Polity · 1922 CE – 1991 CE
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Союз Советских Социалистических Республик · Союз Радянських Соціалістичних Республік · СССР
- Peak recorded area
- 24,599,900 km²
- 1946 CE
- Rulers on record
- 23
- from 1922 CE
- Data series
- 225
- 1922 CE–1991 CE
Overview
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), also known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. It was the world's third-most populous country, largest by area, and bordered twelve countries. A diverse multinational state, it was organized as a federal union of national republics, the largest and most populous being the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
25 dated territorial extents on record from Cliopatria. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. CShapes 2.0 holds 12 further extents, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before 1991 CE, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 19 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population78 obs · 1 CE–1991 CE | 290Mpersons1991 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| Urban Population71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 62.4Mpersons1991 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Life Expectancy65 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 68.96years1991 CE · Clio-Infra |
| Who Tb Incidence34 obs · 1958 CE–1991 CE | 17.41per_1000001991 CE · WHO Global Health Observatory |
| % Buddhist10 obs · 1945 CE–1990 CE | 0.2%1990 CE · CoW World Religion Project |
| % Christian10 obs · 1945 CE–1990 CE | 24.37%1990 CE · CoW World Religion Project |
Economy
6 of 89 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita127 obs · 1860 CE–1991 CE | 10.4K2011 int'l $1991 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| GDP per capita PPP71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 18.2Kint'l $ (inflation adj.)1991 CE · Gapminder |
| Total Exports71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 44.6Kmillion USD (current)1991 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Total Imports71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 48.4Kmillion USD (current)1991 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Trade Balance71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | -3,806.37million USD (current)1991 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Trade Openness71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 93Kmillion USD (current)1991 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
Military
6 of 60 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| CINC Score71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 0.1033CINC (share of world capability)1991 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 2.2Bcoal-ton equivalents1991 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 73Mtons1991 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 133.7Bcurrent USD1991 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 3Mpersons1991 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Nuclear Warhead Stockpile47 obs · 1945 CE–1991 CE | 29.2Kcount1991 CE · FAS Nuclear Notebook (via OWID) |
Territory & resources
6 of 13 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Fao Agricultural Land31 obs · 1961 CE–1991 CE | 555.4Mha1991 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Arable Land31 obs · 1961 CE–1991 CE | 224.4Mha1991 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Country Area31 obs · 1961 CE–1991 CE | 2.2Bha1991 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cropland31 obs · 1961 CE–1991 CE | 228.9Mha1991 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Land Area31 obs · 1961 CE–1991 CE | 2.2Bha1991 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Land Equipped Irrigation31 obs · 1961 CE–1991 CE | 20.9Mha1991 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 20 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 0.255index (0-1)1991 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 0.129index (0-1)1991 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 0.154index (0-1)1991 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 1RoW index (0-3)1991 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 0.257index (0-1)1991 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Checks And Balances17 obs · 1975 CE–1991 CE | 1count1991 CE · Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023 |
Development
6 of 24 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index71 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 0.593index (0-1)1991 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Tech Railway Line Km70 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 147.5Kkm1991 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Railway Freight Tkm69 obs · 1921 CE–1989 CE | 3.9Mtonne-km1989 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Electricity Production66 obs · 1921 CE–1990 CE | 1.7TGWh1990 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Radios65 obs · 1921 CE–1991 CE | 55.5Kcount1991 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Railway Passenger Km65 obs · 1921 CE–1989 CE | 411Kpassenger-km1989 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
Rulers
23 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Mikhail Ivanovich KalininHead of State1922 CE – 1946 CE
- Vladimir LeninHead of Government1923 CE – 1924 CE
- Alexei RykovHead of Government1924 CE – 1930 CE
- Vyacheslav MolotovHead of Government1930 CE – 1941 CE
- Joseph StalinHead of Government1941 CE – 1953 CE
- Nikolai ShvernikHead of State1946 CE – 1953 CE
- Georgy MalenkovHead of Government1953 CE – 1955 CE
- Kliment VoroshilovHead of State1953 CE – 1960 CE
- Nikolai BulganinHead of Government1955 CE – 1958 CE
- Nikita KhrushchevHead of Government1958 CE – 1964 CE
- Leonid BrezhnevHead of State1960 CE – 1964 CE
- Alexei KosyginHead of Government1964 CE – 1980 CE
- Anastas MikoyanHead of State1964 CE – 1965 CE
- Mykola PidhornyiHead of State1965 CE – 1977 CE
- Nikolay Aleksandrovich TikhonovHead of Government1980 CE – 1985 CE
- Vasily KuznetsovHead of State1982 CE – 1983 CE
- Yuri AndropovHead of State1983 CE – 1984 CE
- Constantine ChernenkoHead of State1984 CE – 1985 CE
- Andrei GromykoHead of State1985 CE – 1988 CE
- Nikolai RyzhkovHead of Government1985 CE – 1991 CE
- Mikhail GorbachevHead of State1988 CE – 1991 CE
- Ivan SilayevHead of Government1991 CE
- Valentin PavlovHead of Government1991 CE
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- Belarusian, Russian, Ukrainian
- Currency
- Soviet ruble (SUR)
Memberships
- Russia–Iran Defense Pact (1921)Military alliance · member1921 CE – 1941 CE
- Russia–Turkey Non-Aggression Pact (1925)Historical alliance · member1925 CE – 1939 CE
- Germany–Russia Non-Aggression Pact (1926)Historical alliance · member1926 CE – 1933 CE
- Russia–Afghanistan Non-Aggression Pact (1926)Historical alliance · member1926 CE – 1979 CE
- Russia–Lithuania Non-Aggression Pact (1926)Historical alliance · member1926 CE – 1939 CE
- Russia–Iran Non-Aggression Pact (1927)Historical alliance · member1927 CE – 1941 CE
- Russia–Estonia Non-Aggression Pact (1932)Historical alliance · member1932 CE – 1939 CE
- Russia–Finland Non-Aggression Pact (1932)Historical alliance · member1932 CE – 1939 CE
- Russia–Latvia Non-Aggression Pact (1932)Historical alliance · member1932 CE – 1939 CE
- Poland–Russia Non-Aggression Pact (1932)Historical alliance · member1932 CE – 1939 CE
- France–Russia Non-Aggression Pact (1932)Historical alliance · member1932 CE – 1935 CE
- Italy–Russia Non-Aggression Pact (1933)Historical alliance · member1933 CE – 1941 CE
- France–Russia Defense Pact (1935)Military alliance · member1935 CE – 1939 CE
- 4-member Defense Pact (1935)Military alliance · member1935 CE – 1939 CE
- Russia–Mongolia Defense Pact (1936)Military alliance · member1936 CE – 1991 CE
- 9-member Defense Pact (1937)Military alliance · member1937 CE – 1939 CE
- Russia–China Non-Aggression Pact (1937)Historical alliance · member1937 CE – 1945 CE
- Germany–Russia Non-Aggression Pact (1939)Historical alliance · member1939 CE – 1941 CE
- Russia–Latvia Defense Pact (1939)Military alliance · member1939 CE – 1940 CE
- Russia–Lithuania Defense Pact (1939)Military alliance · member1939 CE – 1940 CE
- Russia–Estonia Defense Pact (1939)Military alliance · member1939 CE – 1940 CE
- Russia–Finland Non-Aggression Pact (1940)Historical alliance · member1940 CE – 1941 CE
- United Kingdom–Russia Defense Pact (1941)Military alliance · member1941 CE – 1955 CE
- Allied Powers (WWII)Historical alliance · member1941 CE – 1945 CE
- Yugoslavia–Russia Non-Aggression Pact (1941)Historical alliance · member1941 CE – 1941 CE
- Russia–Japan Non-Aggression Pact (1941)Historical alliance · member1941 CE – 1945 CE
- United Kingdom–Russia–Iran Defense Pact (1942)Military alliance · member1942 CE – 1946 CE
- France–Russia Defense Pact (1944)Military alliance · member1944 CE – 1955 CE
- 4-member Defense Pact (1935)Military alliance · member1945 CE – 1989 CE
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · founding member1945 CE –
- Yugoslavia–Russia Defense Pact (1945)Military alliance · member1945 CE – 1949 CE
- Poland–Russia Defense Pact (1945)Military alliance · member1945 CE – 1989 CE
- Russia–China Defense Pact (1945)Military alliance · member1945 CE – 1949 CE
- Romania–Russia Defense Pact (1948)Military alliance · member1948 CE – 1989 CE
- Hungary–Russia Defense Pact (1948)Military alliance · member1948 CE – 1989 CE
- Bulgaria–Russia Defense Pact (1948)Military alliance · member1948 CE – 1989 CE
- Russia–Finland Defense Pact (1948)Military alliance · member1948 CE – 1991 CE
- Russia–China Defense Pact (1950)Military alliance · member1950 CE – 1980 CE
- Warsaw PactWPMilitary alliance · founding member1955 CE – 1991 CE
- 8-member Defense Pact (1955)Military alliance · member1955 CE – 1991 CE
- Russia–North Korea Defense Pact (1961)Military alliance · member1961 CE – 1995 CE
- 13-member Non-Aggression Pact (1962)Historical alliance · member1962 CE – 1964 CE
- German Democratic Republic–Russia Defense Pact (1964)Military alliance · member1964 CE – 1989 CE
- France–Russia Entente (1970)Historical alliance · member1970 CE – 1990 CE
- Canada–Russia Entente (1971)Historical alliance · member1971 CE – 1992 CE
- Russia–Egypt Entente (1971)Historical alliance · member1971 CE – 1976 CE
- Russia–India Non-Aggression Pact (1971)Historical alliance · member1971 CE – 1991 CE
- Russia–Iraq Entente (1972)Historical alliance · member1972 CE – 1990 CE
- Russia–Angola Entente (1976)Historical alliance · member1976 CE – 1991 CE
- Russia–Mozambique Entente (1977)Historical alliance · member1977 CE – 1991 CE
- Russia–Vietnam Entente (1978)Historical alliance · member1978 CE – 1991 CE
- Russia–Ethiopia Entente (1978)Historical alliance · member1978 CE – 1991 CE
- Russia–Yemen People's Republic Entente (1979)Historical alliance · member1979 CE – 1990 CE
- Russia–Syria Entente (1980)Historical alliance · member1980 CE – 1991 CE
- Russia–Congo Entente (1981)Historical alliance · member1981 CE – 1991 CE
- Germany–Russia Non-Aggression Pact (1990)Historical alliance · member1990 CE –
- France–Russia Entente (1990)Historical alliance · member1990 CE – 1991 CE
- Italy–Russia Entente (1990)Historical alliance · member1990 CE – 1991 CE
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Seshat Global History Databank. Cliopatria: a historical basemap of polity borders (cliopatria.geojson).
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
Barbieri, K. & Keshk, O. (2016). Correlates of War Project Trade Data Set, v4.0.
Free academic use, citation
CoW World Religion Projectv1.1
Maoz, Z. & Henderson, E.A. (2013). The World Religion Dataset, 1945-2010. International Interactions 39(3).
Free academic use, citation
Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023DPI 2023
Cruz, C., Keefer, P. & Scartascini, C. (2023). Database of Political Institutions 2023. Inter-American Development Bank.
IDB open data, attribution
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
FAS Nuclear Notebook (via OWID)2024
Kristensen, H.M. et al., Federation of American Scientists Nuclear Notebook, via Our World in Data (2024).
CC BY 4.0 (OWID); underlying FAS data
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
WHO Global Health Observatory2024
World Health Organization (2024). Global Health Observatory data repository.
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.