According to the calculations of the Russian Statistical Service, the population in Murmansk Oblast will drop to 688,000 in year 2025, B-port.com reports. Today, about 850,000 people live in the region. In the late 1980s, more than 1,15 million people lived in Murmansk Oblast. The shrinking population in Murmansk is first of all a result of out-migration. However, also natural population is negative in the region. The population in Murmansk Oblast was boosted in Soviet years as massive industrialization developed and new bases were built for the Northern Fleet.
