In 2025, social inequality in Russia continued to rise, though the rate of increase slowed significantly compared to 2023–2024. Nezavisimaya Gazeta cites data from the monthly review “Monitoring of Russia’s Economic Outlook” No. 6(211), authored by researchers from the Gaidar Institute Tatiana Ivakhnenko and Andrey Polbin.
“In January–September 2025, trends in income inequality indicators in Russia point to stabilization following an increase in 2023–2024, which may be linked to a slowdown in economic activity,” experts note.
The trend in the Gini coefficient—an indicator reflecting the gap between incomes of the richest 10% and the poorest 10% of Russians—also points to a halt in the accelerated growth of inequality.
At the same time, Tatyana Ivakhnenko and Andrey Polbin point out that the stabilization of inequality does not mean an improvement in the situation. According to the experts, it is more likely linked to a general economic slowdown, which is holding back income growth overall.
Additional data shows that public sentiment is shifting today: Russians are not calling for a reduction in the number of wealthy people, but rather for the creation of a “zone of sustainable mass well-being” and a narrowing of the opportunity gap.