associations with hospital bed availability and the share of the population with incomes below the subsistence minimum. In most regions, the total fertility rate is inversely related to the level of urbanization, housing provision (residential floor area per capita), and credit burden. Population size and density are closely associated with the concentration of medical personnel, while negatively correlating with total credit indebtedness and housing provision. The cluster analysis identifies four regional types—synergistic, transitional, mixed, and contrasting—distinguished by the number and strength of correlation links. The observed patterns corroborate agglomeration‑effects and demographic‑transition theories and underscore the need for a differentiated regional policy that reflects the specificities of socioeconomic development across Russia's regions.