Invest Foresight presents the Russian regions’ investment activity ranking based on the data published on official websites of regional authorities.
Investment activity ranking broken down by industries
The majority of reports published by regional governments on their official websites concerns infrastructure, housing and utilities (37.9%). This is explainable because this industry reflects the strongest direct connection between the regional administration and local population. This includes news about roads, connection to gas distribution grids, water supply and disposal, major renovation and other projects that have aт investment or innovation component.
The agriculture industry is the second most discussed industry, which is also clear. Due to Western sanctions, state support of and private investment into this economic sector and, as a result, agricultural exports are growing – for example, in the Lipetsk and Voronezh regions, Republic of Chuvashia and several other regions.
Industrial production came third thanks to multiple projects aimed at import substitution, including with the support of the Industry Development Fund.
The share of reports on science and technology accounts for only 5% of all publications on local government websites. Yet, Invest Foresight experts suggest that the regions are involved in substantial scientific research projects, only they are not properly covered on those websites.
Large-scale construction is underway in the regions, but the regional governments’ press services publish only a few materials about development projects. The same holds true for trade and tourism.
| № | Industry | Points | % |
| 1 | Infrastructure and utilities | 5000 | 37.9% |
| 2 | Agriculture | 2393 | 18.1% |
| 3 | Industry | 2348 | 17.8% |
| 4 | Transport and communications | 722 | 5.5% |
| 5 | Investment policy | 758 | 5.4% |
| 6 | Science and technology | 663 | 5.0% |
| 7 | Construction and real estate | 632 | 4.8% |
| 8 | Trade and tourism | 622 | 4.7% |
| 9 | Fuel and energy | 559 | 4.2% |
| 10 | Mineral extraction | 247 | 1.9% |
Russian regions’ investment activity ranking
Why does Invest Foresight rank the regions in the middle of the year? Because first-quarter investment and innovation figures are mostly the result last year’s activity. In addition, the implementation of large-scale national projects began in the second quarter of this year.
Furthermore, semi-annual ranking smooths out some of the peaks that occur in the monthly rankings released by Invest Foresight and level out the information surges in individual months caused by high-profile events such as the SPIEF, the Sochi Economic Forum, or the Gaidar Forum.
In the Russian regions’ investment activity ranking (H1 2019), the regions of the Russian Federation are ranked by the number of points scored in monthly investment activity ratings.
Particularly notable is the gap of 303 points between the Lipetsk Region and the Republic of Tatarstan, ranked 1st and 2nd with 802 and 499 points, correspondingly. That said, the Lipetsk Region is ranked at the top as it properly represents the results of its investment and innovations activities on the region’s official websites. The Altai Territory, which cannot boast such vast investment potential as the ranking leaders, takes a well-deserved 3rd place, which is the result of its efficiently organized information policy.
Certain regions with high scientific innovation potential – such as Arkhangelsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk regions and the Primorye Territory – are ranked in the lower third. This can be attributed to the lack of coordinated information policy as regards administration press services’ coverage of specific achievements in investment and innovations sector.
| № | Region | Points |
| 1 | Lipetsk Region | 802 |
| 2 | Republic of Tatarstan | 499 |
| 3 | Altai Territory | 431 |
| 4 | Rostov Region | 425 |
| 5 | Perm Territory | 416 |
| 6 | Tomsk Region | 394 |
| 7 | Krasnodar Territory | 392 |
| 8 | Yaroslavl Region | 345 |
| 9 | Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) | 332 |
| 10 | Volgograd Region | 317 |
| 11 | Kemerovo Region | 315 |
| 12 | Primorye Territory | 314 |
| 13 | Yekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk Region | 311 |
| 14 | Tver Region | 301 |
| 15 | Ulyanovsk Region | 292 |
| 16 | Khabarovsk Territory | 272 |
| 17 | Republic of Karelia | 267 |
| 18 | Nizhny Novgorod Region | 264 |
| 19 | Tula Region | 247 |
| 20 | Kirov Region | 246 |
| 21 | Kaluga Region | 231 |
| 22 | Krasnoyarsk Territory | 230 |
| 23 | Irkutsk Region | 228 |
| 24 | Orenburg Region | 228 |
| 25 | Kaliningrad Region | 226 |
| 26 | Novgorod Region | 221 |
| 27 | Chelyabinsk Region | 218 |
| 28 | Kursk Region | 214 |
| 29 | Belgorod Region | 174 |
| 30 | Ivanovo Region | 171 |
| 31 | Omsk Region | 170 |
| 32 | Republic of of Chuvashia | 169 |
| 33 | Saratov Region | 166 |
| 34 | Novosibirsk Region | 158 |
| 35 | Pskov Region | 147 |
| 36 | Amur Region | 146 |
| 37 | Smolensk Region | 145 |
| 38 | Vologda Region | 142 |
| 39 | Stavropol Territory | 142 |
| 40 | Vladimir Region | 139 |
| 41 | Udmurtian Republic | 138 |
| 42 | Orel Region | 137 |
| 43 | Tyumen Region | 137 |
| 44 | Kurgan Region | 133 |
| 45 | Samara Region | 128 |
| 46 | Kostroma Region | 125 |
| 47 | Kamchatka Territory | 125 |
| 48 | Tambov Region | 124 |
| 49 | Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area | 121 |
| 50 | Sakhalin Region | 118 |
| 51 | Komi Republic | 114 |
| 52 | Republic of Bashkortostan | 113 |
| 53 | Nenets Autonomous Area | 111 |
| 54 | Republic of Chechnya | 107 |
| 55 | Sevastopol | 101 |
| 56 | Penza Region | 94 |
| 57 | Voronezh Region | 91 |
| 58 | Republic of Ingushetia | 76 |
| 59 | Republic of Altai | 75 |
| 60 | Republic of Crimea | 73 |
| 61 | Murmansk Region | 71 |
| 62 | Chukotka Autonomous Area | 65 |
| 63 | Magadan Region | 64 |
| 64 | Arkhangelsk Region | 62 |
| 65 | Ryazan Region | 62 |
| 66 | Republic of Khakassia | 61 |
| 67 | Bryansk Region | 60 |
| 68 | Trans-Baikal Territory | 54 |
| 69 | Republic of Mordovia | 53 |
| 70 | Republic of Buryatia | 50 |
| 71 | Khanty- Mansi Autonomous Area – Yugra | 50 |
| 72 | Karachayevo-Circassian Republic | 43 |
| 73 | Arkhangelsk Region | 40 |
| 74 | Kabardino-Balkarian Republic | 20 |
| 75 | Republic of Daghestan | 20 |
| 76 | Republic of Kalmykia | 19 |
| 77 | Jewish Autonomous Region | 12 |
| 78 | Republic of Adygeya | 11 |
| 79 | Republic of Mari El | 11 |
| 80 | Republic of North Ossetia-Alania | 9 |
| 81 | Republic of Tuva | 9 |
Ranking methodology
The ranking is based on the Invest Region daily digest published by Invest Foresight. The Best Investment News is selected every day. In the first half of 2019, Invest Foresight experts selected 3,073 briefs and viewed over 20,000. The list includes the official websites of 81 Russian regions; 100 publications in all. The annual investment activity ranking will be published at the end of the year.
Calculating points
The Russian regions’ investment activity ranking assesses the news about investment projects launched and implemented in Russian regions published in our daily digest of regional investment news. All news items were scored on a 10-point scale:
10 —launching the project, or another stage of the project;
9 — allocating funding for the project, providing a loan;
7 — signing an agreement on the implementation of the project;
4 — signing an agreement of intent;
1 — other news.
Since July 1, a coefficient has been introduced depending on the scale of the project. News about the launch of a project or its stage receives 10 points plus 6 points if the project received between RUR 1 bln and RUR 5 bln ($16 mio-$79 mio) in investment; plus 9 points if the project received between RUR 5 bln and RUR 10 bln in investment; and plus 12 points if investments exceeded RUR 10 bln ($159 mio).
In addition, starting July 1, the Best Investment News of the Day receives an additional 5 points.