Immigrants to comprise one-third of Russian population by 2050 – official

As the number of immigrants in Europe grows, representatives from Russia and the EU are meeting in Moscow to discuss the pros and cons of recent immigration trends.

The latest statistics suggest that by 2050, immigrants will comprise one-third of the population in Russia, the head of the State Duma International Affairs Committee, Konstantin Kosachyov, told the meeting.

"About 10 million foreign citizens are already residing in Russia. That is the whole population of Portugal, if we measure it by European comparisons," he said.

Foreign immigrants transferred $19 billion, or 2 percent of Russia's GDP, back to their home countries in 2009.

"That is more than immigrants earned in Germany ($16 billion), in Italy ($13 billion) and in Spain (less than $13 billion)," Kosachyov added.

The official pointed out that about 3 percent of the world population is composed of migrants.

"Experts with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) believe that the number of migrants will double to more than 405 million by 2050," he said.

Still, Kosachyov believes that the contribution of immigrants to the host country's economy and demographics considerably exceeds expenditures related to immigration.

He added that while the European Union will need 100 million immigrants, Russia will need 20 million by 2050.

"One way or another, we can hardly speak about Russia's unilateral interest in settling migration issues. In a sense, we are in an equal situation," he said.

Meanwhile, specialists point out that Russia’s immigration law needs significant updates.

“In the US, immigration is much more qualified that in Russia,” Valentina Vedeneeva, from the Independent Institute of Social Policy, told RT. “It means we need new migration laws that will define such things.”