Uzbekistan leads among countries in the number of labor migrants arriving in Russia

Uzbekistan ranked first among countries in the number of labor migrants who arrived in Russia

In the first six months of 2026, over 1.17 million citizens of Uzbekistan entered Russia, indicating work as the purpose of their trip. By this indicator, the republic became the leader among countries whose citizens come to the RF to earn a living.

Tajikistan took second place with 494.5 thousand entries. Next come Kyrgyzstan (more than 289 thousand), Kazakhstan (122.6 thousand), and China (89.6 thousand).

The top ten also included Armenia — 88.6 thousand people, Azerbaijan — 62.4 thousand, India — 27.4 thousand, Turkmenistan — 13.4 thousand, and Turkey — 8.4 thousand.

At the same time, Moscow retains its lead among Russian regions in the number of foreigners working under patents: from January to September 2026, 437.6 thousand such workers were registered in the capital.

Moscow Oblast is in second place, with 268 thousand labor migrants. In Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, this figure stood at 162.4 thousand people.

The top five regions with the highest number of patent-based workers also included Sverdlovsk Oblast (38.6 thousand) and Tatarstan (36.3 thousand).

Earlier in Saint Petersburg, it was proposed to reconsider the ban on foreign citizens working in hairdressing salons and beauty parlors and to exclude these fields from the restrictions. Note that about 70% of the barbers in the city's barbershops are citizens of Uzbekistan.