This is one in a series of surveys of the former Soviet republics that are intended to provide basic reference material as a backdrop for assessing future developments in these new states. The survey provides a description of the geography, population, and economy of Russia and compares its economic characteristics, growth, and social welfare with that in the United States.

International comparisons, particularly for aggregate measures such as gross domestic product (GDP), are difficult to make because of differences in definitions and methods used by various countries in compiling statistics. International currency exchange rates are deficient for this purpose because they do not reflect relative purchasing power of different currencies over the whole range of goods and services included in GDP. Because of the lack of reliable purchasing power parities, alternative measures based on comparable international statistics have been selected.

For the most part, official statistics in the public domain were used in compiling the tables and other numerical entries. The annual statistical handbooks and the 1989 census publications issued by Soviet and Russian statistical authorities were the principal sources of data. The World Bank's publication Statistical Handbook 1993: States of the Former USSR provided supplemental information. The comparisons with the reference country, the United States, relied on information found in the annual Statistical Abstract of the United States, Economic Report of the President, and various Department of Commerce, Department of Agriculture, and OECD publications covering national accounts, agricultural production, food consumption, and the like.