Professional education in Russia

Education in Russia

Main article: Education in Russia

Chronicle

2024

The volume of the market for additional vocational education in Russia for the year increased by 15.4% and reached ₽168,1 billion

The value of the market for additional vocational education in Russia in 2024 amounted to ₽168,1 billion, an increase of 15.4% compared to 2023. This is evidenced by the data of Gidmarket, published in October 2025 on the basis of an analysis of statistics from Rosstat, the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology and industry portals.

As RBC writes with reference to the calculations of Gidmarket, the slowdown in growth indicates the transition of the market to the stabilization phase after the recovery period of 2021-2023. The real growth, taking into account inflation, did not exceed 4.5%, which reflects the market's maturity.

For the period from 2016 to 2024, the market for additional vocational education showed steady growth, despite a short-term decline in 2020. In 2016, the volume was ₽63,2 billion. Over eight years, the figure has increased more than 2.6 times.

In 2017, there was a phase of recovery after the economic crisis - the market volume grew by 19.2% in current prices and by 13.8% in comparable prices. The growth was due to the implementation of deferred demand and the expansion of corporate advanced training programs.

In 2018-2019, the growth rate decreased, but remained above the average economic indicators. The market volume in 2019 reached ₽90,6 billion, an increase of 10.5%. The spread of coronavirus infection has become a factor in the temporary decline in the market. In 2020, the volume decreased by 11.1% compared to 2019 and amounted to ₽80,6 billion at current prices. In 2021, the market showed a sharp recovery - the volume increased to ₽110,7 billion, which corresponds to a 37.3% increase in current prices. In 2022, the dynamics slowed down. Nominal growth was 2.9%, the market reached ₽114,0 billion. Real demand decreased by 3.8%.

The year 2023 was characterized by accelerated development - the market volume reached ₽145,7 billion, which is 27.9% more than in 2022. The main drivers were the stabilization of corporate demand and an increase in the number of listeners to short-term programs.

The average annual growth rate for the period 2016-2024 is estimated at about 9-10% in real terms. After the post-crisis recovery, the market is characterized by moderate growth, dominance of online formats and gradual structural saturation.^[1]

The Russian market for additional vocational education for 5 years increased 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.^[2]

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