Features of Housing Provision for Rural and Urban Populations

The results of assessing the housing provision of the rural and urban populations of Russia are presented. On the basis of the author’s methodology for identifying the level of housing provision, its actual characteristics were compared with social standards, that is, regulatory requirements for area, spaciousness, and comfort of a house or apartment. It is shown that in the city, in contrast to the countryside, housing conditions are characterized by a higher level of comforts but, at the same time, more constrained living conditions (in terms of the area of the dwelling and its spaciousness). The groups of the rural and urban populations differing in terms of housing provision have been identified. It was revealed that the share of rural residents living in housing poverty (in terms of area and living conditions) is more than two times higher (87.8%) than in the country as a whole (41.6%) and more than three times higher than residents of cities (25.1%). Ways to solve this problem are suggested.