Professional education in Russia

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2025: The Russian market for additional vocational education over 5 years grew by 28% to 8.5 million people

The Russian market for additional vocational education has been growing for at least five years. This is evidenced by the report of the analytical company BusinessStat, published in March 2025. From 2020 to 2024, the number of students in this area increased by 28% and reached 8.5 million people.

According to BusinesStat, the number of students of additional vocational education is increasing in parallel with the growing need of the real sector of the economy for qualified specialists. It is also noted that the increase in the share of middle-aged and older people in the country's population creates a demand mainly for advanced training and retraining of personnel, and not for obtaining basic primary education.

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Фото: Freepik

An analysis of the dynamics of the number of students of additional vocational education in Russia shows that in 2020 the total number of students was 6.6 million, of which 5.1 million were trained in advanced training and professional retraining programs. In 2021, there was a slight increase to 6.9 million people, but the number in certain areas decreased to 4.4 million.

The most significant increase in the total number of students was recorded in 2022, when this figure reached 8.1 million people. At the same time, the number of individual programs during this period increased to 17.7 million. Analysts associate such a jump with changes in the labor market, when in a situation of uncertainty, Russians sought to get demanded specialties or expand their qualifications. The development of new professions in the IT industry, which allow you to work remotely and create additional professional competencies, has gained particular popularity.

In 2023, the total number of students continued to grow and increased to 8.3 million people, but the number of individual areas dropped sharply to 2.3 million. At the end of 2024, the total number of students of additional vocational education reached 8.5 million people, while the number of individual areas decreased to 2.0 million.^[1]

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